CLOUDS HILL FX
ECHO – FLOPPY
DISK DELAY
REVIEW BY
FLETCHER STEWART
STREET PRICE $1999.00
COMMITMENT
TO ORGANIC
MECHANICS
As pedal makers the world
over are submitting to the
more and more lifelike
sounds and possibilities
of the digital world, it is
equally interesting to see
and hear offerings that try
to push analog into tonal
realms not yet explored.
This new Floppy Disc Delay
from our German friends
Clouds Hill FX represents a
fearless tonal pursuit that
utilizes the defunct—yet
readily available—floppy
disk. Yes, some of us still
remember excitedly feeding
a hungry home computer
these plastic treats in a
66
GEAR REVIEW
//
pre-game ritual that could
last an hour—mentally
psyching up for The Oregon
Trail or the beginning of
a King’s Quest. But, while
many new pedals play like
a video game, this big
black and white box dishes
out vintage UFO drones
and rich Joe Meek-style
slapback treats on a big
spinning platter.
floppy little friends round
and round like a wheel of
tonal fortune. But, to me the
thing that makes this huge
electro-mechanical beasty
so special is the expressive
control of this motor. One
can vary the speed with
expression pedal, motor
switch or even CV or gate
control. Let us start the
spin cycle.
The Clouds Hill Floppy Disc
Delay is such a compelling
and original concept that I
was prepared to travel by
train, tube, and my own two
feet to hear it—and I did
just that. Basically, a digital
drive system tape deck
motor running off 12 volts
spins the innards of our old
What do we all love about
vintage tape echo units?
The rich dynamic repeats,
the quirky sonic artifacts
of tape degradation, the
gentle wilting pitch warble
THE FUNCTION
AND FORM OF A
SPASTIC ELASTIC
ECHO MACHINE
Clouds Hill FX ECHO — Floppy Disk Delay