The Donner Water Echo is a compact twin pedal from Donner that combines delay and chorus effects in one enclosure, with vibrato also listed among its effect types1. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "a compact twin pedal featuring meticulously selected delay and chorus effects"1. Its circuit is analog, which sets it apart from most pedals that bundle two effects, since those are usually digital multi-effects units1.
For a player, that means one small box covering two of the most common pedalboard jobs: a delay for repeats and a chorus for modulation, each with its own footswitch and its own tap tempo2.
Controls and how it works
The Water Echo has five knobs: Level, Delay, Feedback, Depth, and Rate1. The delay side and the chorus side share this control set, and each effect has its own footswitch.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Delay | Sets the delay time1 |
| Level | Controls the level of the delay effect1 |
| Feedback | Adjustes the delay feedback1 |
| Depth | Chorus depth, part of the pedal's control set1 |
| Rate | Chorus rate, part of the pedal's control set1 |
Both footswitches double as tap tempo controls. Hold the DELAY footswitch for delay tap tempo, and hold the CHORUS footswitch for chorus tap tempo, which the manual describes as giving "instant delay time/chorus speed control"2. That means you can set your delay repeats and your chorus speed in time with the music without bending down to turn a knob.
Running both effects together
Because the Water Echo is a twin pedal with separate footswitches, the delay and chorus can be engaged independently or together2. The manual describes it as a "Twin pedal combining delay and chorus effects in one, with Tap Tempo function"2. For a player who wants ambient repeats with a shimmering chorus on top, or clean chorus with no delay, both are one stomp away.
Power
The pedal runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug and draws 100mA1. The manual recommends a regulated 9V DC AC adapter rated 500 mA2.
The 100mA draw is on the higher side for a compact analog pedal, so if you share a power supply across several pedals, check that the output can supply the current the Water Echo needs.
The manual
Donner hosts the Water Echo manual as a free PDF, in English and Chinese, at storage.donnermusic.com1. A one page English user manual is also available as a free PDF download from notice-facile.com2.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Donner Water Echo analog or digital?
The Water Echo is an analog design. Donner's product page lists the circuit type as analog, which is unusual for a pedal that combines delay and chorus, since most multi-effect pedals use digital processing. The delay and chorus circuits run in one compact enclosure.
Can the Donner Water Echo do chorus and delay at the same time?
Yes. The Water Echo is a twin pedal that combines delay and chorus effects in one unit, with separate footswitches for each. Each effect has its own tap tempo: hold the DELAY footswitch for delay tap tempo and hold the CHORUS footswitch for chorus tap tempo.
What power supply does the Donner Water Echo need?
The pedal runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug, drawing 100mA. The manual recommends a regulated 9V DC AC adapter rated 500 mA. There is no mention of battery power in the product documentation.
Where can I find the Donner Water Echo manual?
Donner hosts the Water Echo manual as a free PDF at storage.donnermusic.com, in English and Chinese. A one page English user manual is also available as a free PDF download from notice-facile.com.
Sources (2)
- Water Echo by Donner, RockBoard (www.rockboard.de), 2026
- Effect pedal Donner Water Echo Twin Series Pedal, notice-facile.com
