The Catalinbread Lo-Fi Delay (Proto 5) is a delay pedal sold through the maker's Proto Club program, a line of limited-release prototype designs. As a delay, it produces repeats of whatever you play into it, and its lo-fi character comes from filtering and modulation applied to those repeats. Like every Proto Club pedal, it is only sold during a limited window: Catalinbread's page states it is "ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL FEBRUARY 26TH"1.
Proto Club release windows are limited, and some pedals are only available for a couple of weeks. Once a window closes, the pedal is gone rather than restocked1.
The controls
The pedal has five knobs, and each does one job:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| TIME | Dictates the time between each repeat, from very little to about 800 milliseconds |
| FEED | Governs how many repeats are present in the overall sound; at minimum, the minimum, and at maximum the repeats go indefinitely, even on the verge of self-oscillation at the highest settings |
| LO-FI | Turning it up increases the amount of modulation and the cutoff frequencies for all three filter controls |
| MIX | Dictates how much of the dry signal is present in the output; at minimum no lo-fi delay sound is heard, at maximum only the lo-fi delay sound is heard |
| VOL | Output level |
The MIX control makes the pedal a parallel-effect design in practice: at its minimum you hear only your dry signal, and at its maximum only the delayed, filtered repeats, so it can sit in a rig either as a subtle color behind your tone or as a full wet effect1.
The LO-FI knob is the one that gives the pedal its name. It drives both the modulation depth and the filter cutoffs, so a single turn takes the repeats from relatively clean to noticeably degraded and wobbly1.
Power
The Lo-Fi Delay (Proto 5) accepts a pedal-standard center-negative DC plug capable of supplying between 9 and 18 volts, with at least 64mA of current. Catalinbread notes that more current than that is fine1.
The Proto Club program
The Lo-Fi Delay (Proto 5) is part of Catalinbread's Proto Club line, which works differently from a normal pedal release1:
- Pedals are prototype designs sold in limited release windows, some only available for a couple of weeks1
- Prices are significantly lower than if the pedal were a normal retail release1
- Membership is automatic with any Proto Club pedal purchase1
- The first Proto Club purchase comes with a Proto Club Passport booklet with the first page stamped; each subsequent pedal comes with a new sticker, and filled books earn bonus stuff including unreleased or staple production pedals1
Other Proto Club releases include the Tritone Proto 227 and the Mirror (Proto 4224), and Catalinbread's wider delay range includes pedals such as the Belle Epoch Deluxe, the Echorec and the EG1 Lo-Fi Delay. For more on the effect type, see the site's Delay Pedals page.
Videos
Nowyouknow
Gamma Keraulophon
Questions
What does the LO-FI knob do on the Catalinbread Proto 5?
The LO-FI knob is the pedal's character control. Turning it up increases the amount of modulation and raises the cutoff frequencies for all three filter controls, pushing the repeats further into degraded, lo-fi territory. At low settings the delay stays closer to a clean repeat, so the knob works as a single dial from subtle coloration to heavily filtered, modulated echoes.
How long can the Catalinbread Lo-Fi Delay delay time go?
The TIME knob dictates the time between each repeat, from very little up to about 800 milliseconds. That covers short slapback-style settings through to longer, more spacious repeats.
What power supply does the Catalinbread Lo-Fi Delay need?
It accepts a pedal-standard center-negative DC plug supplying between 9 and 18 volts, with at least 64mA of current. Catalinbread notes that more current than that is fine, so a standard isolated pedal supply output rated above 64mA will run it.
What is the Catalinbread Proto Club?
Proto Club is Catalinbread's line of limited-release prototype designs. Release windows are limited, some only a couple of weeks, and prices are significantly lower than a normal retail release. Membership is automatic with any Proto Club pedal purchase, and the first purchase comes with a Proto Club Passport booklet.
Is the Catalinbread Lo-Fi Delay (Proto 5) still available?
No. Catalinbread's product page states it is only available until February 26th, consistent with the limited release windows the Proto Club line uses. Once the window closes, the pedal is no longer offered.
Sources (1)
- Lo-Fi Delay (Proto 5), Catalinbread Effects
