The Boss DM-101 Delay Machine is an analog delay pedal from Boss, released in 2023. Its audio signal path is fully analog, built on eight bucket-brigade device (BBD) chips, while a digital CPU manages the circuit. Boss calls it "the ultimate analog delay," with 12 modes, up to 1200 ms of delay time, onboard memories, tap tempo, stereo output and MIDI12.
Where most analog delays use one or two BBD chips, the DM-101 runs eight 2048-stage BBDs instead of the more common 4096-stage part, each tuned by CPU control for a greater range of sounds. Delicious Audio describes the result as a "warm, saturated, and highly musical tone"3.
What it does: an analog delay with eight BBD chips
BBD analog delays emerged in the 1970s as a compact, cost-effective alternative to tape delays, and the bucket-brigade chip has been the heart of the format ever since3. The DM-101's twist is scale: eight analog but digitally controlled 2048-stage BBD chips working together, with a CPU steering them3. Gearnews explains that the eight BBDs, the basis of many analog delays, work together with a CPU that controls them11.
For a player, that combination means the repeats are genuinely analog, with the character that implies, while the digital side handles things analog pedals traditionally could not: presets, tap tempo, MIDI and mode switching. On That Pedal Show, the presenters found the DM-101 does things they had never heard in an analog delay before, pointing to its twin engine design10.
"there's things that the dm101 does that I've never heard in an analog toay before that twin engine thing"
The 12 modes
A rotary switch in the center of the panel selects the 12 modes12. Six of them support stereo operation3. The modes include:
| Mode | What it does | Max delay time |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | Traditional warm analog delay sound; Variation knob cycles the modulation waveform | 1200 ms3 |
| Vintage | Retro analog delay sound inspired by the Boss DM-2 Delay pedal introduced in 1981 | 3 |
| Modern | Uniquely clear analog delay with a distinctive high-end tone | 840 ms1 |
| Multi-Head | Emulates a multi-head tape delay with analog BBD character; Variation knob cycles through 10 head combinations | 1 |
| Non-Linear | Consecutive short delays that gradually increase in volume; Variation knob controls delay times after the initial delay | 35 to 190 ms3 |
| Pan | Routes each BBD and its feedback loop to alternate points in the stereo field | 3 |
The Vintage mode gives players a voiced-after-the-DM-2 option without hunting an original 1981 unit, and the Multi-Head mode offers tape-style multi-tap patterns, a job players might otherwise give a Space Echo pedal31.
The controls and footswitches
Three footswitches control On/Off, Memory and Tap Tempo functions12, though Guitar Pedal X notes the Tap Tempo footswitch is not active for every mode9. The panel also includes:
- Mode selector: rotary switch for the 12 modes12
- Variation knob: cycles through parameters unique to each mode, for example the 10 head combinations in Multi-Head or the modulation waveform in Classic3
- Intensity knob: drives delays into saturated self-oscillation when cranked3
- Modulation rate and depth knobs: dedicated controls for the modulation1
- Tap Division button: Half Note, Quarter Note, Eighth Note Triplet, Dotted9
- Presets: Manual (panel controls) plus memories 1 to 4; hold the Memory button to write and save9
For extended real-time control, you can connect up to two external footswitches or an expression pedal, or use MIDI3. The onboard memory system holds four memories plus the current panel settings3, with 127 user memories accessible remotely over MIDI4.
History and versions
Boss released the DM-101 in 2023137, and its enclosure pays tribute to the company's first analog delay unit, the DM-17. MusicRadar called it "a respectful nod to Boss's original DM-1"14. The original DM-1 offered delay times up to 500 milliseconds5; the DM-101 more than doubles that, reaching 1200 ms in Classic mode152.
The DM-1 lineage matters here: where the 1970s unit was a fixed-function rack-style machine, the DM-101 wraps the same BBD concept in a modern pedal with presets and MIDI. The latest system program version is Ver.1.0463.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X named the DM-101 its Silver pick in the 2023 Pedals of the Year, praising its 12 modes, stereo patterns and analog delay output9, and the reviewer called it "the most amazing sounding analog delay"9. On That Pedal Show, comparing it with the DD-500, the presenter said:
"it's now a game of UI cuz I'm going to choose the uh dm101 every day of the week over the dd500"
The same show's quick answer for players wanting the sound of analog among Boss's big-box delays was the DM-10110. MusicRadar's review highlighted its stereo and MIDI functionality for enhanced rig integration8.
The DM-101 draws 260 mA at 9V DC center negative4, so it needs a pedalboard power supply with adequate current. A battery is not an option, and a low-current daisy chain may not keep up.
Videos
JHS Pedals
Andertons Music Co
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News
Questions
Is the Boss DM-101 analog or digital?
Both, in a specific way. The audio signal path is fully analog, running through eight bucket-brigade device (BBD) chips, while a digital CPU controls them. Boss describes it as fully analog BBD audio circuitry shaped by precision digital CPU control, so the repeats are analog but the management of the circuit is digital.
Does the DM-101 have stereo inputs?
No. The DM-101 has a mono input but a stereo output, and six of its 12 modes support stereo operation. Guitar Pedal X noted the routing is mono in, stereo out only, which is worth knowing if you run a stereo board.
How much power does the Boss DM-101 need?
It runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug and draws 260 mA. That current draw rules out a battery and means it needs a proper isolated or high-current power supply rather than a small daisy chain.
What is the maximum delay time on the DM-101?
Up to 1200 milliseconds, depending on the mode. Classic mode reaches the full 1200 ms, while Modern mode tops out at 840 ms. Delay times range from roughly 10 ms to 1200 ms and vary per mode.
How is the DM-101 different from the DD-500?
The DD-500 is a digital delay workstation, while the DM-101 keeps an analog BBD signal path with digital control. On That Pedal Show, the presenter said that on user interface alone he would choose the DM-101 over the DD-500 every day of the week.
Does the DM-101 have MIDI?
Yes. It is fully MIDI compatible, with MIDI I/O on mini TRS connectors, MIDI sync, and remote access to its 127 user memories. MusicRadar's reviewer highlighted the stereo and MIDI functionality for enhanced rig integration.
Sources (15)
- BOSS - DM-101 | Delay Machine, boss.info
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-20
- BOSS DM-101 Delay, Delicious Audio, 2024-04-26
- DM-101 Delay Machine by BOSS, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Echoes in Time: The History of BOSS Delay Pedals, BOSS (articles.boss.info), 2024-01-10
- BOSS - Support - DM-101 - Updates & Drivers, boss.info
- Boss unveils the “ultimate stereo analogue delay”, the DM-101, Guitar.com, 2023-06-22
- Boss DM-101 Delay Machine pedal review, MusicRadar, 2023-07-10
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-21
- Why Does Boss Make All These Big-Box Delay Pedals? DD-500, DM-101, RE-202 & SDE-3000D, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2024-09-20
- Boss DM-101: The ultimate analogue delay?, gearnews.com, 2023-06-22
- Boss DM-101 Delay Machine review, Guitar World, 2023-10-30
- 2023 UPDATE: The Best Analog Delay Pedals (Mono & Stereo), Delicious Audio, 2024-01-04
- Has Boss just unveiled the must-have delay pedal for analogue fans with the DM-101?, MusicRadar, 2023-06-22
- Is the Boss DM-101 a new benchmark for analogue delay?, guitar.com, 2023-07-28
