The Walrus Audio Moroi Stereo Analog Delay Black Out is a limited-edition stereo delay pedal from Walrus Audio built on true bucket brigade analog circuitry, the same kind of delay line used in vintage analog delay units. Unlike most analog delays, it runs in stereo, with left and right delay sides that can work together or independently. The Black Out edition was offered as a run of 500 units at a list price of $599.991.
What it does
Because the Moroi has two analog delay sides, it can produce stereo delay effects that a single-channel analog delay cannot. In a JHS Pedals demo video, presenters Josh and Belle described the range of ways the two sides can be set up: you can sync the sides, offset the sides left and right, modulate them differently, and run them in parallel pingpong or series configurations1. In a parallel pingpong setup the repeats bounce between the left and right outputs, while in series one side feeds the other.
The reviewers were unusually emphatic about the design. As they put it:
"this is a whole this is a crazy achievement the only thing like this in the world"
They explained why: getting bucket brigade analog circuitry to work with tap tempo is very hard to make, which is why tap-tempo analog delays are rare1.
Controls and footswitches
The pedal's side-selection switch and its two footswitches cover the basics of running a dual-sided delay1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sync / L / R switch | Selects which side of the pedal you adjust: sync adjusts both left and right together, L adjusts only the left side, R adjusts only the right side1 |
| Bypass footswitch | Engages and disengages the pedal, with selectable bypass modes1 |
| Tap tempo footswitch | Sets the delay time; external tap and expression control are also available via dip switch settings1 |
The dip switch settings matter for players with larger rigs: they let the tap tempo footswitch double as an external tap or expression input, so the pedal can be controlled from outside the board1.
Where it sits in Walrus Audio's delay range
Walrus Audio makes several other delays, mostly digital. The Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay is the company's stereo digital delay, while the ARP-87 Delay and Bellwether cover compact and analog-leaning territory respectively. The Moroi's distinguishing feature in that lineup is that it keeps bucket brigade analog delay lines while adding stereo operation and tap tempo, a combination the JHS reviewers said was essentially unique1. For more on the effect type, see Delay Pedals.
Review video
The JHS Pedals demo video walks through the Moroi's stereo routing options, demonstrating synced and offset sides, different modulation on each side, and the parallel pingpong and series modes, and closes with the presenters calling the pedal a design achievement for putting tap tempo on true bucket brigade analog circuitry1.
Sources (1)
- Reverb Black Out / Line 6, JHS Pedals, Earthquaker Devices, Walrus Audio, Death By Audio, Old Blood, JHS Pedals (YouTube), 2023-11-17
