DeltaLab Effectron III ADM 1030

100% realtime control: a dedicated knob/switch for every function - it can??t get any better if you have basic knowledge about delays...and if not, you??ll learn it really fast :o)

well, it does get a 10 despite not delivering "pristine" sound, given today??s standards, but...as most reviewers already pointed out, it sits in a mix very very well, which is never to be underrated. and - in a mix it also sounds very natural, much more than most delays which have a "pristine" sound quality when played solo. another point is that its functions as well as the interfacing are excellent for lots of experiments...it??s got an envelope follower to control delay time (which is not only great for weird effects, but also for gentle vocal/instrument doubling), it??s got a control voltage input for the delay time (which adds up to the built-in-modulators) and it??s got a remote input for feedback. all instantly accessible without scrolling through software pages etcetc. i almost forgot the infinite repeat switch on the front...

i??m not the original owner. it??s about 25 years old, and since i have it never failed in about 10 years of abuse...

deltalab? did they even make it through the 80s...?

i used it for pa systems (various kinds of music ranging from purely acoustic music through garage/psychedelic/punk rock to experimental/noise...), in a recording/mixdown environment (mostly rock & noise) and in my personal instrument rig (noise/old school industrial).
the beauty about it is that it suits a lot of styles very well, because it is (most important of all) a very musical delay. my other hardware delays are dynacord srs-56 (bbd) and ibanez dmd-2000 (which is ok for long delays but nothing else).

This unit is very easy to use in the sense that the knobs are very staight forward. Don't get this unit if you want to save a bunch of patches. It is the type of delay that you need to "play" like an instrument.

I use this unit as a delay return for vocals when I want a warm lo-fi sound. I also like to use it as a pitch change effect. This is by no means pristine - but it's not too noisy and it sits well in a mix.

Bullet proof.

I am a full-time composer and producer with a $35,000 ProTools HD setup and I still keep this unit around. From alt-rock to electronic to ambient to dance, this old delay unit still comes into use and often receives rave reviews for its effect.

This unit threw me for a loop because I had one of the preset buttons pushed in and none of the knobs would respond. After a little ape noising and chest pounding, I figured this out and unlocked a very variable effect that is nearly an instrument in itself. Mine came with the manual which describes in detail how to use the unit for any kind of time related effect: phase, flange, slapback, echo, chorus, delay, detuned delay, etc. Understand the basics and you can carve out a very nice psychedelic sound. Works great and rounding out digital sounds.

I use this on a bus in my mixer, that mixer isnt pro quality so I have to say this unit sounds swell. For a beast from the 80s, it handles changes in controls well with no clicking or popping even when you switch presets its clean. I like it best with midrangy sounds or highpass strings. It has a very crisp sound, compared to the Rocktron & Digitechs I used to have especially.

The thing looks like a tank and has better knobs than some of my synths. Expect it to last if you get it mint. Its worth the $$$ with any old gear to get it as new as possible. I've never had a problem.

I dont even know if they are still in business, my guess is no.

This is an analog effect, no tap tempo, no midi sync. I couldve spent about twice as much and gotten a D2 with plenty of sync. This unit is for those with their heads in the clouds and wanting plenty of warped toys in the rack. Good deal but not the find of the century.

No tap feature or stereo dealys or dynamics, so if you need those, keep looking. This is really simple for someone who knows how to use a delay. Lots of options! Wish list (if they were still made) would include some kind of LED or indicator that it was on, and I always liked front panel power switches (as opposed to NO POWER SWITCHES). Read the last review!

A bit noisy, but great in a big rock mix. I usually like to roll off a bit of highs on the channel return anyway. Beautifully low-fi and very much from the early-mid eighties.

Mine still works. And I'm at least the third owner!

Good luck!

If you can find one of these, pick it up. Delay times of about one second and you can store the knob settings in memory, so if you're looking for an Effectron, this is the one to get. There're harder to find than the Is and IIs, but a bit cooler functionally. Actually similar to Lexicon's PCM 42 in function, if not quite sonically.

This gets a 10 believe it or not, a rackmount digital delay with a bunch of knobs and buttons, because not only do you get great sounds IMMEDIATELY, but you continue getting all kinds of different great sounds as you become familiar with the idiosyncracies and features. All it takes from the get-go is a little understanding of simple, ubiquitous parameters such as Speed and Depth, Feedback and Delay Time--if you don't get that, maybe you should stick to your tubescreamer.

No 10, definitely not "pristine", in fact, far from it--and that's why it's a 9, because it has great SOUND QUALITY. Most digital delays offer a phase-inverted feedback option, but this unit also gives the option of Positive or Negative Mix; combining that with the phase-inverting feedback you have FOUR DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF EFFECT! I don't want to hear any more whining about cold digital sound! The wave modulation in the grittiest mode sounds like my PolyPhase, very vocal. And if the echoes aren't gritty enough for you, there's an effect send/return jack on the back so you can put another effect on just the effected sound. You want Echoplex? Put an envelope filter in there. You want really lo-fi fun, get an EFFECTRON I--that's great stuff!

Rugged, but a couple of the buttons have the occasional glitch. You can't kill a digital delay of this caliber (this is no Lexicon, but it's durable).

Defunct?

This thing rocks! All rackmount digital delays are different, with different knob setups, different features, different foibles; I have Ibanez, Boss, Ross, Digitech, and ADA units, and DeltaLab gear is my favorite (I am a witness--I have 2 Effectron I's, a II, 2 III's, an original Effectron, and an Echotron!). It's not super pristine, but do a web search for it and you'll find several studios that list DeltaLab gear (currently!). They come in many shades--the number after the "ADM" tells you approximately how many milliseconds of delay time you get.
I can't end this review until I describe the BIZARRE sounds that come out of this thing; yeah, you can get great mellow vibrato, chorus, and flange, but you also get some of the most over-the-top psychedelic freakouts I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot of those. One feature you don't see very often is ENVELOPE-FOLLOWING DETUNE. Crank that and, depending on the other settings, you get envelope-following flange, very cool sitar-like sounds, or just plain bizarre weirdness (that means goodness).