on the left . There are two footswitches , ACTIVE on the left with a small LED button above it . This button toggles between Latching or Momentary Mode . The right footswitch is normally TAP , with another red LED button either blinking the BPM Tempo or Seconds and when off , it changes the Switch to Preset Mode .
On the Back are the ¼ " TRS Mono / Stereo input jack , Outputs 1 and 2 , TRS Expression / MIDI Jack , a mini USB jack , and a 9vDC jack . There ’ s a mini switch for Mono or Stereo operation , and another mini switch for guitar or line level operation . The pedal is solid and sturdy .
IN USE : This pedal is something else ! I love all kinds of delay and UltraTap is so musical and fun . I started with the five presets pre-programmed on the unit . They cover a wide spectrum and give you an idea of what possibilities there are . As mentioned , included are five overlays that show the settings for the included presets . I plugged in an expression pedal , and love the way you can morph from one sound to another . Next , I plugged into the Eventide Device Manager on my laptop . There are 46 more cool presets with memory for 127 presets total .
I ’ m very familiar with Eventide ’ s delay algorithms . They are legendary . The UltraTap in pedal form has a slightly different feel than the software because you ’ re turning knobs . Having the physical knobs and quickly changing stuff without a mouse is fantastic . It ’ s so easy to dial in cool original sounds . The little red Primary / Secondary function button becomes second nature right away . You can choose from 1 to 64 delay taps allowing for a wide range of effects including reverb . I don ’ t know of any other delay pedal that ’ s this powerful .
The Length / Predelay knob has nine markers . Even without detents , it ’ s simple to dial in the note divisions or length by seconds .
When the Tap Mode is set to TEMPO , the Length knob now has 17 settings , nine are labeled , but you can access subdivisions in between . When controlling its Secondary function , Predelay , the knob has 16 options . When Tap Mode is set to TIME , the Length goes from 0-4000 ms , and Predelay , can be adjusted from 0 – 1000 ms . It will all make perfect sense when you have the pedal in front of you .
The Feedback / Chop knob controls feedback in Primary mode . Notice that all the labels on this knob are in blue , and describe the Secondary ( top LED lit ) functions of the knob . This way you can easily pick from the different LFOs including Sine , Triangle , Saw , Ramp , Square , Random , Sample and Hold . Turning farther to the right accesses Swell and Trigger functions . This takes you to a new world of creative and expressive possibilities . The Swell feature shapes the initial transients of the taps , the Trigger feature controls the release of the delay tap like a gate , and works in combination with the Taper knob .
Taper is one of the most exciting features of UltraTap . It gives the ability to fade in or fade down a multi-tap pattern . This is the key feature used to create auto-swell effects and inverse reverbs . Turning left fades them in and right fades them out , and at 12 0 ’ clock the levels are all equal . I found amazing ambient textures combining with Swell and lots of Taps at slow tempos .
Slurm somehow smears the delays and adds modulation , giving the delay a musical yet “ otherworldly character .” It can also soften the transients of the delay taps . Slurm can be used
to make multi-tap patterns sound like reverb , and it can also be used at shorter Lengths for chorus-like effects .
Lastly , Spread controls the ' distance ' between taps . With the knob centered , taps are equally spaced , turn clockwise and the later taps get squeezed together , counterclockwise and the earlier taps get squeezed together . Spread allows you to get creative with those rhythmic spaces between taps . It ’ s very cool !
TAKE AWAY : UltraTap is a beast . It can do the beloved ‘ stereo U2 dot & quarter dual delays ’ but has a whole other personality waiting to be discovered under the hood . If you are looking to get into washy moving ambient sounds you ’ ll get a lot of mileage from this pedal . I tried UltraTap in my studio with the line-level switch on , and though it ' s using ¼ " instead of XLR , it compares with the best stuff in my rack . With the Eventide Device Manager , I can name and recall saved settings for individual projects . I ’ ve bought gear costing many times more , and this pedal is a steal as a piece of Pro Studio gear .
UltraTap looks cool on your board and will give you the " unique edge " every one of us is looking for . I highly recommend it . You ’ ll also find lots of helpful videos on the Eventide Website .
$ 279.00 EventideAudio . com Watch Demo Videos