Universal Audio UAFX Del-Verb Ambience Companion

The Universal Audio UAFX Del-Verb Ambience Companion is a digital stereo delay and reverb pedal that puts both effects in one box with separate footswitches, so each can be switched independently. Universal Audio built it as a "greatest hits" collection: it takes three delay algorithms and three reverb algorithms from the company's earlier Starlight Echo Station and Golden Reverberator pedals, along with chorus and vibrato models thrown in¹².

MusicRadar's reviewer Rob Laing called it "the greatest selection of reverb and delay sounds in one pedal currently on the market" and suggested it "might just be UA's best value pedal overall"¹.

Three delays and three reverbs in one stereo pedal

The Del-Verb offers three delay algorithms and three reverb algorithms, selected by three-way mini toggle switches. The delays cover three eras: a '60s echo based on the Echoplex EP-3, a '70s Bucket Brigade delay based on the Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, and Universal Audio's own Precision digital delay¹. The reverbs draw on the EMT 140 plate, the Lexicon 224, and the spring reverb of the Fender Deluxe Reverb¹.

Later coverage counts the pedal's total palette differently: Delicious Audio's delay-and-reverb combo guide describes it as offering a choice of 5 delay algorithms that can be combined with 7 reverbs, "for effects ranging from the subtle to the" extreme³.

Controls and footswitch layout per MusicRadar's review¹.

The two footswitches are the heart of the design. One switches the delay, the second handles the reverb or tap tempo. Originally, that second switch was an either/or choice: you could have the reverb on, or tap tempo for the delay, but not both at once¹. The pedal also includes chorus and vibrato models alongside the delays and reverbs⁴.

Power and connections

The Del-Verb needs a 9V center-negative power supply with a 400mA minimum draw, and the supply is not included¹.

Connections are mono and stereo inputs and outputs, plus a USB-C input for firmware updates via the UAFX Control desktop app¹. A free app also allows tweaking settings and managing presets⁵.

Presets and MIDI arrive with firmware 2.0

At the time of the original review, the Del-Verb had no onboard presets, and MusicRadar noted this was the first UAFX pedal where the two footswitches were put to this particular dual use¹. That changed in November 2025, when Universal Audio pushed a significant update to all compatible UAFX pedals. Firmware 2.0 added:

• MIDI functionality, the headline addition¹
• Four presets stored on the pedal, switchable on the hardware¹
• Improved app connectivity via Bluetooth¹
• A new hardwired USB-to-Mobile connection option¹

For players who wanted presets and MIDI control from a compact board, the 2.0 update turned the pedal from a set-and-forget ambience box into something that can be called up programmatically mid-set¹.

From the Starlight Echo Station and Golden Reverberator

The Del-Verb is a streamlined descendant of two earlier UAFX pedals. MusicRadar's news coverage described it as offering "the streamlined highlights of UA's previous Golden Reverberator and Starlight Echo Station pedals in a one-unit solution"⁶, and the review called it a greatest hits collection, taking three of the delays and reverb algorithms from each¹.

The differences matter if you are choosing between them. The Golden Reverberator goes deeper, with Predelay, Mix, Bass, Treble and Modulation parameters for players who want to dive in¹. The Del-Verb trades that depth for having both delay and reverb in one enclosure. Delicious Audio's ambient and shoegaze reverb guide describes it as "a dual delay + reverb with separate footswitches and three modes for each effect"⁵.

The Del-Verb also sits in a wider UAFX family. Its sounds are drawn from the Starlight Echo Station delay and the Golden Reverberator, taking three of the delay and reverb algorithms from each¹. The Golden Reverberator offers Predelay, Mix, Bass, Treble and Modulation parameters for players who want deeper control¹, where the Del-Verb gathers the streamlined highlights of both pedals in a one-unit solution¹⁶.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's Rob Laing, reviewing the pedal in November 2023, gave it a strong verdict:

The one shortcoming noted at the time of the original review was that the Del-Verb pedal doesn't have an onboard preset, the first UAFX pedal where the two footswitches perform that role¹. The pedal was designed by James Santiago and his Universal Audio team¹.

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