Strymon TimeLine MX

The Strymon TimeLine MX is a stereo multi-delay pedal: a delay workstation from Strymon that carries 12 delay machines, including the all-new Oil Can, Spectral, Drum and MultiTap engines, plus a built-in reverb engine¹. Its dual-engine design lets you run two effects simultaneously, and it includes a five-minute stereo looper²³. Strymon describes it as the most powerful version of TimeLine yet², and it launched in July 2026 at a list price of $679⁴⁵.

Where the original TimeLine was a single-algorithm delay, the MX runs on a tri-core 800 MHz ARM processor with 32-bit floating point processing, 24-bit 96 kHz converters and premium analog circuits including a discrete JFET input preamp⁴⁶. Guitar World called it "the pinnacle of delay pedal design"⁷.

The controls and footswitches

The TimeLine MX has three footswitches (A, B and TAP) and nine control knobs⁷. The A and B footswitches engage or bypass the current bank's preset; press A and B together to select a lower bank, and B and TAP to select a higher bank. The pedal's LEDs light green when a preset is active, amber when it has been edited, and off when bypassed⁴. The TAP footswitch sets delay time and also accesses the one-button looper⁶.

The EXP jack opens up more footswitch options through Strymon's MultiSwitch accessories, with four EXP modes¹¹:

In MultiSwitch Plus Preset mode, footswitch A loads preset 0B, B loads preset 1A and C loads preset 1B¹¹. In Looper mode, footswitch B handles looper play and toggles half-speed and full-speed playback; you enter Looper mode by pressing and holding TAP for three seconds¹¹.

An expression pedal connects to the EXP port via a TRS cable, with the EXP MODE set to PEDAL. Which knobs the expression pedal controls is saved on a per-preset basis, so each preset can have its own assignments¹².

Power: 9V, 500mA, isolated

The power connector is a 2.1mm barrel⁶. For comparison, the original TimeLine drew 9V DC at 300mA and included its supply¹³. The MX's higher current draw reflects its tri-core processor and dual-engine processing⁴.

Stereo routing, MIDI and the looper

All the audio jacks are TRS stereo, giving you stereo input and output plus a stereo send and return, with selectable I/O configurations including stereo or mono effects send/return, wet/dry and wet/dry/wet⁴. Use both LEFT and RIGHT OUT for stereo, or LEFT OUT alone for mono⁴. Guitar World describes the routing options as "fully expansive series, parallel, and split"⁷.

MIDI works over USB-C, TRS or DIN connections for preset changes and parameter control¹⁰. A full list of MIDI CC functions and numbers is on pages 95 to 101 of the product manual¹⁴. The factory default MIDI channel is Channel 1¹¹.

The integrated stereo looper records up to five minutes, with selectable multi or one-button looper modes¹⁰. Half-speed and reverse options are available via MIDI³.

Delay time ranges

Maximum delay time depends on which of the 12 machines you are running²¹:

If a preset's tempo falls outside the current delay type's range, an exclamation indicator appears on the Delay "1" or "2" selector. You can then turn the TIME knob to set a new tempo, or change the TAP Division parameter to bring the delay back within range¹⁵.

From the original TimeLine to the MX

The original TimeLine, released at $449, was already a capable multi-delay⁷. The MX keeps the same form factor, footprint and build quality as the original¹⁶, but adds a full suite of upgrades: dual-engine processing that runs two effects at once, a built-in reverb, four new engines (Oil Can, Spectral, Drum and MultiTap) and the five-minute stereo looper¹³. Gearnews counts 12 delay and reverb engines, four more than the original TimeLine³.

Delicious Audio's reviewer saw it as more than an update:

Brent P. Gladless, Delicious Audio¹⁶

Pedal of the Day called it "one of the most powerful delay machines out there, the MX takes everything to a new level, in all the best ways"¹⁰.

Firmware updates

Strymon supports the TimeLine MX with documentation that goes beyond the basics: a full list of the pedal's MIDI CC functions and numbers, for players integrating it into a MIDI rig, is published on pages 95-101 of the product manual¹⁴.

To update, run Strymon's Update software with the powered pedal connected to your computer via USB-C, click "Check for Updates" to verify whether a new version is available, then click "Install Update". The program shows "Your device is up to date" once the update is complete¹⁷.

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