The Cutting Room Floor is a hand-wired delay pedal from Recovery Effects and Devices that combines lo-fi tape-style echo with stutter, modulation and reverb effects, all in one box. What sets it apart from an ordinary delay is its freeze footswitch: press it and the pedal instantly loops whatever delay sound you have going, holding it on infinite repeat until you release it, while you keep playing over the top1.
The current V3 version is built to emulate the sound and functionality of vintage reel-to-reel tape overdrive and echo, with stutter, modulation and delay features2. Delicious Audio has described the pedal as "an extremely versatile, hand-wired pedal offering wild modulation, delay, freeze and stutter effects, with a lo-fi angle"3.
What the freeze footswitch does
The freeze footswitch is the pedal's signature feature. Pedal of the Day's reviewer, Mike B, explained it plainly1:
"a second foot switch called Freeze lets you instantly loop whatever delay sound you can invent, holding it in place and keeping it on infinite repeat until you let up on the switch"1
In practice, you dial in a delay or modulation sound, hit freeze, and that sound becomes a held loop you can solo over or layer against. Delicious Audio adds that the freeze button allows swelling momentary effects, so you can ride the switch for swells rather than a permanent drone6. On the V3, the maker describes it as a freeze button that traps a tone while still playing4.
The controls and the two modes
The original pedal keeps its control set simple. Five knobs and one toggle handle everything1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Overall effects output |
| Time | Delay time |
| Modulation | Amount of modulation |
| Intensity | Intensity of modulation |
| Blend | Wet/dry signal blend |
A single toggle switch sets which of the two modes the pedal is in: Stutter or Reverb1.
Stutter mode acts as a one-off delay mode, giving you a single repeat of whatever you play. It is the tighter, more rhythmic side of the pedal, useful for chopped-up glitch sounds1.
Reverb mode commands multiple repeats, allowing for more spacey, trippy-sounding effects. Mike B found it "works more like an echo or reverb, with the ability to create crazy, oscillating modulation, vintage old-school chorus sound" and emulation of classic tape delay and old echo machines1.
Delicious Audio's glitch and stutter pedal roundup also highlights the pedal's Wow and Stability controls as part of its lo-fi character, alongside the freeze button3.
Versions: V2, V3 and the Silver Sparkle edition
The Cutting Room Floor has gone through several versions, and they are not identical5.
V2. Recovery Effects says the V2 has a distinct character compared to later versions, with a slightly different response and modulation behavior. A limited edition run came in a Silver Sparkle finish; the maker's own listing for one used example, serial number 3192, in mint condition, describes that version as becoming increasingly difficult to find, especially in that finish. It was listed at £220.00 and is sold out5.
V3. The V3 pedal has been updated with separate controls over the saturation of the input signal and the tape delay signal, giving independent control of the tape saturation and tape delay levels. Other features include the freeze button and expression/CV control for time, so you can sweep delay time externally4. The V3 is also available as a Eurorack module version, again with CV control for time2.
If you are shopping for a Cutting Room Floor, note that the V2 is described by the maker as increasingly hard to find5.
What reviewers said
The pedal made a strong impression on the press. Pedal of the Day's Mike B wrote1:
"I had never come across a delay/echo/stutter/modulation/reverb/pitch shifter pedal like this….ever"1
The reviewer called it a truly unique and innovative piece of hardware, a pedal whose overall design makes you stop in your tracks, having never come across a delay/echo/stutter/modulation/reverb/pitch pedal like it before1.
Related Recovery Effects pedals
Recovery Effects and Devices also makes other pedals in a similar spirit, including the Dirty Murals, the DELAY REVERB 01, and the Motion Pictures.
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Questions
What does the freeze footswitch do on the Cutting Room Floor?
The freeze footswitch instantly loops whatever delay sound you have going, holding it in place on an infinite repeat until you release it. You can keep playing over the frozen loop, and the maker describes it as a button that traps a tone while you are still playing. Delicious Audio notes it allows swelling momentary effects.
What is the difference between Stutter and Reverb mode?
A toggle switch on the pedal picks the mode. Stutter acts as a one-off delay mode, giving a single repeat of whatever you play. Reverb commands multiple repeats, which allows for more spacey, trippy-sounding effects, and works more like an echo or reverb with oscillating modulation and a vintage chorus sound.
How does the Cutting Room Floor V2 differ from later versions?
According to Recovery Effects, the V2 has a distinct character compared to later versions, with a slightly different response and modulation behavior. The V3 adds independent control of the tape saturation and tape delay levels, plus expression and CV control for time. The V2 is also becoming increasingly difficult to find.
Does the Cutting Room Floor V3 have CV control?
Yes. The maker lists expression and CV control for time as a feature of the Cutting Room Floor V3, so you can sweep the delay time with an expression pedal or an external control voltage. The V3 pedal page also lists a freeze button that traps a tone while you are still playing.
Who makes the Cutting Room Floor?
The Cutting Room Floor is made by Recovery Effects and Devices, designed and assembled in Seattle, Washington. The pedal is hand-wired.
Sources (6)
- Recovery Effects Cutting Room Floor Echo/Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2015-09-02
- CUTTING ROOM FLOOR EURORACK MODULE (Vintage Reel-to-Reel Tape, Echo, a, Recovery Effects and Devices
- The Best Glitch, Stutter And Granular Pedals In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-05-27
- Cutting Room Floor V3, Recovery Effects and Devices
- Cutting Room Floor V2 (Limited Edition Silver Sparkle Delay Pedal), Recovery Effects and Devices
- The 3 Best Delay Pedals Per Type, In 2023, Delicious Audio (delicious-audio.com), 2023-08-25
