Diamond Memory Lane DLX

The Diamond Memory Lane DLX is a delay pedal from Canadian builder Diamond Pedals, announced in July 2020 as a deluxe version of the original Memory Lane design¹. It sits in the Memory Lane family alongside the Memory Lane Jr and the Memory Lane 2, and it carries the family's approach to analog-voiced repeats with modulation on the delay line².

What it adds over the Jr

The DLX's main additions over the Jr are on the modulation and timing side¹:

• Extra modulation controls for Depth and Speed, where the Jr had a fixed modulation on the repeats, so the amount and rate of movement in the repeats can be set by hand¹
• A triplet mode now based on eighth-note triplets, rather than quarter note ones¹
• A single TAP/DBL footswitch that incorporates the function of the Memory Lane 2's third footswitch, which alternated between tap tempo and the tempo set on the knob¹

Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio noted the timing change in his own words¹:

Footswitch layout changed too. The Memory Lane 2 carried a third footswitch that alternated between tap tempo and the tempo set on the knob; on the DLX that function is incorporated into a single TAP/DBL footswitch¹.

The Memory Lane design

The Memory Lane family's character comes from its analog-voiced signal path. Describing the later Memory Lane V2, Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio pointed to "the Compandor adding a slight compression and softness, allowing the delay to sit perfectly in the mix", along with anti-aliasing filters that create warmth and an analog feedback network⁴. A compandor, for players new to the term, is a compressor-expander circuit used to keep noise down in a delay line while shaping how the repeats sit in a mix.

The original analog Memory Lane used a BBD chip, a bucket-brigade device, together with a compandor, and Diamond's later compact versions are designed to capture that character⁵.

The Memory Lane line today

Diamond Pedals has since rebuilt the line around a modern processor. The current Memory Lane is powered by an STM32 ARM Cortex processor, which the maker says offers improved headroom, a lower noise floor, and an extended delay range⁶. The compact STM32 edition includes built-in protection against polarity and over-voltage power mistakes⁶, and its Ambient 3-Head mode produces "expansive, cascading repeats perfect for layered soundscapes"⁶. A Limited Maple Leaf Edition of the STM32 version has also been offered⁶.

The Jr itself, reviewed by Pedal of the Day, used a bi-color LED to give visual indication of tap subdivision and delay time⁷, a family trait players will recognize across the Memory Lane range.

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