Asheville Music Tools ADG-1 Analogue Delay Pedal

The ADG-1 is a genuine analogue delay pedal, with an extensive control-set that's unprecedented for a pedal of its size! The latest instalment in Rick “Hawker” Shaich's legacy of highly sought-after delay designs, the ADG-1 boasts a pair of Xvive high voltage BBDs and offers up to 700ms of harmonically-rich, perfectly floating echoes. From a bright country slapback to washy dotted eight leads and psychedelic modulated odysseys — the AMT ADG-1 is the new, spellbinding standard in compact analogue delays!

Expertly Engineered

The ADG-1's entire signal chain utilizes premium audio-grade op amps and high-tolerance, non-microphonic capacitors to guarantee high performance, temperature stability, and low noise. It has a classic delay architecture using a pair of studio grade Xvive MN3005 reissue Bucket Brigade Devices (BBDs) and a high voltage step-up power supply, for maximum headroom.

AMT implemented a tightly-calibrated, vintage-style compander and incredibly deep, discrete transistor, 5th-order anti-aliasing and reconstruction filters to provide a familiar character with superior clarity, noise reduction and dynamic feel. Their feedback circuit uses a voltage-controlled transconductance amplifier, which provides Hawker’s classic feedback tone while offering the most accurate method for dialling in infinite repeats without runaway or for achieving total feedback overload.

A Wealth of Controls

There aren't many completely analogue circuits that sport the amount of flexible, tone-shaping controls found on the ADG-1. The clock generation, modulation oscillator, and even the switching logic are all fully analogue in nature. AMT's clock VCO, with temperature-compensated exponentiator, drives the BBDs at extremely high current to eliminate artefacts and ultimately provide a clearer sound. An assignable expression/CV input expands the flexibility to the limits of user creativity: use an expression pedal to warp the delay time, swell in self-oscillating feedback, or add a modulated vibrato flourish in real time!

Controls

• Time: Controls the delay time, adjustable from 35ms to 700ms with the bucket switch down (all BBDs), or 17ms to 350ms with the Bucket switch up (half the BBDs). Expanded to 900ms to 27ms (45s-13ms) with expression pedal, control voltages or LFO.
• Feedback: Influences the amount of repeats. Tapered perfectly to achieve infinite repeats without runaway, for evolving ambient washes and plate-like reverb tones. Or push it into self oscillation for a whole new realm of sonic exploration.
• Rate: LFO rate, from 0.08Hz to 40Hz (or faster with use of an expression pedal). Modulate your playing for even more sonic possibilities. From shimmery glitters to mind numbing dive bombs, octave shifting and more; the LFO will take your delay to new sounds with true fractional delay modulation that can only be achieved by true analogue delays.
• Amount: LFO amount. Control the influence of the LFO on the delay, from completely off to mind-bending warbles! Unlike traditional delays that use a linear modulation, AMT use an exponential modulator for smooth volt/octave time and frequency shifts that stay musical over the entire sweep range.
• Drive: Up to +22dB or -3dB at the input. The onboard preamp is capable of complete transparency, a light boost for level matching, or musical saturation and compression.
• Mix: Adjusts the blend between wet and dry signals. Capable of fully muting the dry signal, ideal for parallel effects loops.
• Tone: Placed inside the feedback loop, turn the control counter-clockwise for the muted warmth of classic analogue delays, or turn clockwise for a bright, magnetic-style echo tone that can either fold under your playing or become more pronounced with each repeat.
• Bucket Toggle: Sets the time range. Use 2 buckets for longer delays, and use 1 bucket for slapback and faux chorus/flange sounds.
• LFO toggle: Sets the LFO waveform between triangle, slewed square or off (centre). Triangle waves are perfect for classic modulated sounds, and square wave can produce musical pitch jumps or atonal chaos!
• Bypass Footswitch: Turn the effect on/off. Internal switch selects between true bypass and buffered bypass using a JFET buffer, for a warm yet natural buffered sound.
• Tails/Mod Footswitch: Depending on the mode (set internally), this can be used to either engage the modulator or mute the input for trails bypass (sometimes called 'spill-over').
• Expression Switch: 4-position rotary switch lets you control the time, feedback, rate or amount with an external expression pedal (internal +5V supplied on ring) or a 0-5V CV input for even more range and control of your playing.

Internal Switches

• True Bypass/Buffered Bypass: Select between true bypass (takes the ADG-1 entirely out of your signal chain) or a classic JFET buffered bypass to give drive and keep your signal chain from undesirable tone suck, noise and signal loss.
• 2nd Stomp Switch Function: Select the function of the 2nd stomp switch. Either used to kill/stop the modulation effect when pressed or trails mode where pressing the signal will allow the signal in the BBD chain to continue to feedback and play without new input while you play on top and let the existing sound naturally trail off.

Specifications

• 100% analogue signal path.
• Switchable true bypass or JFET-buffered bypass with switchable trails.
• Expression/CV input assignable to Time, Feedback, Mod Amount, or Mod Rate (CV range is 0-5V). Ring supplied current limited 5V.
• Genuine Hammond die-cast aluminum enclosure.
• Input Impedance: >1MΩ
• Output Impedance: 1KΩ Max
• Max Input Level: +15dBu (4.3V RMS)
• Max Output Level: +14dBu (3.9V RMS)
• Maximum Drive: >22dB (covers attenuation to gain)
• Noise Reduction: 2:1 broadband with 12dB HF emphasis
• Power: 9V DC @ <150mA (85mA Nominal, up to 250mA start up.)
• Dimensions (D x W x H): 4.90” (12.5 cm) x 3.70” (9.4 cm) x 2.25” (5.8 cm)
• Weight: 15oz (0.425kg)

Delay Time

• 35-700ms in dual BBD mode
• 16-350ms in single BBD mode
• 27-900ms (or 13-450ms) with external CV control