Death By Audio Echo Dream

An Echo Dream Designed as an Instrument, at the Heart of Death by Audio's Aesthetic

The Echo Dream 2 embodies the Death by Audio DNA: effects that do not just "beautify" the sound but invite you to play with chaos. Here, the delay becomes a playground for experimentation thanks to an intentionally intense modulation section and a fuzz stage capable of mangling the delayed signal. The result is a pedal that fits both in the creative delay family and among texture machines, perfect for crafting a personal sonic signature on a pedalboard.

For Which Guitarists and Styles?

The Death by Audio Echo Dream 2 is aimed at musicians who like to sculpt space and texture: alternative rock, shoegaze, post-rock, indie, ambient, garage, noise guitarists, as well as anyone seeking a "living" delay to break out of overly tame repetitions. In the studio, it excels at creating layers, unstable doubles, worn tape effects, and feedback swells controlled by playing dynamics. Live, it's a formidable tool to fill the spectrum between parts, thicken riffs, or transform a simple line into a soundscape with just a few knob turns.

Its very responsive character also makes it interesting for sources other than guitar: bass (textures and thickening), keyboards and machines (abrasive space-delay effects), or any signal you want to "dirty" and animate.

"Out of This World" Controls: From Clean Delay to Pulverized Signal

The Echo Dream 2 combines a delay section, a fuzz section, and modulation that acts on the delay time to create pitch movements. The D Time control sets the delay time (marked in milliseconds) between 20 ms and 1 second : as you lengthen the delay, the pedal can generate more beating, noise, and distortion, which is part of its charm.

The FBack knob adjusts the amount of repeats: from a subtle echo to loops that spiral into self-oscillation. Then, the gain section lets you choose how the delayed signal is treated: raise the Fuzz to go from clean to thick saturation, then adjust Master to set the overall output level and Delay to balance the volume of the repeats.

On the modulation side, Speed controls the rate and Depth the amplitude. At high depth, the oscillation can cause pitch variations of several semitones, perfect for twisted chorus effects, unstable vibrato, or "cassette" style drift. Two toggles complete the approach: the left toggle allows a clean blend (dry signal + repeats) or, conversely, cuts the dry signal to hear only the delay; the right toggle selects a softer modulation or a sharper square wave ideal for stuttering, nervous effects.

The Sound

The Death by Audio Echo Dream 2 has an immediately recognizable signature: a spacious, rich delay that can remain delicate and "pretty" if kept moderate, but quickly reveals an abrasive and organic side when pushed. While some delays aim for transparency, this one embraces color : saturated repeats, expressive modulation, and sometimes unpredictable reactions when delay time is long and feedback high.

With dynamic playing, the pedal responds very well to attack: you can keep a light echo to thicken arpeggios, then let the texture drift by turning depth/speed, or trigger a feedback swell as a transition effect. It's also an excellent tool for modern sounds inspired by pedalboards of artists exploring alternative and experimental textures: it's notably used by Thom Yorke, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Joe Trohman, and Jamie Stewart, proof of its prime place when it comes to creating space, movement, and character.

Technical specifications

Effects	Tremolo, Delay, Fuzz	Use	electric guitar
Format	Pedal	Color	Purple
Type	sector

Master	controls overall volume	Depth	sets modulation amplitude on delay time
Fuzz	adjusts gain amount, from clean to fuzzed sound	Right toggle	up for softer waveform, down for sharper square wave
Delay	adjusts volume of the delayed signal	Dimensions	127 x 102 x 51 mm (including hardware)
D Time	controls delay time between 20 ms and 1 second	Weight	595 g
FBack	controls feedback, from repeats to oscillation	Required voltage	9V
Left toggle	up for clean blend, down to cut dry signal and hear only repeats	Consumption	40 mA
Speed	sets modulation speed