The EarthQuaker Devices + Death By Audio Time Shadows is a collaboration pedal that puts two experimental delay circuits in one enclosure, one designed by each company. EarthQuaker Devices calls it a Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator123, and Guitar World's launch coverage described it as "an insane synth buzz bazooka sound on the EarthQuaker side and a multi-intertwined delay filter remorphinator of cosmic waves on the Death By Audio side"2. It began as a limited run tied to a Reverb promotion and returned in 2024 as the Time Shadows II, a permanent, non-limited version with a third mode, presets and expression control456.
Two delays in one: what Time Shadows does
The pedal is effectively two pedals in one box, with each side designed by one of the companies10. With the center toggle to the left, the controls run the EarthQuaker side, described by Delicious Audio as "a pitch-morphed fuzz delay filter with so much attitude that you are actually intimidated"6. Its circuit takes the input signal, drives it with digital distortion, blends in a polyphonic sub octave, feeds the result into a delay, and then into a highly resonant envelope-controlled lowpass filter6. Premier Guitar's reviewer put it more plainly: "The EQD side piles dirt on the incoming signal, adds sub-octave shimmer, and is delayed just before hitting the filters"8.
Flip the toggle to the right and you get the Death By Audio side, "a multi-delay filter remorphinator that goes from icy shimmers to cosmic space caves of bouncing repeats"11. Premier Guitar found that this mode "really hones in on the pedal's delay characteristics, creating crisp repeats and clean sounds with a little less midrange in the filtering, but lending the ability to cut through a mix at volume"8.
Guitar.com's reviewer characterized the pedal overall as a delay with sub-octave, filter and pitch-shifting modes, capable of "enveloping distorted swells, running into a gritty delay that's smeary enough to basically cross over into reverb"1.
The modes and controls
The Time Shadows II carries three modes, selected with a 3-way toggle switch, alongside Time, Span, Filter and Presets controls3. The original had only the two outer positions, one for each company's circuit316.
| Mode | Toggle position | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| EarthQuaker (EQD) | Left | Pitch-morphed fuzz delay: digital distortion, polyphonic sub octave, delay, resonant envelope lowpass filter6 |
| II (!¡) | Middle | Two parallel delay lines initiated by your attack; with each repeat one climbs in pitch and one descends1 |
| Death By Audio (DBA) | Right | Multi-delay filter: regular delay-like repeats, heavily filtered, plus a second shorter delay phased against the main signal1 |
The middle II mode is new to the reissue and was not on the original limited edition3. Guitar.com's reviewer described it as "two parallel delay lines initiated by attack, one climbing in pitch and one descending with each repeat, inherently dissonant"1, while Delicious Audio called it "an arpeggiator that pitch shifts your notes into a weird arpeggio"6. Guitar World's Chris Gill said the mode "reminds me of the simultaneous pitch shift up and down effects that lurk with the old MXR Model 129 Pitch Transposer"3.
On the EarthQuaker side, the Filter control "both selects the cutoff for the low-pass envelope and adjusts the gate on the input," with a sweep the reviewer measured from "barely-audible rumble to piercing resonant screeches"1. On the Death By Audio side, the filter works as a wide-ranging resonant low-pass1. In the II mode, Premier Guitar noted that "the filter control becomes a mix dial for the delayed signal"8.
The II also adds six presets, written "with a single touch of the button in the center of the device"8, plus an expression jack assignable to any of the main controls1.
From limited run to Time Shadows II
The original Time Shadows was a first-time collaboration between EarthQuaker Devices founder Jamie Stillman and Death By Audio founder Oliver "Ollie" Ackermann2. It was released in limited numbers as a marketing stunt to promote Reverb.com's The Pedal Movie6, with a limited-edition run of 1,000 units available exclusively on Reverb4. Sources disagree on the year: gearnews.com dates the original to 202012, while Delicious Audio says it was released in limited numbers in 20216.
In June 2024 the two companies unveiled the Time Shadows II, an update that returned the pedal "in non-limited fashion"5 and as "a permanent part of the lineup"1. The II adds the third middle mode, six presets, expression pedal mapping for any parameter6, and Flexi-Switch Technology3. Death By Audio also offers a Cyberpunk Edition colorway, available exclusively at Reverb for a limited time9.
Each Time Shadows is built in Akron, Ohio9.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's review of the reissue awarded it 9/10, calling it "genuinely weird" and praising "three unique and experimental sounds on board" that were "very inspiring to play despite the strangeness of the sound," while cautioning that the middle mode "may be too dissonant for many use cases"1. The reviewer found "no real alternatives that sound like it," noting that comparable experimental delays from Chase Bliss, Meris, Red Panda and EQD's own Rainbow Machine are "a good bit pricier than the Time Shadows"1.
"It's able to kick out sounds you'd normally need a gigantic ambient pedalboard for."
Premier Guitar's reviewer found the II "easy to dial in and adjust on the fly, creating appealing and odd sounds at every turn," and compared it to Red Panda's Particle 2 granular delay and pitch-shifter as the closest delay they had found8. Guitar World's Chris Gill concluded that "musicians with open minds seeking complex, adventurous new sounds to explore will find plenty of inspiration from the gloriously wild and weird effects lurking with Time Shadows II"3.
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Questions
Who designed each side of the Time Shadows?
The EarthQuaker Devices side, selected with the toggle to the left, was designed by EQD founder Jamie Stillman. The Death By Audio side, with the toggle to the right, is the work of DBA founder Oliver Ackermann. The collaboration was the first between the two founders.
How many Time Shadows were made in the original run?
The original Time Shadows was a limited-edition run of 1,000 units, available exclusively on Reverb. It was tied to the promotion of Reverb's The Pedal Movie, and once the run sold through the pedal was unavailable until the Time Shadows II reissue.
What is the difference between Time Shadows and Time Shadows II?
The II keeps the two original delay circuits but adds a third middle mode, six presets, expression pedal mapping for any parameter, and Flexi-Switch Technology. It is also a non-limited, permanent part of the lineup rather than a 1,000-unit exclusive run.
Does the Time Shadows have an expression input?
The original limited run did not. The Time Shadows II adds an expression pedal mapping that can be assigned to any parameter, which reviewers called one of the welcome additions of the update.
Where is the Time Shadows made?
Death By Audio describes each Time Shadows as built in Akron, Ohio, home of EarthQuaker Devices. The pedal is a collaboration between EarthQuaker Devices of Ohio and Death By Audio of New York City.
What changed between Time Shadows and Time Shadows II?
The II adds a new third mode, called the II mode or middle position, that blends the two original sides, plus six presets written with a single touch of the center button, expression mapping for any parameter, and Flexi-Switch Technology.
Sources (12)
- Earthquaker Devices x Death By Audio Time Shadows review, Guitar.com, 2024-06-10
- Pedal giants unite with the launch of the Chase Bliss Audio x Z.Vex Bliss Factory and EarthQuaker x Death By Audio Time Shadows, Guitar World, 2020-11-10
- Death By Audio/EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II review, Guitar World, 2024-08-13
- Best pitch shifter pedals: top picks from Digitech, Eventide and more, Guitar World, 2022-01-13
- 60 Seconds S1E29: Death By Audio x Earthquaker Devices Time Shadows II, Guitar.com, 2024-06-07
- EarthQuaker + Death By Audio Time Shadows II, Delicious Audio, 2024-06-18
- Time Shadows Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator, EarthQuaker Devices
- EarthQuaker/Death By Audio Time Shadows II Review, Premier Guitar, 2024-10-02
- TIME SHADOWS II, Death By Audio
- Death By Audio and EarthQuaker Devices join forces for the Time Shadows, Guitar.com, 2020-11-10
- Time Shadows Subharmonic Multi-Delay Resonator, EarthQuaker Devices
- EarthQuaker Devices Time Shadows II, gearnews.com, 2024-06-07
