The Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe is a stereo delay pedal from Pigtronix, the result of an intensive, four-year design process1. It carries a MAP price of $3992, and with the optional remote switch a player can access up to 60 presets on the fly3. Premier Guitar's reviewer found it packed with options and delay sounds not heard very often, in any pedal or context2.
It is discontinued. Pedal of the Day reported in 2016 that the model had been discontinued but could still be found secondhand at reasonable prices3. It was replaced in the Pigtronix range by the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro in 20154.
What it does to your sound
The Echolution 2 Deluxe creates echoes from 10 milliseconds up to 10 seconds long, which covers everything from rockabilly slapback to full ambient washes12. Pedal of the Day credited the Deluxe specifically with 12 seconds of delay time, so the published figures differ; either way, the range runs from basic vintage-style echoes to delays far longer than a conventional pedal offers3.
Beyond straight repeats, the pedal shapes the character of those repeats in several ways:
- Modulation with four selectable waveforms for warbling, tape-like movement in the delay line3
- Filters: Low Pass, Tape, Comb and Sweep filter types for tonal shaping of the repeats3
- Bit Crusher Distortion Filter for degraded, lo-fi delay sounds3
- Halo and Pong modes alongside the standard Short, Medium and Long delay ranges3
The Time control does double duty, setting delay time and switching between Short, Medium, Long, Pong and Halo modes on the fly, and each control has its own display for reading settings at a glance3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Time | Sets delay time; selects Short, Medium, Long, Pong and Halo modes on the fly3 |
| Repeats | Standard control for the level of repeats3 |
| Mix | Standard control for the effect level3 |
| Filters | Selects Low Pass, Tape, Comb and Sweep filter types3 |
Presets, MIDI and expression control
The Deluxe shipped with 60 Pigtronix presets as a starting point, with sounds savable and instantly recallable via the footswitches or an optional remote switch1. Pedal of the Day noted that the optional Echolution 2 Remote gives access to all 60 presets on the fly3.
Real-time control runs deep. Every knob can be mapped to an assignable expression pedal or to envelope control, so your picking dynamics can drive delay parameters13. MIDI is built in: Molten Voltage confirmed that the Echolution 2 and Echolution 2 Deluxe work with MIDI6, and the family offers complete MIDI control of every function5. Disaster Area Designs lists the Echolution 2, in all its versions, among its supported MIDI devices, so it integrates with that company's MIDI controllers7.
A dedicated PC/Mac application handles preset import and export for sharing sounds with other Echolution users, firmware upgrades, and real-time access to the Deluxe's advanced functionality2.
History: from Echolution to Ultra Pro
The Echolution 2 Deluxe was a sequel to Pigtronix's original Echolution pedal, and the result of what MusicRadar called an intensive, four-year design process1. Pigtronix said the Echolution 2 maintained the ambient richness and line-level headroom of its predecessor while offering far more flexibility2. The fully programmable Echolution 2 and Echolution 2 Deluxe followed the original in 20135.
The line kept evolving. At Summer NAMM 2015, Pigtronix launched the pitch-shifting Echolution 2 Ultra Pro, which replaces the E2 Deluxe and ships with numerous firmware enhancements over the original Deluxe, alongside the Echolution 2 Filter Pro, which replaces the E2 Basic4. Guitar World described the Ultra Pro and Filter Pro as the Echolution 2's ultimate realization, 10 years after the series' original introduction5.
The Filter Pro keeps the processing power and flexibility of the Ultra Pro with a streamlined user interface aimed at stage use89, and according to the manufacturer it offers that same processing power with a simpler set of controls89. The Ultra Pro itself ships with numerous firmware enhancements over the original Echolution 2 Deluxe10, and Pigtronix released the two versions, the Ultra Pro and Filter Pro, as the series' ultimate realization 10 years after its original introduction511. Guitar.com's reviewer found the Ultra Pro "a genuinely awesome tool for manipulating and modulating delays"12.
The Echolution 2 series reached its ultimate realization 10 years after its original introduction, in the form of the E2 Ultra Pro and E2 Filter Pro5. The fully programmable Echolution 2 and Echolution 2 Deluxe had followed in 20135, and the Ultra Pro ships with numerous firmware enhancements over the original Echolution 2 Deluxe10.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's 2016 review found the Deluxe packed with options and delay sounds not heard very often in any pedal or context, praising the pairing of analog circuitry with digital flexibility3.
"it also packed with options and delay sounds not heard very often, in any pedal or context"
The same review highlighted the tap tempo subdivisions as a standout feature: the tap tempo can be divided into 1, 3/4, 2/3, 1/2, and the golden ratio PHI3. The PHI setting produces repeats spaced by an irrational ratio, giving rhythmically alien patterns that conventional subdivisions cannot.
Videos
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Guitar World
Questions
Is the Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe analog or digital?
It is both. Pigtronix described it as a marriage of analog tone shaping and digital signal processing, built around a 24-bit, variable-clock, full-stereo delay line. The dry signal path is all analog, while the delay line, filters, modulation and pitch effects are handled digitally.
How long can the Echolution 2 Deluxe delay go?
Reports differ. Pedal of the Day credited the Deluxe with 12 seconds of delay time, while the Pigtronix press release and MusicRadar's launch coverage both describe echoes from 10ms up to 10 seconds. Either way it covers everything from tight slapback echoes to long ambient washes.
Is the Echolution 2 Deluxe discontinued?
Yes. Pedal of the Day noted in 2016 that the model had been discontinued, though used units could still be found at reasonable prices. It was replaced in the Pigtronix line by the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro, which shipped with firmware enhancements over the original Deluxe.
Is the Echolution 2 Deluxe stereo?
Yes. It has stereo inputs and outputs and a full-stereo delay line, so it works with stereo effects chains or dual-amp setups. The Echolution 2 family also keeps the dry signal path all analog.
What tap tempo subdivisions does the Echolution 2 Deluxe have?
Tap tempo can be subdivided into 1, 3/4, 2/3, 1/2, and the golden ratio PHI. The unusual PHI setting produces rhythmically uneven repeats that sit outside conventional musical subdivisions, one of the features that set the pedal apart from ordinary delays.
Sources (12)
- NAMM 2014: Pigtronix launches Echolution 2 Deluxe, MusicRadar, 2014-01-15
- Pigtronix Launches Echolution 2 & Deluxe Models, Premier Guitar, 2014-01-15
- Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2016-09-01
- Summer NAMM 2015: Pigtronix Launches Pitch Shifting Echolution 2 Multi-Tap Delay Pedals, Guitar World, 2015-07-09
- Pigtronix Ships New Echolution 2 Pedals, Launches Website, Offers Free Upgrade to All E2 Users, Guitar World, 2015-10-19
- MIDI PedalBoard Devices, Molten Voltage (blog.moltenvoltage.com), 2014-08-06
- Supported Devices, Disaster Area Designs, 2021-10-11
- Pigtronix Release Echolution 2 Filter Pro and Ultra Pro Delay Pedals, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2015-11-09
- Pigtronix Echolution2 Ultra Pro Review, Premier Guitar, 2016-05-16
- Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro And Filter Pro, Delicious Audio, 2016-01-06
- Pigtronix takes its delay game to the next level with slimmed-down, powerful Echolution 3 pedal, Guitar World, 2021-09-28
- Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro review, Guitar.com, 2016-02-29
