Gamechanger Audio AUTO DELAY

The Gamechanger Audio AUTO DELAY is a digital delay pedal that listens to how you play and adjusts its own parameters in response. Gamechanger Audio describes it as pitch and dynamics responsive: your touch, playing dynamics, and note choices shape the tones and textures, so the effect evolves in real time with your performance rather than sitting still at one setting¹. It is part of the three-pedal AUTO Series released in December 2024, alongside the AUTO Series CHORUS and an AUTO REVERB².

The core idea is automation on top of a conventional delay. A separate AUTO footswitch engages the whole automation section, switching the pedal from a standard effect mode to a pre-routed automation setting³. With the AUTO footswitch off, it works as a straightforward delay, and Guitar.com's reviewer Richard Purvis found it "works well as a 'normal' multi-voiced stereo delay" even before the automation comes into play⁴.

A delay that responds to pitch and playing dynamics

What separates the AUTO DELAY from a standard delay is that two of the things a player does naturally, how hard they pick and which notes they play, become control signals. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted that the pedal "utilizes existing concepts of dynamic delay, control voltage, and modular synthesis as essential parts of its functionality," borrowing ideas from the modular world rather than inventing new ones⁵.

In practice, the pedal tracks your dynamics and pitch and uses them to move delay parameters. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis described the workflow: with the AUTO footswitch engaged, you use the knobs to set up secondary settings that kick in according to the level or pitch of your playing⁴. The pedal also has a calibration routine: hold ON and play to set the center pitch, hold AUTO and play to set the Dynamics Threshold. Calibrated values stay saved until you replace them⁶.

Controls, algorithms and footswitches

The front panel keeps things simple with four controls: LEVEL, TIME, FEEDBACK and TONE¹. Three delay algorithms are on board: TAPE, ANALOG and DIGITAL¹.

The automation side has its own set of adjustments. Pedal of the Day's review explains that you customize the adjustments with the DYNAMICS and PITCH knobs and dedicated mode switches: the DYNAMICS decay time is adjustable, glide can be introduced to the PITCH tracking, and response curves can be tailored to your playing style². The same DYNAMICS and PITCH knobs with mode switches appear across the AUTO Series⁷.

Tap tempo is reached by a long press of the ON footswitch rather than a dedicated switch¹.

Power, stereo and sync connections

The AUTO DELAY runs on a standard 9V DC center-negative power supply rated for at least 250 mA, and the power supply is not included in the box¹. Gamechanger Audio's firmware updater documentation repeats the requirement, calling for a suitable 9V DC center-negative supply of at least 250 mA or higher when updating⁸.

Signal routing is flexible. The pedal handles stereo and mono signal processing, and stereo routing works both with regular TS mono cables and TRS stereo cables¹. The input level is switchable between INSTRUMENT, LINE and EURORACK, so it can sit in a pedalboard, a studio line-level chain, or a modular rig¹². A TRACK output passes the TRACK input further or serves as a dry signal output¹.

For synchronization, there is a MIDI/CLK input that accepts MIDI clock or an analog trigger for the time base effects¹, and a USB-C input for MIDI and future updates². Three PING PONG panning settings, 0%, 50% and 100%, control how repeats move across the stereo field¹.

The AUTO Series: Delay, Reverb and Chorus

The AUTO DELAY is one of three pedals Gamechanger Audio released in the AUTO Series in December 2024². Each pedal in the series pairs a classic effect with the same pitch and dynamics automation platform:

All three pedals keep their control sets streamlined: the AUTO DELAY has LEVEL, TIME, FEEDBACK and TONE¹, and the AUTO Reverb has LEVEL, DECAY, TONE and DRIVE⁹. The AUTO Series DELAY (Stereo) offers three algorithms, TAPE, ANALOG and DIGITAL², and the series carries a lifetime warranty². The AUTO Delay lists at $329 in the US⁴. Pedal of the Day described the AUTO Series as fusing "classic pedal design with groundbreaking parameter automation"².

What reviewers said

Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed the AUTO DELAY at $329/£299/€272 and found the fundamentals hold up: it "works well as a 'normal' multi-voiced stereo delay," meaning the basics are sound as a standard delay before the automation is even engaged⁴. Premier Guitar's reviewer placed the pedal in context, noting its use of dynamic delay, control voltage and modular synthesis concepts as essential parts of its functionality⁵.

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