Earthquaker Dispatch Master

EarthQuaker Devices, known for making interesting and unique pedals, has become quite popular over recent years. That popularity has transferred over to the Dispatch Master, a widely loved pedal in the guitar world. This great sounding combination reverb/delay pedal takes an incredibly simple approach to housing those two effects in one unit. While its simplicity and ease of use are great features, the minimal amount of control may actually be a hindrance to its use by horn players in the real world.

External Control: None
Cost: $$

HornFX Review

Interface:  3.5/5
At first glance, this pedal seems incredibly simple. The knobs are all labelled with familiar terms that control the most basic reverb and delay parameters. For those looking for an overly simplistic combo pedal, this should work well for you. However, once you get deeper into the use of this pedal, the simplicity becomes more of a two edge sword. While there is a benefit of having fewer controls, it causes you to have to understand and feel comfortable with the delicate interplay between the two effect inside this pedal. The Mix know controls both reverb and delay mix simultaneously, whit the Reverb knob controls the amount of reverb. The Reverb knob therefore also acts as almost a secondary mix level. This can cause some confusion and fumbling when needing to dial in a patch quickly. Because of the universal control of the Mix knob with more focused controls like Repeats and Reverb, finding the appropriate balance between reverb and delay can be challenging, and it is possible that this pedals simply will not create the desired balance for some pedal users.

Versatility: 2/5
While one would expect a high score for this type of combo pedal in the versatility category, the Dispatch Master is extremely simple in its sound as well as its interface. Most reverb an delay pedals these days give you options, not only of various controls, but various effect types as well. The Dispatch Master has one type of delay and one type of reverb. The simplicity of its controls also limits the variation of reverb and delay combinations that can come from this pedal. If you are looking for an overly simplistic combo pedal, this one is for you, but you want more control and variation, this pedal will fall short.

Reproduction of sound: 4/5
Although there is only one reverb type and one delay type in this pedal, they both sound fantastic. Warm and inviting reverb and a pleasant delay give this pedal its personality. Once you dial in the parameters that fit your needs, this pedal is be a pleasure to play through and can add some beautiful textures to your sound.

Live application: 2.5/5
This pedal would be perfect for some and simply out of the question for others. There are many positives and negatives. One universal benefit of this pedal is its size. Likely the smallest reverb-delay combo pedal available, it will save significant space and weight on your pedal board. It also sounds great. If you are only after one sound for each effect it houses, you will be happy with the sounds available to you. Its simplicity can be a positive or a negative depending on your pedal use. While it can sound great, it has the potential to have an imbalance of reverb and delay, with the reverb tending a little towards “too much”, even at low levels. Luckily the Dispatch Master does not have the extreme complexity of other combo pedals, which will make some users happy but frustrate others. It can be a challenge to dial in this pedal on the fly without having some significant time to master it. Overall this is a very good pedal when used by the right player. For those looking for a simple, no-frills, pretty sounding machine, that can save you space on your rig, the Dispatch Master is a great choice.

Audio

Product Information

The Dispatch Master is a hi-fi digital Delay & Reverb Device that combines independent delay and reverb effects into one space-saving enclosure, so you can keep deep ambient echoes (or just a quick slapback) on speed-dial.

The best-selling EarthQuaker Devices pedal just got bester [sic] with new Flexi-Switch® Technology! Want to dip into ambient delay and reverb sounds for just one note? Press and hold the footswitch for as long as you use the effect, release it when you’re finished, and resume your regularly scheduled dry sound. To use the Dispatch Master as a normal effects pedal, press the switch once to activate and again to bypass.

To Use Both Effects at the Same Time, Simply Adjust all Controls to Taste:

• The Mix (1) control is a wet/dry blend that adjusts the overall level of the affected signal.

• Time (2) sets the delay time from 0ms to 1500ms (1.5 seconds).

• Reverb (3) controls the amount of reverb. Counterclockwise is less reverb, clockwise is more reverb.

• Repeats (4) controls the regeneration of the delay signal. When the Repeats control is set to maximum, you’ll get infinite repeats without runaway self-oscillation, which makes it great for creating drones, dialing in the ultimate post-rock guitar sound without feedback, or just having fun.

To Use the Dispatch Master as a Delay Only:


• Turn the Reverb control all the way down


• Adjust the Time, Repeats, and Mix controls to taste


To Use the Dispatch Master as a Reverb Only:


• Turn the Time and Repeats controls all the way down


• Adjust the Reverb and Mix controls to taste

• THIS IS IMPORTANT! In Reverb-only mode, the Repeats control has a secondary function. It can be used to adjust the decay, depth, and tonal quality of the reverb! Turn it up for more dynamics and a thicker tone.

Suggested Settings

List Price: $199.00

Dimensions: 4.75 x 2.50 x 2.25 in. (121 x 64 x 57 mm) with knobs

Current Draw: 78 mA

Input Impedance: 1 MΩ

Output Impedance: <1 kΩ

Flexi-Switch® Technology

This device features Flexi-Switch® Technology! This relay-based, true bypass switching style allows you to simultaneously use momentary and latching style switching.

• For standard latching operation, tap the footswitch once to activate the effect and then tap again to bypass.

• For momentary operation, hold the footswitch down for as long as you’d like to use the effect. Once you release the switch the effect will be bypassed.

Since the switching is relay based, it requires power to pass signal.

Power

This device takes a standard 9 volt DC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. We always recommend pedal-specific, transformer-isolated wall-wart power supplies or multiple isolated-output supplies. Pedals will make extra noise if there is ripple or unclean power. Switching-type power supplies, daisy chains and non-pedal specific power supplies do not filter dirty power as well and let through unwanted noise. Do not run at higher voltages!

Product information from the Earthquaker website