The Old Blood Noise Setback is a reverse delay pedal: instead of repeating your signal forward like a conventional delay, it plays it back backwards. Old Blood Noise Endeavors describes it as a reverse delay pedal with pitch-shifted textures, and press coverage at launch ranged its sounds from classic reverse delays to stranger territory12. Guitar Pedal X quoted the maker's own description of what it covers:
"From raging robot-like ring-mod sounds, shimmering harmonized pitch effects, classic reverse delays and all the way to brooding, crumbling lo-fi textures. Setback delivers it all and then some3!"
Guitar Pedal X, April 20263
The pedal is built in a compact stereo chassis, handmade in Oklahoma, and carries onboard presets, full MIDI and expression control over every knob14. It was released in April 2026 as the successor to the discontinued BL-44 Reverse34.
What the Setback does
A reverse delay records what you play and plays the recording back in reverse, so notes swell up instead of decaying, and phrases come out as backwards-sounding textures. The Setback takes that idea further than a simple reverse echo. Gearnews described it as a pedal that can sound raw and characterful, or clear and clean, delivering unpredictable, pitch-shifted textures2.
The key to its range is the Clock knob, which adjusts the sample rate of the reverse. Lowering the sample rate lengthens the delay time but degrades the signal fidelity, which is where the crumbling lo-fi textures come from; raising it shortens the reverse time and cleans up the sound. At its lowest Clock setting you get 24 seconds of reverse audio14. The Speed knob changes the playback speed of the reverse, which creates pitch shifting effects, from harmonized intervals to the robot-like ring-mod sounds the maker describes13.
The pedal keeps your dry signal on an analog path (analog dry-through) while the wet reverse signal is processed in stereo, with stereo inputs and outputs14. Switching is handled by a soft-touch On/Off footswitch with relay switching for minimal switch noise1.
The controls: Mix, Speed, Div and Clock
The Setback has four main knobs, plus a set of alternate functions and an aux switch1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mix | Sets the blend of wet and dry signals1 |
| Speed | Changes the playback speed of the reverse, creating pitch shifting effects1 |
| Div | Sets subdivisions of the reverse timing1 |
| Clock | Adjusts the sample rate of the reverse, changing both the delay time and the signal fidelity1 |
Beyond the four knobs:
- Alt controls: hold a button and the Mix knob becomes a master volume, while the Div knob lets you adjust delay time manually without tap tempo14
- Aux switch: tap tempo and held feedback, or preset switching1
- Expression control: an expression input that works with every control function on the pedal12
- MIDI: control over everything in the pedal, including MIDI clock in for external syncing1
- Presets: onboard preset storage13
The delays can run on their own timing or be fully tempo-synchronized, with the Div knob setting the subdivisions of the reverse timing when synced2.
Power and connections
The Setback requires a 9V DC center negative power supply with a 2.1mm jack, capable of 350mA, and the supply is not included1. Guitar Pedal X's launch coverage listed the same figures: 9V DC, center negative, 2.1mm, around 350mA current draw3.
At 350mA, the Setback draws more current than most analog pedals, and it has no battery option. It needs a dedicated 9V output from a power supply rather than a shared or low-current source.
Connections are stereo in and out with analog dry through, and the pedal offers selectable buffered trails or true bypass switching, so you can choose whether repeats ring out after bypass or cut dead13.
History and versions: from Rever to BL-44
Old Blood Noise Endeavors has been making reverse pedals for years. The maker describes its earlier reverse pedals as "textural," with a lineage that goes from Rever to Minim to BL-44 and a little bit into Parting15.
The BL-44 Reverse, released in late 2022, was based around clock manipulation, with a wet/dry mix control and a volume knob67. Guitar Pedal X described the Setback as kind of an extended version of the BL-44, adding tap divisions, full stereo processing via TRS jacks and onboard presets3. When the Setback launched in April 2026, OBNE discontinued the BL-44 and presented the Setback as its replacement43.
The BL-44's Volume knob set overall volume, a function the Setback now covers through its Alt controls8.
The Setback comes in four colorways: Begonia, Hydrangea, Petunia and Ikey Likey, with artwork by John Salame15.
Two launch prices were published for the Setback. The maker's current price is $259.001, and Guitar Pedal X reported $259 at launch in April 20263, while Gearnews reported the pedal would soon be available for $295 around the same time2.
Videos
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
The Pedal Zone
Harp Lady
Questions
How long can the Old Blood Noise Setback reverse?
At its lowest Clock setting, the Setback gives you 24 seconds of reverse audio. Turning the Clock knob up raises the sample rate, which shortens the delay time and cleans up the signal fidelity, so longer reverse times come with a more lo-fi character.
Is the Setback true bypass or buffered?
Both. The Setback offers selectable buffered trails or true bypass switching, so you can choose whether the reverse repeats continue to ring out after you switch the pedal off or cut immediately.
Does the Setback have tap tempo?
Yes. An aux switch handles tap tempo and held feedback, or preset switching. The delays can run on their own timing or be fully tempo-synchronized, and the Div knob sets subdivisions of the reverse timing.
Does the Old Blood Noise Setback sync to MIDI clock?
Yes. The pedal has MIDI control over everything in it, including MIDI clock in for external syncing. That means the reverse timing can follow an external clock rather than being set by hand.
What colors does the Old Blood Noise Setback come in?
The Setback comes in four colorways: Begonia, Hydrangea, Petunia and Ikey Likey. The pedal artwork is by John Salame.
Sources (8)
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
- OBNE Setback: Reverse Delay Madness, gearnews.com, 2026-04-15
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-04-14
- New Pedal: Old Blood Noise Setback Reverse Delay, Delicious Audio, 2026-04-15
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
- Old Blood Noise BL-44 Reverse, Delicious Audio, 2023-02-13
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors debuts a "true reverse effect" with the BL-44 Reverse pedal, Guitar World, 2022-12-05
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors, Old Blood Noise Endeavors
