The Caroline Megabyte Lo-Fi Delay Computer is a lo-fi delay pedal from Caroline Guitar Company, a effects design and manufacturing firm in Columbia, South Carolina. It is the follow-up to the company's Kilobyte Lo-Fi Delay, and it keeps that pedal's degraded, gritty character while adding the features players had asked for: tap tempo, longer delay time, and a choice of trails or true bypass1.
What the Megabyte does
The Megabyte is a delay in the lo-fi tradition: instead of aiming for clean, precise repeats, it leans into degradation. Caroline describes it as combining tap tempo, trails or true bypass, and "a nastier, dirtier runaway havoc"1.
The Havoc switch, a Caroline signature, returns here in what Delicious Audio describes as "a nastier, dirtier runaway havoc"1. On the Kilobyte, Havoc is a footswitch that drives the pedal into self-oscillation; the Megabyte's version is described as a nastier circuit for the same kind of runaway effect1.
New controls and features on the Megabyte include:
- A tap-tempo footswitch, which Caroline called "the oft-requested tap-tempo function, which allows users to tap in their desired delay time via a footswitch"2
- Three tap-tempo subdivisions1
- A choice of trails or true bypass operation1
- An internal 100% dry-kill control, positioned by Caroline for production work, so only the wet repeats reach the output1
Megabyte versus Kilobyte
The Kilobyte, released in 2013 as a lo-fi digital delay pedal, put Caroline on the map for delays; the company described it at the time as its "acclaimed Kilobyte Lo-Fi Delay"34. The Megabyte, first shown at NAMM 2019, "picks up where the company's Kilobyte left off," in Delicious Audio's words, with the second chip doubling down on delay time and the additions of tap tempo, bypass options and the revised Havoc circuit1.
The line has continued since: Caroline later introduced the Kilobyte 2000, a lo-fi delay in the same family5.
Caroline has since returned to the Kilobyte name with the Kilobyte 2000, a lo-fi delay5.
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Questions
Is the Caroline Megabyte analog or digital?
The Megabyte is a digital delay, but a deliberately lo-fi one. Delicious Audio's write-up, quoting Caroline, describes it as using two old school lo-fi digital chips to get more delay time than the single-chip Kilobyte. The character is intentionally degraded and gritty rather than clean and hi-fi, in keeping with the Kilobyte line.
Does the Caroline Megabyte have tap tempo?
Yes. Caroline added what the company called the oft-requested tap-tempo function, which lets players tap in their desired delay time with a footswitch. Delicious Audio describes the Megabyte's tap-tempo circuit as having three subdivisions, so tapped quarter notes can be divided into other delay lengths.
What is the dry-kill setting on the Caroline Megabyte?
Inside the pedal there is an internal control for a 100 percent dry-kill, meaning the unaffected signal can be removed entirely and only the repeats pass through. Caroline positions this for production work, where a player or engineer wants only the wet delay signal on a track.
How is the Megabyte different from the Caroline Kilobyte?
The Megabyte picks up where the Kilobyte left off. It uses two lo-fi digital chips instead of one for more delay time, and adds tap tempo with three subdivisions, a choice of trails or true bypass, and what Delicious Audio calls a nastier, dirtier runaway havoc circuit.
Where can you buy the Caroline Megabyte?
Caroline Guitar Company announced a wide retail release of the Megabyte in February 2020, available through the company's worldwide retailer network. An earlier limited advance run, which benefited a nonprofit, sold out on its announcement date in January 2020.
Sources (5)
- Caroline Megabyte Lo-Fi Delay Computer, Delicious Audio, 2022-01-31
- Caroline Guitar Company Releases Megabyte™ Delay, Bass Gear Magazine, 2020-02-22
- Météore Reverb, Caroline Guitar Company, 2015-10-08
- KILOBYTE DELAY: Available until January 19, 2013 through Kickstarter, Caroline Guitar Company, 2013-01-13
- New Pedals! Keeley Nocturne, Jam Retrovibe 4, Caroline Kilo 2K, DevTech Soft Drive, Hagerman EF86, That Pedal Show (YouTube), 2026-01-30
