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Vox Time Machine
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Dual-mode digital delay pedal designed with Joe Satriani
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Searched Vox Time Machine in Reviews
Versatile Digital Delay with added Satriani cred 
| Ease Of Use |
It's a pedal, so you get 1/4" in, out and dry out. Power is from a 9V battery or standard 9V mains adaptor. As with any digital delay pedal, you're better off using a mains supply as battery life isn't the greatest.
It looks lke there's a lot going on here but it's a very straightforward pedal to set up. Left footswitch to turn the effect on and off, right footswitch for tap tempo. Having the tap tempo so accessible is a very nice addition and an obvious sign of a player's involvement in the design. This can also be seen in the large, bright status lights which, as well as indicating whether the Time Machine is on or off, also show whether it's in Vintage or Modern mode and flash continuously (even with the pedal off) to indicate the tempo.
Holding the right footswitch toggles the Time Machine between Vintage and Modern modes and a small toggle switch swaps between Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi modes.
The very groovy cream chickenhead knobs are your standard Digital Delay fodder : From left to right you have delay level, delay range, delay time and feedback.
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| Sound |
In the Modern setting and the toggle switch set to Hi-Fi, the Time Machine is as clean and clinical as you would expect from a digital delay. Maximum delay time is nearly 6 seconds so, while it's no loop pedal, you couldn't ask for much more out of a regular delay. One thing to note, unlike some other digital delay pedals, the Time Machine only does anything once it's on; play a phrase and then kick in the pedal and you won't get any repeats.
Still in the Modern mode but with the toggle switch in the Lo-Fi position and there's a very subtle high-end rolloff to take the edge off the repeats and help the pedal sit back in the mix a bit. This is the setting I normally leave it in.
Switching to the Vintage mode gives you a digital approximation of an analogue delay, with some lovely breakup on the repeats and a very warm sound which melts into your playing without sounding strident. You wouldn't mistake it for, say, an MXR Carbon Copy but it does a very good job nonetheless.
In either Vintage or Modern mode, cranking the feedback knob will push the pedal into oscillation for some crazy feedback, the pitch of which can then be adjusted with the delay range and time knobs. Not very musical but definitely very cool.
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| Reliability |
It's not the heaviest of pedals but it's a big chunky thing that's road-proven. I wouldn't be packing a backup.
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| Customer Support |
I've never had to deal with Vox so I can't comment on their customer support.
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| Liked about it |
- Very versatile delay pedal, with everything from crystal clear repeats to analogue-style swirls
- Tap tempo footswitch for quick tempo changes between songs (or in the middle of one, if your drummer's timekeeping is bad)
- Cream chickenhead knobs make the settings a doddle to adjust and look extremely groovy into the bargain
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| Didn't like |
- For those after the Satriani Sound, it's a little disappointing that the Time Machine is a single delay unit. Joe uses a pair of delay pedals live, set to different tempos for a huge clean sound. It would have been nice if there was some way of building in a pair of delays in the one box.
- The price for the chunky construction and big chickenhead knobs is a large pedal (nearly twice the size of a Boss pedal) so it uses a lot of real estate on your pedalboard. It does have that tap tempo switch, though - if you added a separate switch to a Boss delay, you would need even more space.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Set it and forget it delay
| Ease Of Use |
The Vox Time Machine delay is a user friendly delay effect. It is very sentitive in small adjustments, it has a vintage (more tape-like sound) and a modern mode that allow the end user to tailor the sound based on the requirements of a song.
It has modes; Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi modes, which are basically 2 types of eq settings based on Joe's requirements. The Hi-Fi mode delivers a transparent, uncolored sound. The Lo-Fi mode, on the other hand, provides a distinctive EQ, combining both high-pass and low-pass filters. This EQ uses filters that have been precisely adjusted to Joe's taste, so that your guitar sound will blend naturally in the mix without obscuring or interfering with the other players.
The delay time is adjustable over a broad range from 30ms slap-back to nearly 6 full seconds of delay*. You can also use the tap tempo switch to set the delay as triplets, eighth notes, dotted 8th notes, or quarter notes depending on the delay range position setting. The chicken-head knobs that are a VOX tradition (and also favored by Joe) allow you to make fine adjustments, even while holding a pick, so it's easy to make quick yet precise changes.
There are also two output jacks, so the unprocessed "dry" sound and the processed "wet" sound can be output separately. By connecting these two jacks to different amps, you can obtain spacious delay sounds that are highly effective in any playing environment.
I'm currently using two of these guys stacked together and I'm able to get some nice delay sounds that can get me close to EJ type delays.
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| Sound |
The Time Machine is capable of giving you pristine clean delays and also add a bit of tape warble simulation to mimic an analog delay.
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| Reliability |
The pedal is constructed well and it feels pretty solid.
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| Customer Support |
I had to rma my two time machines to Vox and they sent me replacements no questions asked.
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| Liked about it |
I like the color of the pedal (it's green!)
I like the fact that you can set the tempo via the tap tempo switch
I like the fact that when this delay is powered via a power supply, the delay comes on automatically when the power is on, so you don't have to manually turn it on.
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| Didn't like |
I wish it had midi capability to trigger various modes
I wish the pedal had stereo inputs
I wish all the input and output jacks were in the front of the pedal, so that it could save room on a pedalboard.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
By jb4674 May 19, 2012
Last updated: May 21, 2012
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Easy to use and very veratile
| Ease Of Use |
As with all Vox/Satriani boxes you get a few tips on various settings in the manual, including some of Satriani's settings. So all from slapback to delay and reverb is within reach with this stomp box.
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| Sound |
Whatever type of delay you are after you are likely to find it in the Time Machine. The three different delay ranges can be modified with the time knob and the length of the delay is set with the feedback knob. You will see that it's set up very intuitive and it is easy to use both on a dark stage and at home.
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| Reliability |
The Time Machine is fairly large, but I feel it justifies it with being versatile. I use it for adding sustain on certain songs, delay on other and also a touch of reverb on some acoustic songs.
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| Customer Support |
I have not dealt with Vox customer service.
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| Liked about it |
- Versatility
- Intuitive
- Cool design
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| Didn't like |
- Slightly big
- Quite expensive
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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Great Delay.
| Ease Of Use |
Very easy to use, simple to get an awesome sound.
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| Sound |
Using Ibanez guitars with Marshall and Carvin amps. It works great in the front of the amp or in the effects loop. I do find this delay to add some noise, but it is not too bad.
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| Reliability |
Never had any problems with the unit, always power it with a nine spot power source.
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| Customer Support |
N/A
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| Liked about it |
Ease of use, plug it up, turn a few knobs, great tone.
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| Didn't like |
Somewhat noisey.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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internal use: spec31 spec672
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