Great

Best delay pedal I’ve tried. Can be used as an “always on” pedal at low settings to shape tone or as a serious delay that can get some crazy soundscape going

Analog Delay Goodness

Full disclosure: I am NOT a "Pedal Guy".

I barely understand them; I'm not clever enough to get out of them what they are capable of. But they are fun and make some really cool noise.

After reading about this pedal and looking at YouTube videos, I decided on the MXR Carbon Copy. It has enough controls to satisfy my curiosity. It's an awesome-looking pedal with a bass boat sparkle green finish that I love, and it is built like a tank. It's a very dense, heavy-feeling pedal.

If you're looking for an analog delay pedal, I think it's worth getting.

From Gear Setup

best one on the market

this was the first guitar-related item that I bought with my own money, and I am still happy that 15 year old me saved up $150 from cutting my neighbor's lawns. this pedal is not for everyone, especially for people who enjoy modern styles. this is not the most pristine or precise delay out there, but that's what makes it great. now that said, this pedal can absolutely become way too noisy when put at the wrong settings. this is a pedal that requires more time than you'd like to spend to get the right sound from it, but the payoff is worth it.

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From Gear Setup

Awesome!

This analog delay is f***in' awesome. Your sound became big, tridimensional, warm and delightful as if you were back into your mum's belly. The missing link in my analog pedalboard.

From Gear Setup

It's a classic for a reason!

It is a classic for a reason! It's on countless pro boards! It is the quintessential analogue delay. Warm tone - easy controls - great build quality! This is the delay you've been looking for. (I usually leave the "MOD" button on the warm up the repeats even more).

From Gear Setup

Warm and Simple Analog Delay

Before committing to the carbon copy, I did try quite a few different delays. I landed on this one for a few reasons.

The first is it sounds great. Although it is a little dark and not the clearest delay out there, I prefer it that way. I usually play rock and blues, and the sound of this delay just meshes with that music incredibly well. Personally, I rarely go beyond a quarter note delay, but the Carbon Copy adds a thickness to my tone that I very much miss if it is absent.

The second reason I like this pedal is because of how easy it is to use. Three knobs; mix, regen, and delay. Couple those with a modulation button and you have a very intuitive pedal. This was an important consideration for me given my use of delay, but I can see how some folks may want more features.

The MXR Carbon Copy is heavy for its standard-sized case, and feels very robust as I’ve come to expect from all MXR pedals. I’ve owned it for years and it’s been incredibly reliable.

The carbon copy is phenomenal. It is my always on pedal, and if you are looking for a simple warm sounding delay, check it out.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

From Gear Setup

imaculate

has amazing sound to it, and if you prod it enough you find out that it has an adjustable mod feature under the back cover.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Very warm and organic, one of an analogue kind

First off, I got before the Empress Echosystem, which somewhat it feels analogue when the repeats sounds. The Flashback sounds really good in both mono and stereo, for the Echosystem I had to change the Input Pad to 0 db in the Advanced Configuration.

Alright, as the MXR Carbon Copy arrived, I went to compare these pedals, the Echosystem was in Analogue Mode (Blue), and I began to tweak until both matched the configurations. At the same equalization, the Echosystem had a little bit more grit even with the Thing 1 at 0%. By other side, the Carbon Copy tend to keep all the residual grit, but the repeats are darker, but still them can be listened.

In a shootout, the MXR Carbon Copy feels and sounds a little more organic and warm than the Echosystem Analogue Mode (Blue). At this point, I'm using the Echosystem as my multieffects (lol, because it has hidden modulations effects and Reverbs modes), and the MXR Carbon Copy as the main delay.

I'm really picky with the sounds, at the point that when I play with the Carbon Copy I hear some low-res spectrum in the repeats, like the one that can be heard in the Timeline Low-res mode. Nothing bad about the Echosystem, indeed I'm very happy to compare these two delay pedals (the Empress Echosystem and the MXR Carbon Copy) as the Echosystem has nice analogue sounds and when I use overdrive pedals, the repeats doesn't sounds like a modem turning on (lol again).

The dynamics in the Carbon Copy tends to pass all the residual information in the signal path as it is all analogue, the Echosystem really does good its job, but still a little bit behind. Cheers to MXR for this all time-winner analogue delay pedal.

Still learning about Delay

I want to preface this by saying I really don't know a whole lot about delay pedals. I know basically what they do, and I know they are an essential part of anyone's pedalboard, but I've never had one to play with. The Carbon Copy continually pops up in almost every top 10 list, and I've seen so many of my favorite musicians rant and rave about this pedal, so it seemed like a no-brainer. I already know how awesome the MXR Reverb pedal is, and I thought the Carbon Copy would be a good compliment to my existing setup. I'm still learning how to use it, but so far, I've already found at least one setting that I really like. It really fattens up the tone when I'm doing chugging riffs. So far, I'm very impressed. (Don't judge me on this LOL) As I'm typing this, I'm reading an article about the best ways to use this pedal, and the effect that it can have on a rock/metal tone. I'm just now reading about something called "slapback delay", and the dial settings to achieve it. Oddly enough, the settings I've stumbled upon by accident and have been using thus far are not that far off from the recommended settings. I can't wait to get home and try this out again!

From Gear Setup

the best, simply

you can access anything from early Binson echorec type Pink Floyd leads to tape delay scratches from Bela Lugosi's Dead, to the otherworldly shimmer and flutter of early U2, to the outrageous Roland Space Machine type sounds (it sounds identical to the delay tones of Lindsay Buckingham in the 70s when set at a certain setting i will not disclose), and it also features the best modulation i've ever heard. People wanna say it's dark? Well sorry if you want clean and crisp and perfect go get a digital and fake it. But if you want the real deal, learn how to use this and take the time. Your playing will be better than anyone around if you can master this thing. I've owned it since 2011 and it's been my most durable pedal.