The Mythos Pedals Oracle Analog Echo is an analog delay pedal with tap tempo, released in March 2021 as the maker's first pedal outside its overdrive, distortion and fuzz range1. It is a bucket-brigade (BBD) delay built around two reissue MN3205 chips, designed for Mythos by John Snyder of Electronic Audio Experiments1. The Time knob covers up to 600ms of delay, and the tap tempo lets you push past that for degraded, broken repeats21.
What sets it apart from many vintage-style analog delays is the combination of that dark analog character with modern conveniences: tap tempo, true bypass switching, and top-mounted jacks3. Reviewers consistently described it as a pedal that captures vintage analog echo tones without the vintage hassles.
A dark analog delay that keeps its clarity
The Oracle's voicing is the thing reviewers came back to. Pedal of the Day found it dark but clear21:
"The delay voicing is dark but doesn't get completely muffled, as some older units tend to, keeping clarity and presence"2
Pedal of the Day, 20222
Delicious Audio made the same point from the designer's perspective, describing a voicing that "sits kind of in-between classic analog units, it's dark without being completely muffled and lacking clarity"1. For a player, that means the repeats roll off the high end the way a classic analog echo does, but the delayed signal stays audible in a mix instead of turning to mud.
Pedal of the Day called the pedal "warm and inviting," producing "some glorious delay lines," and found it worked well both in front of an amp and in an FX loop2. On That Pedal Show, the Oracle appeared alongside the Suhr Discovery, J Rockett Clockwork and an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man in a comparison of analog delays, where Dan and Mick noted that all the pedals in the video have an entirely analog signal path6.
The controls: Time, Feedback, Mix and two footswitches
The layout is deliberately simple: three knobs and two footswitches1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time | Sets delay time up to 600ms; tap tempo can push it further1 |
| Feedback | From single repeats for slapback at minimum to self-oscillation territory at 1 to 2 o'clock1 |
| Mix | Wet/dry balance; at 12 o'clock you are just shy of a 50/50 split1 |
| Tap Tempo footswitch | Sets delay time in real time; pushes repeats past the 600ms knob maximum24 |
| True Bypass On/Off footswitch | Engages and bypasses the effect1 |
Guitar.com's reviewer, Ed Oleszko, described it as "the Oracle's modest control layout of delay time, feedback and wet/dry mix"3, and Gearnews called it "a super simple layout" with "a trio of self-explanatory knobs"54.
Two details are worth knowing as a player. First, the Feedback control reaching self-oscillation means the repeats can build into their own runaway signal, a staple of vintage analog delays for ambient swells and noise. Second, the Mix control's near-50/50 point at 12 o'clock took the longest to get right in development, according to Delicious Audio1, so the taper is tuned rather than borrowed.
Power and connections
The Oracle runs on a 9V center-negative adapter only, drawing approximately 35mA3. There is no battery option3.
Adapter-only power means no 9V battery, and the center-negative polarity is the standard used by most pedalboard power supplies. At roughly 35mA it is a light load on an isolated supply3.
All the input and output jacks sit on the top of the enclosure, which lets the pedal sit neatly on a pedalboard with cables running above and behind it rather than out the sides5. There is also an external jack for controlling the tap tempo from an outside switch2, handy if the pedal lives on the top row of a board.
Where it came from
Mythos Pedals announced the Oracle in March 2021 as its first non-dirt pedal, following a lineup of overdrives, distortions and fuzzes, and launched it via a live video stream14. The circuit was designed by John Snyder of Electronic Audio Experiments and built around two reissue MN3205 BBD chips13.
The design brief was homage rather than reproduction. As Delicious Audio put it, quoting the design intent: "This pedal pays homage to the Japanese echo pedals that I adore but isn't a direct clone of anything"1. Pedal of the Day echoed that it "pays homage to classic Japanese echo pedals, but is a unique circuit and not a direct clone of anything in particular"2. The Oracle arrived in a red enclosure2, made in the USA3.
What reviewers said
The Oracle drew praise for pairing old-style delay sounds with practical modern features, with one reviewer finding it "delivers vintage analogue delay tones with modern convenience"5. The review highlighted "the convenience of top-mounted jack sockets, true-bypass switching and tap tempo"3.
Gearnews, covering the launch, concluded: "Overall, I find this pedal to have some great specs. If you love analogue delay pedals, and want those vintage tones but" without the vintage hassles, the Oracle fits the bill5. Pedal of the Day summed it up as "warm and inviting," a simple pedal that produces glorious delay lines2.
The common thread across reviews: the Oracle gives a player the dark, degrading repeat character of a vintage Japanese analog echo, with the tap tempo, true bypass and board-friendly jack placement that vintage units never had214.
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Questions
Does the Mythos Oracle take a battery?
No. The Oracle is powered by a 9V center-negative adapter only, with no battery option. It draws approximately 35mA, so it is easy to run from a standard pedalboard power supply.
Is the Mythos Oracle true bypass?
Yes. The Oracle uses true bypass switching, so your dry signal passes through untouched when the pedal is off. It also has a separate tap tempo footswitch for setting delay time on the fly.
How long is the Mythos Oracle's maximum delay time?
The Time knob goes up to 600ms. Using the tap tempo footswitch you can push the delay time past that 600ms mark, though the repeats degrade and get noisier at longer settings, giving a more broken, vintage-style sound.
Is the Mythos Oracle a clone of a vintage delay?
No. It pays homage to vintage Japanese echo pedals, but it is a unique circuit and not a direct clone of anything in particular. It is built around two reissue MN3205 bucket-brigade chips and was designed by John Snyder of Electronic Audio Experiments.
Can you use an external tap tempo switch with the Oracle?
Yes. Besides the onboard tap tempo footswitch, the Oracle has an external jack that lets you control the tap tempo from an outside switch, useful if the pedal sits out of foot reach on your board.
Sources (6)
- Mythos Oracle Analog Echo, Delicious Audio, 2021-03-31
- Mythos Pedals Oracle Analog Echo, Pedal of the Day, 2022-02-14
- Mythos Pedals Oracle Analog Echo review: old-school delay tones with modern convenience, Guitar.com, 2021-09-08
- Mythos Pedals announces its first delay, the Oracle, Guitar.com, 2021-03-16
- Mythos Pedals Oracle Analog Echo: Vintage '80s analogue repeats with modern upgrades, gearnews.com, 2021-03-16
- Why Choose An Analog Delay Pedal? Suhr Discovery, J Rockett Clockwork, Mythos Oracle & Memory Man, That Pedal Show, 2021-09-03
