The Love Beams Cosmic Echo is a multi-mode delay, filter and reverb pedal from Otis Audio, a small builder based in Mittagong, NSW, Australia. Rather than one effect, it offers eight modes, and often each is a combination of two functions at once: a reverb feeding a filtered delay, or a filter feeding a delay with modulation in its feedback path. Otis Audio calls it a Cosmic Echo Unit because, in the maker's words, "we believe it sounds unlike any other delay on Earth"1.
The eight modes
The modes are grouped as four delays, two filters, and two modes named with question marks, which are mostly reverb-based1.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| D1 Lightwaves | a modulated bandpass filter feeding a delay with an overdriven chorus in the feedback path |
| D2 Life Speed | a low pass filter modulated by a sample-and-hold control signal, feeding a delay with amplitude modulation in the feedback path |
| D3 Subterranean | delay mode |
| D4 Sound + Vision | a delay featuring cascading, pitch-shifted repeats that can be filtered |
| F1 Honey | filter mode |
| F2 Patchwork | filter mode |
| ? Reshape | a resonant, plate-like reverb into a filtered delay line |
| ?? Creation Rebel | a resonant, spring-like reverb with a classic 4-stage phaser in the output path |
The design takes its cue from the pioneering musical effects of the 1970s and 80s, the large boxes with shiny knobs that made manipulating audio visible as well as audible, brought forward into the modern age1.
Controls
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Time | length of the repeats, or the length of the reverb in a reverb mode |
| Feed | variable function depending on the selected mode |
| Love | variable function depending on the selected mode |
| Tone | fixed control |
| Mix | fixed control |
| Mode | fixed control |
| Volume | fixed control |
The two larger knobs on top, Feed and Love, tweak variable functions that change with the selected mode, so their effect depends on where the Mode knob is set. The four smaller knobs at the bottom, Tone, Mix, Mode and Volume, are fixed controls doing what is expected of them1.
Power and connections
The pedal runs on a 9V DC supply with a standard 2.1mm connector, negative tip and positive sleeve, but no power supply is included1. It draws 85mA1, which is worth keeping in mind when planning a board's power budget. Input and output are both mono, unbalanced 6.4mm TS jacks, so there is no stereo routing1.
No power supply is included with the pedal, and at 85mA the current draw is higher than many single-effect pedals, so a low-output daisy-chain connection may not suit it1.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, writing in August 2022, described the pedal as "a quirky and super-creative take on the multi-mode pedal" and concluded that "this is a device that's not for everyone, but creative/psych guitarists will most likely be entertained and inspired" by it1.
The pedal comes from a small builder based in Mittagong, Australia, and Otis Audio describes the Love Beams Cosmic Echo Unit as a quirky and super-creative take on the multi-mode pedal1.
Videos
TheSuperFunAwesomeHappyTimePedalShow
Outer Time Inner Space
Get Offset
Questions
How many modes does the Otis Audio Love Beams have?
Eight. There are four delay modes (D1 Lightwaves, D2 Life Speed, D3 Subterranean and D4 Sound + Vision), two filter modes (F1 Honey and F2 Patchwork), and two modes named with question marks, Reshape and Creation Rebel, which are mostly reverb-based. Each mode combines effects differently, such as a resonant plate-like reverb feeding a filtered delay in Reshape mode.
Where is the Otis Audio Love Beams made?
It is made in Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia, on Gundungurra country. Otis Audio is a small builder based there, and the pedal's design is inspired by the large, knob-heavy effects units of the 1970s and 80s brought into the modern age.
Does the Love Beams come with a power supply?
No. It runs on a 9V DC supply with a standard 2.1mm connector, negative tip and positive sleeve, but the supply is not included. It draws 85mA, so a standard daisy-chain output may not be enough on its own.
Is the Love Beams stereo or mono?
Mono. Both the input and output are unbalanced 6.4mm TS jacks, so there is no stereo routing.
How much current does the Love Beams draw?
85mA at 9V DC. That is more than many simple pedals need, so it is worth checking what your power supply's outputs can deliver before plugging it in.
What does the Love knob do on the Love Beams?
The Love knob, along with the Feed knob, is one of the two larger knobs on top of the pedal. Both tweak variable functions that change depending on which of the eight modes is selected, so what Love does in one mode is not what it does in another.
Sources (1)
- Otis Audio Love Beams Cosmic Echo, Delicious Audio, 2022-08-10
