Mile End Effects MTHRFCKR=RPTR Cassette Tape Delay Pre Amp

A tape preamp and a lo-fi cassette delay

The MTHRFCKR=RPTR grew out of Mile End Effects' own description of the project: "This effect is the result of our obsession in emulating a low-fidelity tape delay"¹. The preamp side is what the maker calls the "Cassette Tape" PreAmp, offering up to a 24dB boost into fuzzy, blown-out saturation¹. That puts it closer to fuzz and distortion territory than a clean boost when pushed.

The delay side leans on LFO modulation to imitate the imperfections of real tape. Gearnews put it this way: the pedal "uses the LFOs to emulate worn out old tape warble and the crankiness we all associate with these older mechanical tape-based delays"². Pedal of the Day described the results as "bold, powerful and in your face", and found the pedal easy to live with despite the lo-fi concept: "the MTHRFCKR=RPTR is actually extremely user-friendly, letting you coax out some beautiful sounds in mere seconds"³.

The controls

The pedal carries seven knobs and two switches².

Control	What it does
Volume	Overall output volume of the PreAmp³
Gain	Gain control for the PreAmp section²
+dB switch	Engages the Cassette Tape PreAmp³
Time	Sets the speed of the echo (clockwise fast, counter-clockwise slow)³
RPTS	Sets the number of echo repeats, aka the feedback (clockwise more, counter-clockwise less)³
D.LVL	Delay level²
LFO Depth	Depth of the LFO modulation²
LFO SPD	Speed of the LFO modulation²
WAVE	Chooses between random, non-cyclical square wave or sine wave LFO modulation³
Momentary switch	Allows the delay repeats to self oscillate or "warp"³

The +dB switch does double duty. Gearnews describes it as the cassette tape pre-amp switch, and notes that as a momentary switch it will "get the delay repeats to warp and even self oscillate"².

The WAVE switch shapes the modulation character in three distinct ways, per Pedal of the Day³:

Sine wave: adds a subtle seasick quality to the delay
Square wave, fast speeds: can flutter like a poorly tracked VHS tape or wrinkled audio tape
Square wave, slow speeds: mimics the sound of a tape machine in need of a good cleaning

Tape echo machines it recreates

Pedal of the Day frames the pedal as a recreation of vintage tape echo machines such as the Binson Echorec, Roland Space Echo and Maestro Echoplex, saying it "takes all the sounds we love about the old echoes and brings them into modern times"³. Those machines are the classic tape echo lineage: dedicated delay units such as the Echoplex and the Roland Space Echo used magnetic tape for their echoes, as Strymon's history of tape echo explains⁴.

"MTHRFCKR=RPTR Tape Delay gives you the goods, without any of the hassle"

Pedal of the Day³

That is the pitch in short: the wobble, saturation and unpredictability of a real tape machine, in a pedal format, with none of the maintenance³⁵¹.

Videos

**Mile End Effects MTHRFCKR=RPTR Demo - First Look**
Premier Guitar

**Mile End Effects // MTHRFCKR=RPTR Cassette Tape Delay/Pre-Amp**
Mile End Effects

**Mile End Effects // MTHRFCKR=RPTR // toute garnie**
Mile End Effects

Questions

What does the WAVE switch do on the MTHRFCKR=RPTR?

WAVE chooses the character of the LFO modulation: random, non-cyclical square wave, or sine wave. Pedal of the Day describes the sine wave setting as adding a subtle seasick quality to the delay, while the square wave setting at fast speeds can flutter like a poorly tracked VHS tape or wrinkled audio tape, and at slower speeds mimics a tape machine in need of a good cleaning.

What does the Gain knob do on the preamp section?

The Gain knob sits in the pedal's Cassette Tape PreAmp section alongside the Volume control, which sets the preamp's overall output. Engaging the +dB switch brings in the preamp itself, which Mile End Effects says offers up to a 24dB boost into fuzzy, blown-out saturation.

What tape echo machines does the MTHRFCKR=RPTR recreate?

Pedal of the Day describes the pedal as a recreation of vintage tape echo machines such as the Binson Echorec, Roland Space Echo and Maestro Echoplex. Delicious Audio calls it a hand-crafted delay pedal that replicates the random artifacts aging cassette tape machines confer to the sound.

Is the LFO modulation on the MTHRFCKR=RPTR random or cyclical?

It can be either. The WAVE control lets you choose between random, non-cyclical square wave or sine wave LFO modulation, according to Pedal of the Day's review.

Can the preamp be used as a distortion?

Mile End Effects describes the Cassette Tape PreAmp as offering up to a 24dB boost into fuzzy, blown-out saturation, which puts it in fuzz and distortion territory rather than clean boost. Gearnews notes the +dB momentary switch can also get the delay repeats to warp and even self oscillate.

Did the MTHRFCKR=RPTR sell out?

Yes. According to Delicious Audio, the pedal shipped in February 2021 and sold out before that shipping date. It had been offered as a pre-order when Pedal of the Day reviewed it in October 2020.

Sources (5)