DELAY- WALRUS AUDIO ARP-87 ...old school digital delay? any good???

$200.00 USD

WALRUS AUDIO ARP-87 DIGITAL DELAY 

I checked this 5 years ago and gave it a quick pass. I was often asked by guys who have one why I didn't like it. To be honest it is lo-fi and my mind set is that DD can be simple, even relatively cheap but the whole reason to have one is to have high specs. The chip in the Walrus is indeed good enough to do more but in my opinion it has been dumbed down. The idea was to give you something like the very first 70's rack delays and the first Boss pedals that with their now antique redundant chips. No argument, they did managed to make delays that were used on endless great recordings. It is certainly a reasonable argument that it may be worth exploring again.

The pedal indeed gives you a lo-fi setting, a faux analog, a standard very clean DD sound, specific slap back. All delays can be set as a slap back. I imagine it allows you to fine tune it's delay length. Not a dire need but a nice luxury. It also allows tap tempo. Many guys can not go without it. I actually never use it. For an ambiance echo it is not at all needed. I set mine by ear than memorize my settings.

CONCLUSION

It sounds OK. If I had one I could set it up to work fine. BIG but. I would much rather have the Dunlop/MXR EchoPlex delay. I only got it after buying many delays including the high end Empress Echo Systems delay which literally has state of the art chips. Most were both sterile and would not lay in the mix. In short I want a guitar sound with some delay, not a Delay with some guitar. Or in other words some delays are like having the tail wagging the dog. It's a long story but it was Dave Friedman of Friedman Amps that told me to get the Dunlop. Thank god. It is impossible to even get a bad sound from it.