Free The Tone Flight Time FT-2Y

The Free The Tone Flight Time FT-2Y is a digital delay pedal from Japanese maker Free The Tone, running on a 32-bit DSP processor and accepting both instrument and line-level signals¹. It is the successor to the FT-1Y Flight Time, whose production ended in 2016, and it returned in 2017 with improvements Free The Tone says respond to strong requests from players all over the world²³.

What sets it apart from most delay pedals is its Realtime BPM Analyzer. You tap in a tempo with a footswitch, and the pedal then analyzes your playing in realtime within a ±20% range of that tapped BPM, automatically adjusting the BPM and reflecting it in the delay time³. If your actual playing drifts more than ±20% from the tapped tempo, no automatic adjustment happens¹. It also includes a REC & REPEAT function that records up to 20 seconds, though only one phrase at a time with no overdubbing⁴.

What it does: a digital delay with a BPM analyzer

The core delay is fully digital, built around a 32-bit DSP processor, and handles both instrument-level and line-level sources, with a maximum input level of INST +2 dBu / LINE +13 dBu¹. That line-level capability is what lets it sit in an amp's effects loop: Pedal of the Day highlighted the option to switch between Instrument and Line Level modes as one of the improvements over version one⁶.

The Realtime BPM Analyzer is the headline feature. Tap a tempo, and the pedal tracks your playing against it, auto-correcting the BPM within a ±20% window and feeding the corrected value to the delay time³. Beyond that, the pedal offers modulation and filter controls and a wide range of subdivision choices, which Pedal of the Day described as "subdivision choices for days"⁶.

The REC & REPEAT function records a single phrase of up to 20 seconds; it cannot layer recordings on top of each other⁴.

Power and connections

Connections on the FT-2Y cover both audio and MIDI. It runs in Instrument or Line Level mode, so it can sit in front of an amp or in its effects loop, with a maximum input level of INST +2 dBm or LINE +13 dBm⁶. On the control side, MIDI Out joins the MIDI In and Thru found on the first version, letting the pedal send tempo and delay information to other MIDI gear⁶.

Pedal of the Day listed dedicated adapters by market: FA-1220D-JA for the USA, FA-1220D-UK for the UK, and FA-1220D-EU for Europe⁶.

Connections are 1/4-inch standard phone jacks for input, output, and HOLD, plus two 5-pin DIN connectors for MIDI IN and THRU³. Pedal of the Day reported that the FT-2Y also added a MIDI Out, in addition to the MIDI In and Thru carried over from version one⁶. Input impedance is 500 kΩ or higher, and output load impedance is 1 kΩ minimum⁴⁶.

The pedal is mono, not stereo. Both Pedal of the Day and Gearnews said they wished it had become stereo in this version, and it did not⁶⁵.

Where it came from

The FT-2Y is the successor to the FT-1Y Flight Time, a digital delay pedal Free The Tone launched in 2014 at an MSRP of $430⁷⁸. Production of the FT-1Y ended in 2016, and the FT-2Y brought the line back³. Premier Guitar reported the new model could be purchased after June 23, 2017 through Free The Tone's North American dealers, at a suggested retail price of $420.00². The maker's current Japanese list price is 63,800 yen including tax⁴.

The designer behind the brand is Yuki Hayashi, who, as That Pedal Show's presenters explained, used to work at Providence before starting his own brand, Free The Tone⁹.

On That Pedal Show, the presenters placed the Flight Time in a specific lineage⁹:

They described the pedal as inspired by the TC 2290 rackmount digital delay, potentially going a bit further, put in pedal form⁹.

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day found the sound quality to be the standout, calling the delay sounds "some of the most gorgeous delay sounds we've ever come across" and noting you can hear the improvements over the previous model taking shape⁶.

On That Pedal Show, the presenters called it a do-it-all digital delay that they would pair with an analog-voiced delay up front, and said Free The Tone makes lovely high-end pedals with unity gain bang on⁹.

Versions and editions

Alongside the standard FT-2Y, Free The Tone built a limited collaboration model with guitarist SUGIZO, the SUGIZO SIGNATURE FLIGHT TIME / FT-2Y-S¹⁰. It is limited to 100 units⁸.

The FT-2Y-S shares the same dimensions and weight as the standard model, and the same maximum input levels⁸.

Firmware updates

Free The Tone offers firmware version 3.1 as a download for the FT-2Y³. Updates are carried out over MIDI, and the maker recommends specific MIDI interfaces for the job: the Yamaha MIDI-USB UX16, Roland UM-ONE mk2, or M-Audio Uno. Free The Tone accepts no returns for update problems caused by incompatible interfaces, and notes that the M-Audio Uno may not work correctly under Mac OS X versions after Yosemite¹.

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