The Snow Day Delay is a delay pedal from Summer School Electronics built around two independent PT2399 chips. It offers two independent delay settings that can be run on their own or at the same time, and a second mode, called Blizzard Mode, that changes how the two delay circuits work together. Pedal of the Day reviewed it in May 2022 and found that, despite a modest-looking control layout, there is a lot to investigate within the pedal1.
Controls and modes
The pedal's layout is four knobs and one switch. The toggle switch selects between standard mode (down) and Blizzard Mode (up). In standard mode, each setting offers up to about 600ms of delay time, and Pedal of the Day described the resulting delays as very clear, crisp, and smooth sounding1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Toggle switch | Selects standard mode (down) or Blizzard Mode (up)1 |
| Delay 2 knob | In Blizzard Mode with the yellow light on, controls the delay time of both chips in unison1 |
| Selector button | Switches between the two Blizzard Mode settings: both chips in unison, or both chips with separate times1 |
Blizzard Mode
Blizzard Mode is what separates the Snow Day Delay from a straightforward two-setting delay. With the toggle up, the pedal runs both delay chips together, and a selector button and two lights choose between two ways of doing that1:
- Yellow light on: both delay chips run at approximately the same delay time, controlled by the Delay 2 knob. Pedal of the Day noted this leads to interesting color and saturation within the delays as the echoes begin to clip as they fade1.
- Blue light on: both delay times are activated, but running in parallel at independent times, each set by its own delay knob. Depending on how different the delay knobs are placed, the reviewer said this will lead to unique percussive delay patterns, or cavernous echoes of long delays with added saturation from the overloaded clipped signal1.
The PT2399 chip
Each of the pedal's two delay settings runs on its own PT2399 chip. As the pedal-building analysis site Anasounds explains, the PT2399 is a so-called digital delay chip with the advantage of directly including an ADC, DAC, RAM and clock on the chip itself, which is why it appears in so many compact delay designs2.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's verdict was that the options and analog tones here are enough to satisfy the most snobby of delay connoisseurs1.
"the options and analog tones here are enough to satisfy the most snobby of delay connoisseurs"
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Summer School Electronics
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Questions
What chips does the Snow Day Delay use?
The Snow Day Delay is built around two independent PT2399 chips, one for each of its two delay settings. The PT2399 is a so-called digital delay chip that directly includes an ADC, DAC, RAM and clock on the chip itself, which is why it is widely used in compact delay designs.
How long is the delay time on the Snow Day Delay?
In standard mode, with the toggle switch down, each of the pedal's two settings offers up to about 600ms of delay time, according to Pedal of the Day's review.
What do the yellow and blue lights mean on the Snow Day Delay?
In Blizzard Mode, the lights show which of the two settings is active. With the yellow light on, both delay chips run at approximately the same delay time, controlled by the Delay 2 knob. With the blue light on, both delay times run in parallel at independent times set by both delay knobs.
Is the Snow Day Delay analog or digital?
It uses PT2399 chips, which are so-called digital delay chips containing an ADC, DAC, RAM and clock. Pedal of the Day nonetheless described the pedal's tones as analog in character, writing that the options and analog tones are enough to satisfy the most snobby of delay connoisseurs.
How many knobs does the Snow Day Delay have?
The Snow Day Delay has four knobs and one switch. The switch is a toggle that selects standard mode (down) or Blizzard Mode (up), and a selector button switches between the two Blizzard Mode settings.
Sources (2)
- Summer School Electronics Snow Day Delay, Pedal of the Day, 2022-05-28
- The analog delay, or rather... the analog-voiced delay, Anasounds, 2020-05-14