Michael Nielson agrees with me: the FTT Flight Time is the best delay pedal ever created

[jbru91]

Is it expensive? Yes.

Is it complicated? Yes.

Does it sound like god? Ohhhh yes.

Does it look like the cockpit of a jet fighter from top gun? Also yes.

Michael Nielson joins me, @itsgoodnow , and a few others in the chad FTT Flight Time enjoyer club

I have the Tri-Avatar which is probably my favorite tri-chorus i've tried in any pedal.

I picked up the Future Factory a while ago and just didn't bond with it. I think the Flight Time is more appropriate for my needs. The Metal 80s lead tone is exactly what I want to achieve with it.

 

[thegame]

I realize I'm probably in the minority of people who care about such things, but to me, without the sound of the entire circuit, a 2290 is just another modulated digital delay with panning and ducking. It's that specific sweetening that the entire circuit provides that makes it so special.

I believe in some cases the sweetening effect wasn’t even intentional. Probably a byproduct of specific old school parts used, in combination with the intentionally designed preamp/input stages baked into these circuits. I have an analog Diamond Memory Lane v1 delay pedal and even when bypassed it does something cool to the signal (thickens the tone and a slight mid push without degrading clarity).

 

[jabps]

I have thought about a VP4 also, as I have an Axe 2 and FM3. They sound great, but the idea of the pedals is to have something simple. I also want analog dry through, and the VP4 + mixer starts getting very non- simple.

When I de-racked several years back and put everything on the pedal board, delay was the biggest hold back as I had years of delays built into my old rack unit, not to mention I was used to the sound and feel of it.

At the time I did a shootout with all the name delay pedals (except the Flight Time) and narrowed it down to the Nemesis and Timeline. Nemesis won because of the digital delays. Timeline is close though. Also the Nemesis gave me more room on my board plus I literally could dial in what I wanted without even having to go to the phone app. So my big midi board has a Nemesis and Ventris but I use Verbs very sparingly. More as a special effect for me whereas delay is on everything. Kept the Timeline and was going to build a small non midi board around it then the VP4 hit and it's kinda up in the air now.

 

[ChurchHill]

I agree. I don't think they were trying to create the exact sound they did. Rather, I think they were trying to create the best product they could. They definitely crafted the analog stages. The end result was produced in the same way that SSL mixers didn't sound like Neve or API. They were all trying to create the best product they could, and due to differences in components and design philosophies, they all sound unique and identifiable.

Another aspect is that the digital components were used differently back then. More modern devices put the AD converters at the very beginning of the circuit and DA converters at the very end. In the early days of digital, the large majority of the circuit was still analog with the AD/DA conversion happening only when needed, in this case as a replacement for the tape or BBD and converting back to analog for the rest of the circuit. That meant more passes through the AD/DA, which were not mass-produced parts like they are today, but usually custom chips that also contribute to the uniqueness of the sound.

Over the past 5 years or so, there seems to have been a reemergence of this technique. I think that Diamond Memory Lane is one that does that, too. That's a great emulation of an EH Deluxe Memory Man. I'm not sure if FTT uses this type of design, but whatever they're doing, they are getting closer.

 

[Superunknown]

The FTT Flight Time has been my main delay for many years. To my ear, out of all of my delays, it sounds the absolute best through the effects loop of any high gain amp.

 

[Exo-metal]

That's my point, digital always leaves behind audible artifacts in the higher register, rendering those nice low od/edge of breakup tones harsher than they need to be which is why I've never kept any digital pedals, amazing as they might've otherwise been.

We, who play heavy need them to keep a trace of clarity.

 

[SonVolt]

Where's the best place to buy on of these?

 

[Shask]

We, who play heavy need them to keep a trace of clarity.

I have a few analog delays, and they just turn to mush with high gain.

Even on multi-mode digital delays, out of tape and analog, tape is always better with high gain.

 

[Exo-metal]

Tape is legit but still falls short of digital for high gain.

 

[JF Scarfi]

Flight time, Ambi space, Tri chorus have been on my live board for years. Horrible pedals, don’t buy them…

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

So, would you say the FF is more of a generic clear digital delay sound, where the FT is more of a 2290 inspired delay?

I have been doing a lot of delay comparing the last few days, so this kind of stuff has just been on my mind. Yeah, I keep coming back to the TC sound in general for delay. It seems to sit behind the tone well, and the modulation is amazing. I keep finding Boss wants to sit on top of the tone more and make everything turn into a wall of mush. I have also compared my Digitech DL-8, and Source Audio Collider, which are good also. Both seem better than the Boss SDE with high gain.

If you like the DL8, then the Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe should be right up your alley. I had a DL8 for a long time, and loved it. Then I got the Pigtronix, forgot the DL8 existed, and eventually sold it. The Golden Ratio setting in particular just does this thing that always makes it sound sweeter. Like the delays line up perfectly, and all in the world is copecetic.

Fwiw, I now have a Fulltone Tube Tape Echo, and while it has that 100% legit sound, the Pigtronix is going nowhere, and definitely not forgotten. With a EP Preamp type pedal going into the tape echo simulation on the Pigtronix it gets me 85-90% of the way to the real tape echo sound at a fraction of the price. I will say that last 10-15% is some super special sauce though.

 

[DanTravis62]

Where's the best place to buy on of these?

Generally on forums - here, TGP, etc - they tend to be stupid expensive on reverb. 300-350 usedish seems standard

You can get them new, imported from japan, for 400 to 500$ generally but there's customs and a wait involved

The FTT Flight Time has been my main delay for many years. To my ear, out of all of my delays, it sounds the absolute best through the effects loop of any high gain amp.

Yep. It's by far the best delay pedal for leads and high gain I've come across.

Tape is legit but still falls short of digital for high gain.

I used a volante for my midi rig for years while I still had a rack and wet/dry rig. It sounded glorious, especially for low to mid gain, and was way more versatile and programmable than the FT.... but I don't think it sounds as good as far as core delay for high gain, esp leads.

 

[JF Scarfi]

Where's the best place to buy on of these?

Motor City Guitar carries Free Tone Products.

 

[rsm]

If I had to pick a favorite delay pedal, it would be the Yamaha UD-Stomp.

Fractal (and a few software plugins) are the only way to get this besides a vintage UD-Stomp or MagicStomp. AFAIK, the Boss DD-500 can get close, but I haven't tried it. My Fractal VP4 does it.

8 x parallel modulated stereo delays.

 

[Shask]

If I had to pick a favorite delay pedal, it would be the Yamaha UD-Stomp.

Fractal (and a few software plugins) are the only way to get this besides a vintage UD-Stomp or MagicStomp. AFAIK, the Boss DD-500 can get close, but I haven't tried it. My Fractal VP4 does it.

8 x parallel modulated stereo delays.

Rocktron Intellifex does this.

 

[rsm]

Rocktron Intellifex does this.

vintage tho'

I'm good with the VP4...sold my H90...may get another. SMH

 

[DrewJD82]

I’ve almost bought one several times and am still considering one. Maybe I’ll trade the SDE-3000 pedal towards one, I love the sound of the SDE but the thing is fuckin’ huge for a dual delay pedal. I have the VP4 holding down all the time based stuff right now but I’m enough of a delay junkie that I want multiple options.

 

[DanTravis62]

I’ve almost bought one several times and am still considering one. Maybe I’ll trade the SDE-3000 pedal towards one, I love the sound of the SDE but the thing is fuckin’ huge for a dual delay pedal. I have the VP4 holding down all the time based stuff right now but I’m enough of a delay junkie that I want multiple options.

I wouldn't sell the SDE, they do very different things.

The SDE is like purpose made for stereo stuff - the Flight Time is the final boss of mono delays

 

[jabps]

I’ve almost bought one several times and am still considering one. Maybe I’ll trade the SDE-3000 pedal towards one, I love the sound of the SDE but the thing is fuckin’ huge for a dual delay pedal. I have the VP4 holding down all the time based stuff right now but I’m enough of a delay junkie that I want multiple options.

I wonder why they built that thing so damn big, same with the TC, just to much high quality product out there like Timeline and Nemesis for them to box themselves into a corner with the size of those pedals. Idk, maybe there is a reason.

 

[Shask]

vintage tho'

I'm good with the VP4...sold my H90...may get another. SMH

I have considered the VP4, but I really wish it had an analog dry through mixer like the Intellifex.