Tone City Tape Machine

The Tone City Tape Machine is a mini-sized delay pedal that Tone City describes as part-analog, part-digital: your dry signal runs through an analog circuit to stay crisp and clear, while the delay sounds are processed by a digital circuit¹. The delay time runs from 25 to 600 milliseconds, which Tone City says takes it "from a short slap-back sound to a long and ambient delay"¹. Despite its small enclosure, it keeps the design simple: three knobs, true bypass, and a single 9V power requirement¹.

The controls

The Tape Machine has three controls: time, level, and repeat. Tone City says these let you adjust the pace of the echoes, their volume, and the amount of audible repeats¹.

Guitar World's take on the layout was straightforward: "The level and repeats knobs allow you to dial in the volume of the delay and how many times you hear it"³. Because the pedal is mini-sized, knob size matters, and Pedal of the Day found the controls hold up in practice: "Although Tape Machine is a mini-sized pedal, the controls are usable at almost any setting from 0 to 10, this make it very versatile and easy to use"².

Analog, digital, or both?

The Tape Machine is a hybrid. Tone City's own description is that the pedal "keeps your dry signal crisp and clear by running through an analogue circuit, while the delay sounds" are handled digitally¹. For a player, that means your straight-through tone stays analog, and only the repeats are digital.

Guitar World grouped it with analog delays in its mini pedal roundup, calling it "This nifty little analog delay" and listing "Proper analog delay" among its pluses, while noting it is not the choice for longer delay times³. On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick also heard it as "more like an analog delay," though they found things get a bit squashed compared with the Empress, and called it a good cheap choice for a dark delay overall⁴.

In the upgraded 2025 version, Tone City changed the circuit to push it further in that direction: "In the upgraded version 2025, we upgraded the circuit to make it sounds more like an analog delay with very low noise"¹. Pedal of the Day reported the same change as a lowered noise floor². The current version is covered on its own page, the Tone City Tape Machine v2025 Analog/Digital Delay.

Power

The Tape Machine runs on a DC 9V adapter and draws 40 mA¹. Tone City recommends a 9V power supply such as its TPS series¹.

At 40 mA, the draw is low enough that it fits comfortably on most isolated or daisy-chain supplies alongside other mini pedals¹.

Where it came from and where it went

The Tape Machine has become one of Tone City's stronger sellers in the mini format. Pedal of the Day noted in late 2025 that "the Tape Machine Delay and Tiny Spring Reverb are two of the best sellers" in the range⁵. Its circuitry also became the basis for another pedal: Tone City upgraded the Tape Machine's circuit for the Tone City Heavenly Lake, a delay and reverb pedal that adds decay and tone controls on top of the Tape Machine's three knobs⁶.

What reviewers said

Published reviewers have covered the Tape Machine across both the original and the 2025 circuit²⁴³:

• Guitar World (2023): listed it among the best mini pedals, praising it as a proper analog-style delay at an affordable price, with 600ms of delay described as "plenty to get your teeth into," while noting it is not the pick for longer delay times³.
• That Pedal Show (2017): Dan and Mick found it more like an analog delay, a good cheap choice for a dark delay, though a bit squashed next to the Empress⁴.
• Pedal of the Day (2025): found the controls usable at almost any setting from 0 to 10, and reported the v2025 circuit's lowered noise floor².

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