The controls
The Lifetones splits its eight controls into three groups: two on top for the filter, three in a center row for the delay, and three small ones at the bottom for the modulation.1
| Control | Section | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Freq | Filter | Sets the filter's frequency |
| Res | Filter | Sets the filter's resonance |
| Echo | Delay | Sets the echo level |
| Feedback | Delay | Sets the delay's feedback |
| Time | Delay | Sets the delay time |
| Depth | Modulation | Sets the modulation depth |
| Rate | Modulation | Sets the modulation rate |
| Shape | Modulation | Selects among 8 different wave shapes, delivering a variety of rotating patterns and other sonic textures |
The modulation section is driven by a free-running low frequency oscillator with those 8 wave shapes, capable of providing modulation to the filter's frequency cutoff and to the delay time. Because the LFO is free-running rather than synced, its movement does not follow your playing or a tempo setting.1
Power and connections
The Lifetones runs on a 9V DC power supply with a standard 2.1mm connector, negative tip and positive sleeve. The supply is not included, so you will need your own. Current draw is 65mA.1
The pedal is mono throughout: a single TS unbalanced 6.4mm jack for the input and the same for the output. There is no stereo path through the Lifetones.1
Where it comes from
Otis Audio builds the Lifetones by hand in Mittagong, NSW, Australia, on Gundungurra country. Delicious Audio's page closes with the maker's own phrasing, describing it as "another Cosmic Echo Unit, built by hand, with love from Outer Time Inner Space," a nod to the Love Beams Cosmic Echo that came before it.1
For placement on a board, the Lifetones is a filter and echo rather than a drive or time-based effect in the usual sense; players comparing it with other options can see how it relates to the wider families of filter pedals and delay pedals.
Videos
collector//emitter
Outer Time Inner Space
Questions
Is the Otis Audio Lifetones analog or digital?
At its core the Lifetones is an all-analog low pass filter, according to Delicious Audio's product page. The pedal pairs that filter with a modulated delay section driven by a free-running low frequency oscillator, so the modulation and echo sit on top of an analog filter core rather than a digital signal path.
Does the Lifetones come with a power supply?
No. The Lifetones runs on a 9V DC power supply with a standard 2.1mm connector, negative tip and positive sleeve, but the supply is not included, so you will need to provide your own. The pedal draws 65mA.
How much current does the Otis Lifetones draw?
The Lifetones draws 65mA at 9V DC, according to the product page published by Delicious Audio. That is worth keeping in mind when sharing a daisy-chained supply with other pedals.
Is the Otis Audio Lifetones mono or stereo?
The Lifetones is mono. Both its input and output are a single TS unbalanced 6.4mm jack, so there is no stereo input, stereo output or stereo echo routing.
How many LFO shapes does the Lifetones have?
The Lifetones has a free-running low frequency oscillator with 8 different wave shapes. The Shape control selects among them, delivering a variety of rotating patterns and other sonic textures, and the LFO can modulate both the filter's frequency cutoff and the delay time.
Where is the Otis Audio Lifetones made?
The Lifetones is made in Mittagong, NSW, Australia, on Gundungurra country, and is built by hand.
Sources (1)
- New Pedal: Otis Audio Lifetones Filter + Echo, Delicious Audio, 2023-07-27
