Crazy Tube Circuits TI:ME

The Crazy Tube Circuits TI:ME is a retro-inspired delay pedal from Greek maker Crazy Tube Circuits, announced in June 2021. Rather than chasing the clean, hi-fi repeats of a modern digital delay, it takes its cue from the first digital delay rack units of the mid-to-late 1970s, machines with lower bit resolution and bandwidth than today's standards, and aims to bring that warmer, more musical character to a pedalboard-friendly box¹².

The design keeps the dry signal entirely analog while creating the delayed signal with two filtered digital recorders placed in parallel to it, so the repeats sit alongside your untouched dry tone¹³. Crazy Tube Circuits describes the result in terms of the era it honors: "Think of a Model 113™ rack unit; the repeats are really musical, reminiscent of worn tape echoes"¹. Each unit is hand lacquered and one of a kind, with unique copper elements¹.

Where the design comes from

The TI:ME is inspired by the very first digital delay rack units introduced in the mid-to-late 1970s, at the beginning of the "digital audio revolution," units that had lower bit resolution and bandwidth compared to today's digital delay standards². Crazy Tube Circuits describes the repeats as really musical, reminiscent of worn tape echoes¹.

The Model 113 has a notable player attached to it: David Gilmour used an MXR 113 Digital Delay in his live rig with Pink Floyd between 1977 and 1986, almost a decade⁸. The TI:ME is not a reissue or emulation of that rack unit's controls, but Crazy Tube Circuits points to it as the sonic reference for the pedal's repeats¹.

Controls and what they do

The control layout splits into two rows, with a toggle in the middle⁷.

There are two soft-relay footswitches: one for bypass, one for tap tempo. The tap tempo switch doubles as a momentary feedback trigger: hold it down and the repeats are maximized, sending the pedal into runaway oscillation, a trick familiar from tape echo units⁷⁴². With the tap tempo switch (or an external tap-tempo switch hooked up) the maximum delay time is one full second⁴⁶².

Power and connections

The TI:ME runs on an external 9 to 12 Volt DC power supply with a center-negative tip⁸. Pedal of the Day notes it can run on 12V if you wish, while sounding as intended on the regular 9V⁴. There is no battery option mentioned, and no MIDI control or stereo output: Gearnews' reviewer flagged both absences directly, writing that players "into MIDI control, stereo delays and/or want to have control over every aspect of an effect" should look elsewhere, and adding "It's a pity they don't do a stereo version"⁸.

The bypass is selectable: an internal switch lets you choose between true (relay) bypass and buffered bypass with trails, so the repeats can ring out after you switch the effect off⁷⁴. When buffered, the pedal uses a high-quality op-amp for hi-fidelity reproduction of the dry signal⁴⁶.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar's October 2021 review made an interesting observation about where the TI:ME actually sits tonally: "the TI:ME's fundamental tones are much closer to a bucket brigade delay unit. The closest tone match I could find among" current pedals was an MXR Carbon Copy⁷. In other words, a player chasing the sound of an early digital rack unit may find the pedal behaves more like an analog delay, which depending on taste may be exactly the point. The reviewer also felt that at $209 the pedal was "money very well spent"⁷.

In a first look, Gearnews found the TI:ME's fundamental tones much closer to a bucket brigade delay unit than to a digital delay, with the closest tone match among the reviewer's comparisons being an MXR Carbon Copy⁷. Pedal of the Day was positive about the pedal's concept, calling it a delay/echo with separate analog and digital paths, tap tempo, modulation and more, and concluding that they highly recommend it⁴.

That review closed with a recommendation for players who want a warm, simple echo rather than a feature-heavy digital delay⁴.

How it fits with the rest of the range

Crazy Tube Circuits also makes the Echotopia tape echo pedal, presented at NAMM 2018, and the Sidekick, a four-in-one chorus, flanger, delay and reverb pedal with buffer/preamp, DI and headphone outputs. The TI:ME is the focused option of the three: one delay voice, analog dry path, and controls aimed at players who want to dial in a sound quickly rather than navigate menus.

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