Empress Effects Echosystem

It took me a few pedals to get here, but so glad I did. I was able to take 3 delays pedals off my board because of what the Echosystem can do.

Why did I buy this and not the Timeline? It had nothing to do with sound quality, but features. One of my favorites is the Dual delay. The ability to run two delays (any two you want) in parallel, series or split (one left one right).
The second feature I like is all the on board presets (35) that you can overwrite with your own. 35 too many for you? In the custom set up you can change the number of presets available so you're not having to tap dance for 30 seconds trying to go back or forward to your next preset. You can also set the unit up to bank or scroll through your presets.
Being able to assign multiple parameter changes via expression pedal is also a big plus.

My only Con (and it may not be) is updating the firmware via SD card. Yes, there's a lot of information on how to do it on their website but that information reads like I need to know the ins and outs of formatting SD cards and root menus.

Would I buy it again if stolen? YES!!!!

I have been on the lookout for another good delay pedal both for "ordinary" guitar/keys/vocal, but also for ambient textures and washes. I already have the Strymon Timeline and had bought (and returned) the Red Panda Tensor for reason of its mono operation, the unpredictability of the results and the inability to store anything that turned out by chance to be worthwhile. All things considered I had a fairly strong case for sticking with the delay unit I already had. But I have overdrive pedals that have 2 gain stages in one pedal and saw the virtues of that arrangement for stacking and expanding the sounds I had available. The Empress Echosystem has a similar arrangement, and this more than doubles the sonic options I have to play around with. I can, given time, dial in something truly original and then I'm able to save it as a patch for instant recall.

I have old solid state echo devices as well and always liked the lo-fi sounds on straightforward guitar parts. The Timeline does a decent version of these, but the Echosystem just sounds a bit more convincing, and in fact seems if anything to be somewhat nicer in the mix than the Timeline. Neither unit really catches the Echoplex type of sounds, but the Echosystem gets closer and, with a bit of tweaking can sound spot on in the mix. Encouraged by video reviews we always listen critically in isolation, where it's easy to criticise the effect, but seldom really think about what's happening in a mix.

One nice discovery was that the Echosystem can, provided you are happy to accept mono operation, use one output and input as an effects loop. This allows us to process an input signal through the first stage of the Echosystem, then feed that signal through a row of other effects before returning the signal to the Echosystem to be processed by the second delay stage. I've not tried this yet, but intend to.

Updates are easy to do, and Empress have added new delay options since the initial version, such as granular and freeze delays. These require a V30 minimum spec SD card (or microSD with adapter) and the ability to download firmware updates and transfer them to the SD card. The Empress website has directions as to how the process works, as well as the updates, and the process is straightforward (if I can do it, anybody can).

Having a V30 memory card and the latest firmware also enables you to use the built-in looper, which uses the memory card for recording (although recordings will wipe any other data on that card, so bear this in mind). This is reasonably simple to use although, with 4 loopers available to me it can get confusing remembering which unit requires what sequence of operations to get the loops going!

Which brings me to the interface. It's intuitive once you get some practice with it, using controller knobs along with colour-coded LEDs to tell you what mode and submode you are in at any moment. A bit like the Timeline, though, it has a learning curve that you have to negotiate so as to get the best from it, and this can be offputting if you prefer your pedals straightforward and with the minimum of rocket science involved.

If you want to turn two or three knobs to zero in on a sound you fancy, this might be serious overkill, but if you're happy to invest a bit of time honing an effect to perfection and diving deeper to get the sound you're hearing in your head, then you're going to fine the Empress Echosystem extremely rewarding.

And if you'd still like to go off the deep end and do something that the Tensor would do, you can still get pretty close to that pedal as well, in stereo, with patch saving options. It's not even slightly cheap as pedals go, but after a while with it you come to realise that it does as much as any other two pedals, in one.

I love delay, my pedalboard had a Pigtronix Echolution and a Strymon Timeline on it, the former I love but the Timeline has always seemed a bit lacking especially in tape and analog models. Then I heard demos of the echosystem and got a bonus from work... the rest is history!

To be fair, the Timeline has some features and strengths that the Echosystem doesn't, for example the MIDI implementation in the Timeline seems a bit more flexible and they have multi-switch controllers that just plug into the expression jack etc etc BUT for me the killer feature of the Echosystem is just the sound. To me it just sounds way more natural than the Timeline, it becomes part of the instrument (in my case, guitar) and just feels really natural and does what I want, twiddling the knobs gives great, usable sounds and a good range of sounds from subtle and discreet to more 'out there' stuff. The looper is pretty cool and mad powerful too. It is also really quiet, I use it in front of a Plexi style amp but it isn't very noisy at all. Dynamics are good too - yeah, I'm sold.

There are a few cons - for example I plan to use MIDI for patch selection and clocks but since there is just the one jack for MIDI or expression I cant also use an analog expression pedal (which I can with the Timeline). I need to do the expression stuff over MIDI but a separate MIDI and expression jack would be nice - not a biggie though. Another plus for the Timeline is the Nixie patch editor which is really nice (especially as the Timeline has several 'hidden' parameters) but again not a big deal, the Echosystem UI is pretty intuitive - Oh and i forgot to mention that the Echosystem can also do two delays at once - even without that I'm sold but two delays at once in series or parallel or stereo oh my!

Finally, an earlier review stated the Echosystem isn't true bypass - not out of the box no but it can be configured t be true bypass, it's clearly described in the manual. That said the buffer is clean and quiet, I don't hear any change to my dry sound.

I did have a hardware issue with the first unit Thomann sent me but both they and Empress were super helpful and gave excellent support, getting me back up and running within a week.

I use this pedal in my home studio. it's my first , multi delay unit. I absolutely love this pedal. The sound engines are extremely good, they sound lush and warm. There are also some really experimental engines with pitch shifting and reverse which I really enjoy.

I don't have anything negative to say about this pedal. It's very musical, ideas just flow magically. The only minor downside is the lack of screen but everything is color coded and eventually you memorise what thing 1/thing 2 are.

I highly recommend this pedal, it's really something special.

I recently had the pleasure of trying out the Empress Effects Ecosystem, and I have to say, it’s nothing short of amazing! This pedal is a true game-changer for any guitarist looking to elevate their sound with high-quality, versatile delay effects.

First off, the build quality is outstanding. The pedal feels robust and durable, perfect for both studio use and live performances. The design is sleek and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate through its extensive features.

What truly sets the Ecosystem apart is its versatility. With so many different delay modes, ranging from classic analog and tape delays to innovative reverse and ambient delays, this pedal covers all the bases. Each mode is meticulously crafted, providing rich, lush sounds that can inspire endless creativity.

The user interface is intuitive, with a clear layout and easy-to-read display. Adjusting parameters is straightforward, and the ability to save presets is a fantastic feature for quickly recalling your favourite settings. The tap tempo function is highly responsive, ensuring your delays are perfectly timed to your playing.

One of my favourite aspects of the Ecosystem is its pristine sound quality. The delays are clear and vibrant, without any unwanted noise or coloration. The pedal also offers stereo inputs and outputs, which is a huge plus for creating expansive, immersive soundscapes.


Overall, the Empress Effects Ecosystem is a top-tier delay pedal that delivers exceptional sound quality, versatility, and ease of use i look forward to mastering it!

This is a fantastic pedal. Fantastic sound and very easy to get there. The tape delays are just killer and i almost stayed on the first setting too long when i first plugged in. Digital "blue" with all dials at noon, mix and feedback to taste.. Everything else sounded glorious too. Presets was a little to much for me, but dial down mix and it was much better.

I allways make my own presets anyway. So easy. Soooo good.

Empress is updating this often, also based on voting on their forum!

This is staying right here with me.

Pros: Amazing sounds and easy to get there.
Cons: None for me

In the past I have owned Timeline, Timefactor, and other decent delays - this covers a lot of the same ground - one reason I sold the above is that i ended up spending time "programming" rather than playing - the Echosystem has no screen, no menus, just knobs and switches - it might lack some of the "fine tuning" of the above, but makes up for it in terms of playability - plus the two delays really are independent - you can have a glitch stutter feeding into a reverse, or run them in parallel - wild! It has an FX send/return loop (proper feedback loop, not just an FX mix) - don't be fooled by the small size - if all the many different delays (each delay type has sub-versions) were laid out it would be a huge desktop unit! If you want something where you can type in delays in ms, this is probably not it (you could do it via midi though) - this delay gets you playing - covers all the basic sounds you'd ever need plus all the wild sounds you might want too!