TENSION | Lo-Fi Tape Echo & Modulation

TENSION | Lo-Fi Tape Echo & Modulation

$200.00

Suspended in Time. Degraded by Touch.

Tension is an exploration of instability. Designed to capture the haunting, mechanical soul of vintage tape echo units, this pedal doesn't just repeat your signal—it ages it.

From a tight, rhythmic slapback to a sprawling, disintegrating ambient void, Tension mimics the physical limitations of magnetic tape. As the repeats fade, they darken, warp, and dissolve, creating a bed of sound that feels less like an effect and more like a memory. Whether you want a subtle atmospheric wideness or a seasick, warbling pitch-shift, the Tension holds your tone in a delicate balance before letting it fall apart.

The Controls: Physics of the Bind

We mapped the controls to the mechanics of suspension. The tighter the rope, the more the signal warps.

  • SLACK (Time): Sets the delay time. Keep it tight for a quick, rockabilly slapback, or introduce more slack for long, cavernous echoes (up to 600ms) that hang in the air.

  • BINDS (Feedback): Controls the number of repeats. Low settings provide a single, distinct echo. Turn it up to create a complex knot of sound. Maxing this control forces the circuit into self-oscillation—a chaotic, swelling wash of noise.

  • BLEED (Mix): Blends the wet signal with your dry tone. Go from a subtle background ghost to a fully wet signal that swallows your playing.

  • TREMOR (Modulation Speed): Controls the rate of the "Wow and Flutter." Simulates the speed of a spinning tape motor or a trembling limb.

  • STRAIN (Modulation Depth): Sets the intensity of the pitch-shifting. At zero, the repeats are stable. As you increase the Strain, the "tape" begins to stretch and warp, creating a detuned, chorus-like texture that sounds beautifully broken.

Sonic Character

Unlike sterile digital delays, Tension features a warm, analog-voiced preamp path. The repeats naturally lose high-end fidelity as they decay, sitting perfectly behind your lead playing without muddying the mix.

THE VERDICT: A delay pedal for those who find beauty in imperfection. Keep your signal stable, or pull the rope tight until it snaps. Feel the Tension.

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