Dreadbox Raindrops Stereo Delay

The Dreadbox Raindrops is a compact stereo delay pedal from the Greek synth and effects maker Dreadbox, and it does more than echo: the company describes it as a hybrid analog plus digital pitch shifting delay, combining delay, pitch shifting and reverb in one stereo unit¹². Pedal of the Day, which covered the pedal at its launch, called the stereo effect "simply incredible"³.

What it does

Where a straightforward delay pedal repeats your signal, the Raindrops is built around multiple delay stages and different chips, which is what lets it reach beyond ordinary echoes. Pedal of the Day described the range this way: "You can achieve from simple short echos, to long, dirty and lo-fi delays and from simple pitch shifting bursts to extensively lasting reverbs"³. In practice that puts it closer to a delay, pitch and reverb toolbox than a single-effect pedal.

The pedal offers 3 different play modes, and Pedal of the Day reported that in each one "you can have a whole new experience and alternative soundscapes"³.

Controls

The Raindrops carries a second level of controls beneath its top-panel knobs, accessed by holding down the On/Shift switch. Pedal of the Day noted that "Each of these units has an entire second level of controls as well, accessed by holding down the On/Shift switch"³. The pedal also uses CMOS buffered bypass switching³.

History and availability

Dreadbox's Raindrops arrived as part of a small run of pedals from the Greek maker, and it shares its switching design with its sibling: "The Treminator and Raindrops also feature CMOS buffered bypass switching"². That places the Raindrops among the Dreadbox pedals using CMOS buffered bypass rather than true bypass, a detail worth knowing if you run it on a larger board².

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