The Empty Head Effects Falling Man is a handbuilt lo-fi delay pedal from a small boutique builder in Germany, run by a builder named Nic12. Where most delay pedals aim for clean repeats, the Falling Man specializes in dynamic pitch jumps, warbles, and ambient sound design applications, creating dynamic downward-pitching "Fall" effects and yawing modulation13. It is an intuitive pedal that invites experimentation rather than control2.
RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as an experimental analog-voiced digital lo-fi delay pedal designed for pitch-shifting, chorus, and spatial modulation effects, and lists its circuit type as analog3. It was priced at €235, equivalent to $272, on the Empty Head webstore as of November 20251.
What it does to your sound
The Falling Man's repeats do not simply echo your signal back. They pitch downward, warp, and wobble. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer Stefan Karlsson described it as "creating dynamic, downward-pitching 'Fall' and yawing modulation," with the pedal built around a PT2399 modulated delay "which is operating well beyond its core abilities"1. The maker frames the same behavior as a pedal that specializes in dynamic pitch jumps, warbles, and ambient sound design applications3.
That character is not fixed, though. The Fall control sets the modulation depth, and at low settings the pedal can produce a bright, sparkly chorus or a fairly normal delay31.
"Low Fall settings can produce a bright, sparkly chorus or fairly normal delay."
So the Falling Man can sit on a board as a chorus or a straightforward delay, and be pushed into its deformed, falling character only when a part calls for it. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called it "a simple but intriguing lofi echo pedal" that "invites experimentation rather than control"2.
Controls and the Stumble/Trip switch
The pedal keeps its control set small, with themed names throughout. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists three knobs and a central toggle3, and the review adds what they do in practice3:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Stride | Delay time3 |
| Pace | Feedback, controlling the repeats13 |
| Fall | Modulation depth3 |
| Stumble/Trip toggle | Selects between two playback modes and alters the delay range13 |
| Parachute footswitch | On/Off switch2 |
The Stumble/Trip toggle is the heart of the pedal's split personality. There are two main playback modes via the central toggle switch: Stumble and Trip1. Stumble is the relatively normal and milder of the two, while switching the toggle down to Trip delivers quite a heavily "deformed" output1. The toggle also alters the delay range, so the two modes differ in timing as well as character3.
Delicious Audio noted that the On/Off footswitch was given the name Parachute, and that the Stumble toggle makes things sonically more intense, with the modulation becoming more affected by pitch variations and more prone to getting out of control dynamically2.
The Falling Man is a pedal that rewards experimentation over precision. Both the press coverage and the maker's own description frame it as a device for discovering sounds rather than dialing in a fixed setting32.
Circuit and design: PT2399 and the internal trimpot
The Falling Man is built around the PT2399 chip, an obsolete component originally found in karaoke machines2. It is a common short-range delay chip that has inspired many lo-fi creative devices5. What sets this pedal apart is how hard the chip is pushed: Guitar Pedal X describes it as a PT2399 modulated delay operating well beyond its core abilities1, and in the maker's related Downward Gravity Delay, the same chip is described as driven beyond its normal operating conditions to deliver its quirky downward pitching4.
An internal trimpot allows players to adjust the overall delay output level3, which is useful for matching the pedal's level to the rest of a board, especially since its deformed repeats can sit louder or quieter than a clean delay would.
The enclosure itself is part of the design: the pedal comes in a textured enclosure with 3D-printed knobs1.
How it compares
Against a conventional delay, the difference is intent. A standard digital delay reproduces your playing faithfully at a set interval; the Falling Man treats the repeat itself as the effect, deforming it in pitch and wobble. Against a chorus pedal, the Falling Man can cover similar bright, sparkly territory at low Fall settings1, but it goes somewhere a chorus cannot when the Fall control comes up.
Videos
Empty Head Effects
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Signal Path
Questions
What does the Stumble/Trip switch do on the Falling Man?
The central toggle switch selects between the pedal's two playback modes. Stumble is the relatively normal and milder setting, while switching down to Trip delivers a heavily deformed delay output. It also alters the delay range, so the two modes change both the character and the timing of the repeats.
Is the Empty Head Effects Falling Man analog or digital?
The maker lists its circuit type as analog, describing it as an experimental analog-voiced digital lo-fi delay pedal. In practice it is built around the PT2399 delay chip, a digital part that many lo-fi builders use for its degraded, lo-fi character when pushed hard.
What chip is the Falling Man built around?
The PT2399, a common short-range delay chip that has inspired many lo-fi creative devices. It was originally an obsolete component found in karaoke machines. In the Falling Man, Empty Head drives it well beyond its normal operating conditions to get the downward pitching and deformed repeats.
Does the Falling Man have trails when bypassed?
Yes. The pedal is equipped with trail-mode bypass functionality, so the repeats continue to ring out and decay naturally after you switch the effect off, rather than cutting dead the moment you bypass it.
What power does the Falling Man need?
It runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug, drawing 100mA. That current draw is high enough that a standard battery is not an option, and it is worth checking that a small daisy chain supply can deliver enough current for it.
Can the Falling Man sound like a normal delay or chorus?
Yes. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer found that low Fall settings can produce a bright, sparkly chorus or a fairly normal delay. The unusual downward pitching and yawing modulation only take over as you turn the Fall control up, so the pedal covers conventional ground as well as its extremes.
Sources (5)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-11-28
- New Pedal: Empty Head Falling Man Lofi Delay, Delicious Audio, 2024-07-22
- Falling Man by Empty Head Effects, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-10
- New Pedal: Swamp Witch Pedals Season Of The Witch Delay, Delicious Audio, 2022-10-24
