Alexander Pedals Oblivion Vintage Delay

Bypass / Preset - Tap to bypass the pedal, hold down to select the next preset.

Tap / Save - Tap to set the delay time, hold down to save the current settings to the active preset.

Mix — Controls the blend between fully dry (clean) and fully wet (repeat only) echo sound. 12 o’clock is an equal mix of clean and echo.

     Boost — When Shift is active, the Mix knob controls the overall output level from -3dB to +3dB.

Time — Adjusts the maximum delay time from 10ms to 900ms.

     Wave — When Shift is active, the Time knob controls the wave shape of the modulation.  Available waves include sine, square, ramp up and ramp down.

Repeat — Controls the feedback of the delay.

     Tone —  When Shift is active, the Repeat knob controls the tone of the echo.  When the Oilcan mode is selected, this knob controls the age of the oil.

Rate — Adjusts the rate of modulation.  Set this to zero to disable modulation.

Depth - Adjusts the depth or range of modulation.  In Multi mode, this control selects one of eight delay patterns.

Delay Modes:

Analog - This mode evokes the warm and murky depths of the classic bucket brigade echo units. These early solid-state memory devices were far more compact and efficient than magnetic tape storage but required high frequency filtering to eliminate their characteristic clock noise.  Adjust the Tone control to achieve classic "chirpy" echo or a washed-out ambient delay.  The modulation effect adds an analog chorus effect.

Tape - magnetic bliss lives here.  This mode recalls the earliest echo units, powered by "newfangled" magnetic tape.  Tape technology advanced by leaps and bounds following WWII, and thanks to the efforts of Ray Butts and Les Paul it became an integral part of rock and roll. The Tone control adjusts the fidelity of the tape path.  Try this mode with a slow ramp modulation to simulate a worn tape mechanism.

Oilcan - this mode is based on the electrostatic delay line effects introduced during the 1960s.  These bizarre units utilized a rotating disc bathed in a lubricating fluid to store an electrical charge.  Dirty, dark, and more than a little watery, the Oilcan unit is an essential part of the vintage echo experience.  The Tone control adjust the age of the fluid in the drum, with higher settings yielding a darker and more distorted tone.

Multi - the final mode in our journey is quite enchanting.  The magical and elusive multi-head delay allows the player to select various combinations of its four playback heads, creating exquisite patterns that spiral into chaos.  In this mode, modulation is disabled and the Depth knob controls the pattern selection.

Expression Pedal:

Connect a standard expression pedal (or volume pedal with a TRS cable) to the Oblivion's Remote jack to activate Expression functionality.  The Expression jack allows the player to "morph" between two completely different knob settings in real time.  Setting it up is easy:  place the connected expression pedal with the heel down and turn the pedal knobs to your desired configuration.  Place the expression pedal toe down and set the knobs in the new setting.  That's it.  Now when you sweep the expression pedal the Oblivion will magically change settings smoothly.  Note that the pedal knobs won't actually move themselves but the sound will change.

Bypass Switching:

The Oblivion features a buffered bypass with optional "trails."  In Trails mode the delay will continue to repeat when the pedal is bypassed.

MIDI Control:

The Oblivion is equipped with a standard MIDI input jack and supports full performance control.  The Oblivion's preset capability expands from 5 to 128 when an external MIDI controller is used.  Supported commands include tap tempo (CC93,) bypass (CC102,) expression (CC100,) and MIDI clock.

Power Supply:

The Oblivion requires a 9V DC power supply with a 2.1mm pin, center negative.  Oblivion is not designed to be powered on supplies higher than 9V and does not use a battery.  The Oblivion should work fine on a multi-pedal "daisy chain" connector, but if you encounter excessive noise or hum try a separate power supply.  The Oblivion requires a minimum of 100mA of supply current.

Oblivion User Manual rev1