The Damage Control Time Line is a delay and echo pedal with a looper and modulation effects built in, one of two delay/echo offerings the company unveiled. MusicRadar called it a "multi-dimensional delay", promising 96KHz true stereo signal processing, and noted that it runs dual 12AX7 valves alongside its digital features and MIDI control1. It belongs to the broader family of delay pedals, and its looper mode puts it among looping pedals too.
Modes and controls
The main focus of the control panel is a 12-position mode selector. It covers seven delay modes, a looper mode and four preset banks1.
The seven delay modes are:
- Slap1
- Long1
- Reverse1
- Dotted eighth
- Pong
- Multi
- Mod
MusicRadar notes that slap, long and reverse are self-explanatory, and that you can tap in tempos with the second footswitch1.
Presets and footswitches
The Time Line stores your sounds in four preset banks, each containing two memory slots, for eight presets in all. To use them, you select banks one to four with the mode selector, then use the two footswitches to toggle between preset A and preset B within a bank. The same two footswitches bypass the pedal completely1.
Connections and power
Round the back are stereo inputs and stereo outputs, as well as MIDI in and out. Power comes from an AC adaptor that is included in the box1.
Because power is via the included AC adaptor rather than a battery, plan your board's power around it.
Build and what reviewers said
MusicRadar's reviewer found the construction up to scratch: "The whole unit is constructed to the highest standards, and feels pretty indestructible." The dual concentric knobs were described as solid and chunky1.
The review's overall verdict was positive:
"Generous features. Great sounds. Intuitive interface. MIDI access"
Apart from the price, the reviewer found nothing to avoid1.
The Time Line and the Strymon TimeLine
The Damage Control Time Line is not the same pedal as Strymon's TimeLine. Damage Control's Time Line is a stereo delay with MIDI in and out, powered by an included AC adaptor, and its two footswitches toggle between preset A and preset B within a bank or bypass the pedal completely1.
Questions
Does the Damage Control Time Line use tubes?
Yes. MusicRadar's review describes the Time Line as sporting dual 12AX7 valves, the tube type long used in guitar preamps. That places real glass in a pedal format, alongside its digital stereo processing and MIDI control.
Does the Time Line have MIDI?
It does. Round the back, alongside the stereo inputs and outputs, the Time Line carries MIDI in and out, so it can be controlled from a MIDI setup as well as from its own panel and footswitches.
How many presets can the Time Line store?
The Time Line has four preset banks, each holding two memory slots for your own sounds, giving eight stored presets in total. You select a bank with the mode selector and switch between preset A and preset B with the two footswitches.
What is the difference between the Damage Control Time Line and the Strymon TimeLine?
They are separate pedals from separate makers. Strymon absorbed Damage Control Effects in 2009, and its TimeLine arrived around 2008 or 2009, designed by the former Damage Control team. The Damage Control Time Line is the earlier, valve-equipped original.
Is the Time Line stereo?
Yes. MusicRadar describes it as a multi-dimensional delay promising 96KHz true stereo signal processing, with stereo inputs and stereo outputs on the back panel.
Sources (1)
- Damage Control Time Line review, MusicRadar, 2008-12-03
