DigiTech Obscura Altered Delay

The DigiTech Obscura Altered Delay is a compact delay pedal from DigiTech, introduced in 2015. It is a digital delay with analog simulations, designed, in DigiTech's words, "with the legendary functionality and flaws of the early tape-based delay/reverb units of yesteryear in mind"¹². Where a standard delay pedal gives you clean repeats, the Obscura is built around the idea that the imperfections of old echo machines are part of the character: it aims, as the announcement put it, "to re-create the distinctive sonic signatures of early tape-based echo and delay units and all their aural idiosyncrasies"³.

The pedal offers four delay modes, analog, tape, lo-fi and reverse, with the reverse mode emulating the sound of playing a recording backwards¹³. A Degrade control pushes the modes further: with it advanced, the analog mode creates a receding filter effect around your playing, and tape produces synthesized impersonations of wow and flutter for a dense, chorus-like vibe⁴. It was shown at the 2015 Summer NAMM Show in Nashville, Tennessee⁵⁶, and DigiTech announced immediate availability on May 15, 2015⁶.

The four delay modes

The Obscura's modes are where its character lives. Each one models a different flavor of echo:

Guitar.com's review went further on how the modes behave once the Degrade knob comes into play. In analog mode with Degrade advanced, "Analogue creates a beautiful receding filter effect that surrounds your playing with warm pulsations," while in tape mode "tape goes off into synthesised, but realistic, impersonations of wow and flutter to create a dense, chorus-like vibe"⁴. Lo-fi "piles on the grit, making it sound as if a distortion pedal has processed the repeats"⁴.

The controls

The Obscura keeps its control set small by pairing functions on concentric dual dials: "one outer and one inner dial to control the corresponding feature"². There are two of these stacked pairs, Time/Repeats and Tone/Degrade, plus a Level knob and a mode selector.

Two extra functions are worth knowing about:

• Repeat hold: turning the repeats knob fully clockwise engages a repeat hold function, holding the repeats so you can play over them⁴.
• Tails switch: a "Tails" switch gives you the option of having the decay of the effect remain when the pedal is switched off, instead of cutting the repeats dead¹.

The footswitch is not only used to bypass the Obscura's signal, it can also become a tap tempo switch², so you can set delay times in time with the music on the fly.

Bypass, power and connections

The Obscura runs with true-bypass operation, housed in DigiTech's tried-and-true durable metal enclosure¹. It has mono and stereo inputs and outputs³, so it works in a stereo rig, and it takes a 9V DC external power supply⁴. Pedal of the Day noted it is "housed in a small enclosure, still offering the tones and sounds of some of the big boxes, but with a smaller pedalboard" footprint², which matters if you are building a compact board.

The skeleton artwork

The distorted skeleton on the top panel is not random heavy-metal art. It is an illustration commissioned by the 16th century anatomist Andreas Vesalius for his De humani corporis fabrica series of books⁴. The anatomical drawing gives the pedal its distinctive look and fits its theme of exposing the inner workings, and flaws, of old echo machines.

Where it came from and what reviewers said

A UK review found real character in the modes once Degrade was advanced: the analog mode has little top end, tape is quite true to the original signal but warmer and more rounded, and lo-fi is bright and clean⁴. Delicious Audio's take on its creative reach:

Delicious Audio¹

Pedal of the Day's review covered the four delay types, the dual-concentric controls, the tap tempo footswitch, infinite repeat looping, stereo operation and true bypass wiring, calling out the small footprint as a practical plus for pedalboard builders².

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