Summer NAMM 2015: Boss Unveils DD-500 Digital Delay Pedal — Video

Boss has announced the DD-500 digital delay pedal.

Filled with newly developed Boss technology, this stompbox offers 12 distinctive delay modes and superior audio quality, along with editing controls, a graphic display, patch memories and MIDI.

The DD-500 delivers its sound-making capabilities in a compact design that fits easily on any pedalboard. Each delay mode has been crafted for a unique sonic personality and highly musical tones at every setting, realized by DSP running at 32-bit/96 kHz.

Included among the DD-500’s 12 modes are basic delays, warm analog and tape echo types, pattern-based effects, and complex modern delay lines that employ pitch shifting, filtering, and other unique processing. The pedal’s Vintage Digital mode offers BOSS’s first emulations of sought-after classics from the 1980s, including the legendary SDE-2000 and SDE-3000 rack units from Roland and the Boss DD-2, the first stompbox digital delay.

Hands-on knobs allow users to quickly shape essential parameters and create sounds right away. Each delay type also includes a semi-parametric four-band EQ, modulation, ducking, and many other parameters, enabling a huge range of tonal refinement. The large, integrated LCD fully supports the DD-500’s capabilities, providing clear visibility of delay time, patch ID, and more on one screen, plus intuitive navigation for detailed parameter tweaks, naming, and system management.

Freely assignable controls enable extensive creative expression and performance flexibility. By default, the A, B, and TAP/CTL switches provide control for two patches, bypass, bank selection, tap tempo and more.

However, they can be customized to operate in alternate ways, such as providing top-level access to three different delay patches, or controlling various real-time functions like Warp, Twist and many others. Additional parameters can be controlled via an optional expression pedal or external switches, and MIDI I/O opens up even more options with advanced setups.

Along with its other capabilities, the DD-500 includes an independent Phrase Loop function with up to 60 seconds of stereo recording time (120 seconds in mono). On board USB provides a simple computer connection for patch backup and MIDI control with DAW software.

The DD-500 features a 100-percent analog dry signal path, and users have their choice of buffered-bypass or true-bypass operation. Able to run on four AA-size batteries or an optional AC adapter, the DD-500 is equally suited for grab-and-go playing, pedalboard installations, and studio setups.

To learn more, visit bossus.com.

For more Summer NAMM Show news, bookmark GuitarWorld.com's dedicated Summer NAMM 2015 page. And don't forget to follow GW on Twitter for more "live on the NAMM Show floor" coverage.