Empty Head Effects Falling Man Downward Gravity Delay

The Falling Man from Empty Head Effects is a delay pedal built around the PT2399 chip, which the maker drives beyond its normal operating conditions. The result is a quirky echo whose repeats pitch downward as they decay, rather than sitting still behind the dry signal¹. It has been listed at €235 / $275².

Controls

Control	What it does
Stride	Delay time⁴
Pace	Feedback, or repeats¹
Fall	Modulation depth; the intensity or degree of "Fall" deformity⁴¹
Stumble/Trip toggle	Alters the delay range⁴

The Pace knob does more than one job. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio noted that "The Pace knob does two things at once: sets the Delay Feedback but also the Delay Level"³. An internal trimpot lets players adjust the overall delay output level, which matters on a pedal whose repeats can behave unpredictably⁴.

How it responds

Empty Head's Nic described the pedal as "A study in using the dynamics of your input / pick attack to self modulate the output"¹. In practice that means how hard you pick shapes the modulation, so the effect moves with your playing rather than running on a fixed LFO alone.

What reviewers said

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed the Falling Man in November 2025 and returned to it in his December 2025 roundup of the year's delay and reverb pedals, listing it at €235 / $275². His verdict was mixed in an interesting way:

"You get a cool skewed yawing modulation with the effect applied in full, but can dial it down to more conventional"

Stefan Karlsson, Guitar Pedal X²

He called it "a very unusual delay with a cool skewed yawing modulation and a marvellous bright chorus voicing, an acquired taste overall"². On where it belongs on a board, he was direct: "I would be very surprised if someone used the Falling Man as their main always-on delay." He saw it as better suited to a character delay for accents and unusual sounds¹.

The Falling Man is a small-batch handbuilt pedal. Guitar Pedal X listed it at €235 / $275 at the time of its review², and the same €235 / $275 price stood in December 2025².

Videos

**Empty Head Effects - Falling Man - A Demonstration**
Empty Head Effects

**Expressive Lofi Delay & Modulation | Empty Head Effects Falling Man | Deep Dive**
Signal Path

**5 reasons to check out Empty Head Effects Falling Man Delay pedal**
Nick Rees

Questions

What does the Falling Man delay do?

It is a modulated delay built on the PT2399 chip, pushed beyond its usual operating range. Repeats deform with a downward-pitching 'Fall' effect and a yawing modulation, and the pedal responds to your pick attack: Empty Head's Nic described it as a study in using input dynamics to self modulate the output. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer also heard a bright chorus voicing in it.

What do the knobs on the Falling Man do?

Stride sets the delay time, Pace sets the feedback or repeats, and Fall sets the modulation depth, described as the intensity or degree of Fall deformity. A Stumble/Trip toggle switch alters the delay range, and an internal trimpot adjusts the overall delay output level. Delicious Audio notes that Pace also affects the delay level.

Is the Falling Man a good main delay?

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson doubted it: he wrote that he would be very surprised if someone used the Falling Man as their main always-on delay. He saw it as a character delay for accents and unusual sounds, calling it an acquired taste overall, though one you can dial toward more conventional settings.

Sources (4)

Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-11-28
Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-10
New Pedal: Empty Head Falling Man Lofi Delay, Delicious Audio, 2024-07-22
Falling Man by Empty Head Effects, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026