The Retroactive Pedals Diving Bell is a compact delay pedal from Nashville, described by Delicious Audio as "optimized for psychedelic use." It is a lo-fi delay and echo machine built on two PT2399 delay chips, the popular chip at the heart of many echo designs, and it was released in June 20211. For a player, it is a delay aimed at expressive, unstable territory: runaway self-oscillation and on-the-fly pitch bending rather than pristine repeats. It sits in the lo-fi corner of the delay pedal world.
Controls: Feedback, Slap and Tune
Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described the layout plainly:
"this is not a complicated device, featuring just three knobs, a toggle switch and two footswitches"
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Feedback knob | Dials in the amount of feedback; capable of self-oscillation around 2 o'clock1 |
| Slap toggle | Switches between two modes: longer or shorter repeats1 |
| Tune footswitch | Momentary switch that instantly alters delay speed for pitch-bending qualities1 |
The Feedback knob is the heart of the pedal's character: it starts self-oscillating when turned to around 2 o'clock, so pushing it past that point sends the repeats into runaway1. The Slap toggle's shorter-repeat mode suits tight slapback playing, while the longer mode feeds the psychedelic textures the pedal is built for1.
What it is for
Delicious Audio describes the Diving Bell as "suitable for a wide-range of sounds from psych-rock, country chicken' pickin slapback, to blown-out shoegaze on the verge of self-oscillating chaos"1. In practice that means the same pedal covers a short country slapback and a washed-out, on-the-edge-of-collapse ambience, with the Tune footswitch adding pitch bends by shifting the delay speed while held1.
Retroactive Pedals also makes the Dot Chaser, a cassette-style echo with modulation2.
Videos
Noise Generator
Demos In The Dark
Anne Sulikowski
Questions
Does the Retroactive Pedals Diving Bell self-oscillate?
Yes. Delicious Audio's product page says the Feedback knob dials in the amount of repeats and the pedal is capable of self-oscillation, starting to run away when the Feedback knob is turned to around 2 o'clock. That runaway quality is part of the design, which the maker's press coverage describes as optimized for psychedelic use, from slapback to blown-out shoegaze textures.
What does the Tune footswitch do on the Diving Bell?
The Tune footswitch is a momentary switch that instantly alters the delay speed, giving the pedal pitch-bending qualities. Holding it shifts the delay time in real time, which is one of the two footswitch functions on a pedal that otherwise keeps its control set to three knobs, a toggle switch and two footswitches.
What does the Slap toggle change?
The Slap toggle switches the Diving Bell between two modes: longer or shorter repeats. The shorter setting suits slapback-style playing such as country chicken pickin', while the longer mode suits the psychedelic and shoegaze textures the pedal is aimed at.
Is the Diving Bell a compact pedal?
Yes. Delicious Audio describes the Diving Bell as a compact delay pedal, built around two PT2399 delay chips, and notes it was released in June 2021.
Sources (2)
- Retroactive Pedals Diving Bell Delay, Delicious Audio, 2021-06-28
- Best New Guitar Pedal Releases, Delicious Audio, 2021-07-06
