The Echo-X is a digital delay mini-pedal from UK builder Rainger FX, offering 540ms of maximum delay time and what the maker calls unprecedented real-time control over the delay's crucial parameters1. It is the echo version of Rainger FX's Reverb-X, built around the PT2399 chip, and it ships with the Igor pressure-sensitive foot controller, which lets a player sweep delay parameters with a foot while both hands stay on the guitar12.
Rainger FX describes the pedal's character in suitably blunt terms: it "MAKES DUB-LIKE 'ACCENTS' AND CRESCENDOS, ELECTRO CHOPS!" and the maker says it oscillates at extreme settings, opening up what it calls new levels of exploding feedback for overdriven guitar sounds1.
The controls
The Echo-X carries five main controls on its top panel: level, rate, feedback, input and volume1. Each does a distinct job:
- LVL goes from no echo to slightly louder than the input signal, so the echo can sit under the dry sound or push above it1.
- FBK goes from a single repeat to runaway overloading feedback oscillation, which is where the pedal's dub-style feedback tricks live1.
- INPT governs the input signal. If the incoming signal is too loud, the red "overload" LED comes on and the control needs turning down to keep the clean signal from distorting1.
- Volume sets the overall output, and unlike some designs it can push the volume back up above unity1.
- Rate sets the delay time within the pedal's 540ms range13.
The gate switch and Igor
The current version of the Echo-X adds a "gate" switch option, which Rainger FX bills as the world's first gated echo effect1. The gate pushbutton sits on the main top panel: with it pressed, all echo repeats are cut the moment you stop playing, so echoes punctuate the music rather than trail over it1.
The bundled Igor foot controller is the other half of the real-time control story. Guitar.com's review lists Igor as an included feature alongside true bypass and the 9-volt mains power requirement2. For players who already own an expression pedal, Rainger FX says a regular expression pedal can most probably be used instead of Igor, with a 1/4-inch to minijack adaptor1.
The Echo-X runs on a 9-volt mains supply only and cannot run on a battery2. Rainger FX lists the current draw as 29mA1, which a standard isolated power supply output should handle, but the pedal does need power to operate.
Design and history
Rainger FX announced the Echo-X as its first delay pedal in November 2015, when MusicRadar reported it available for £119 with the bundled Igor pressure-sensitive foot controller3. The pedal has since been revised: the current version adds the gate switch option and Igor mode buttons1.
Physically it is a distinctly mini pedal, in a wedge-shaped enclosure that is taller at the back than it is wide, with all sockets mounted on the top end panel12. That wedge shape is a Rainger FX signature, and the top-mounted jacks help the small footprint work on a crowded board. The maker's range also includes the Drone Rainger, another delay with drone and pitch controls, and the Recycle Box, a distortion-delay built from upcycled Break Box enclosures.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed the Echo-X in August 2022 and rated it 9 out of 10, praising the gated echo effect and the Igor foot controller. His verdict: "It's got a couple of sharp new tricks, but this would be a really nice delay pedal even without them."2
MusicRadar's report on the launch highlighted the 540ms max delay time and the treble and bass roll-off on repeats, calling the pedal a major game changer for real-time control3. More recently, a Guitar.com comparison of delay pedals listed the Echo-X at £229 GBP4.
For players browsing delay pedals generally, the Echo-X sits in the mini-pedal, real-time-control corner of the market: small, UK-built, true bypass, and aimed at players who want to manipulate echoes with a foot rather than dial in a setting and leave it12.
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Questions
How long is the delay time on the Rainger FX Echo-X?
The Echo-X offers 540ms of maximum delay time, according to both Rainger FX's product page and MusicRadar's report on the pedal's launch. That covers everything from a quick slapback-style single repeat to longer, more spacious echoes, and the feedback control can take a single repeat all the way to runaway oscillation at extreme settings.
Is the Rainger FX Echo-X true bypass?
Yes. Guitar.com's review of the Echo-X lists it as true bypass, and notes that it is powered by a 9-volt mains supply only, so a power adapter is required rather than a battery.
Can the Echo-X run on a battery?
No. Guitar.com's review specifies that the Echo-X is powered by a 9-volt mains supply only, so it cannot run on an internal battery. Rainger FX lists the current draw as 29mA, which is well within what a standard pedalboard power supply output can handle.
What does the gate switch do on the Echo-X?
The gate pushbutton sits on the main top panel. With it pressed, all echo repeats are cut when you stop playing, producing what Rainger FX calls the world's first gated echo effect. It is aimed at dub-style accents, crescendos and electro chops where the echo stops dead instead of ringing out.
Where is the Rainger FX Echo-X made?
The Echo-X is made in the UK, as stated in Guitar.com's review of the pedal. Rainger FX is a UK pedal builder whose range also includes the Drone Rainger delay and the Recycle Box distortion-delay.
Sources (4)
- Echo-X (incl. Igor), Rainger FX
- Rainger FX Echo-X review: A deceptively tiny delay pedal with some unique skills, Guitar.com, 2022-08-16
- The Rainger FX Echo-X digital delay pedal is a "major game changer for real-time control", MusicRadar, 2015-11-02
- Gamechanger Audio Auto Delay review, Guitar.com, 2025-10-15
