The Science Friction Delay from Escape Plan Pedals is a delay and overdrive combination pedal, a design that Delicious Audio described as one that "marries delay and overdrive into a creative combination design"1. Pedal of the Day, reviewing the same pedal under its full name, the Science Friction Interplanetary Delay Drive, described it as a pedal that "mixes the grit of overdrive with the echoes of delay"2. It belongs to the family of delay pedals that add a dirt stage, and it sits apart from plain overdrive pedals by making the echo the center of the design.
How the delay and drive are arranged
The order of the two effects is the pedal's defining feature. Delicious Audio reported that "the circuit is designed with the dirt AFTER the delay circuit, giving the effect focus on the delay aspect while integrating the overdrive underneath it"1. Pedal of the Day put it the same way from the player's side: the pedal "actually takes the delay and feeds IT into the drive section, rather than having the delay AFTER the dirt"2.
For a player, that means the echoes themselves get pushed into the overdrive, so the grit shapes the repeats rather than sitting cleanly in front of them. It is the opposite of the more common arrangement where a delay is placed after a dirt pedal.
Controls
The control scheme is an array of six simple knobs, which Delicious Audio said makes it "easy to use and extremely fun to experiment with"1.
| Knob | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Controls the time between echo repeats12 |
| Size | Adjusts the number of the repeats, much like a Feedback knob12 |
| Tone | An EQ that affects the delayed signal12 |
| Drive | Lets you set the input gain level of the overdrive, from slight to furious12 |
| Mix | Controls how much echo effect you want to add to your signal2 |
| Level | Serves as the pedal's master volume12 |
The Tone control is worth noting: both sources agree it shapes the delayed signal, not just the dry guitar, so it changes the character of the echoes themselves12.
What it sounds like
What reviewers heard comes from the press, not from this site. Pedal of the Day's reviewer pointed to "spacey, post-punk sounds, surf rock-style slap back tones and even add a little reverb with the echo time turned down"2. Delicious Audio suggested that "musicians into psychedelia and post-punk tones, or even classic rock style Echoplex sounds, should find plenty of inspiration"1.
History and naming
Pedal of the Day reviewed the pedal on 16 May 2016 as the Science Friction Interplanetary Delay Drive2. Delicious Audio announced it on 30 August 2016 as the Science Friction delay, inviting players to "come and play with it at the upcoming Brooklyn Stompbox Exhibit at Main Drag Music!"1. The two names refer to the same pedal: a delay and overdrive combination with the same six controls and the same delay-into-drive signal path12.
Videos
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Pedal of the Day
Escape Plan Pedals
Questions
What does the Space knob do on the Science Friction?
Space controls the time between echo repeats, so it sets the delay time of the pedal. At shorter settings it can produce slapback-style echoes, and the Pedal of the Day reviewer noted that turning the echo time down can even add a reverb-like quality to the sound. It is one of the pedal's six knobs, alongside Size, Tone, Drive, Mix and Level.
What is the Size knob on the Science Friction?
Size adjusts the number of repeats, much like a Feedback knob on a conventional delay. Turning it up lengthens the trail of echoes behind your playing, while turning it down keeps things to a single repeat or two. Delicious Audio described it as working in the same way as a feedback control.
Is the drive before or after the delay on the Science Friction?
The overdrive sits after the delay. Delicious Audio reported that the circuit is designed with the dirt after the delay circuit, giving the effect focus on the delay aspect while integrating the overdrive underneath it. Pedal of the Day described the same arrangement as the delay feeding into the drive section, rather than the delay sitting after the dirt.
Does the Science Friction have a master volume?
Yes. The Level knob serves as the Science Friction's master volume, according to Delicious Audio. Pedal of the Day likewise described Level as finishing things off as the pedal's master volume control, so it sets the overall output of the pedal rather than the balance of the echo alone.
What is the difference between the Science Friction Delay and the Interplanetary Delay Drive?
They are the same pedal under two names. Delicious Audio announced it in August 2016 as the Science Friction delay, while Pedal of the Day had reviewed it that May as the Science Friction Interplanetary Delay Drive. Both descriptions match: a delay and overdrive combination pedal with six knobs and the drive placed after the delay.
Does the Tone knob affect the delayed signal?
Yes. Delicious Audio described Tone as an EQ that affects the delayed signal, and Pedal of the Day called it a versatile tone section that also affects the delayed signal. In other words, it shapes the character of the echoes rather than only your dry guitar sound.
Sources (2)
- New Pedal: Escape Plan Pedals Science Friction Delay, Delicious Audio, 2016-08-30
- Escape Plan Pedals Science Friction Interplanetary Delay Drive, Pedal of the Day, 2016-05-16
