Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro Review

The Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro is - hands down - one of the most involved and feature-rich delay pedals I have ever used.

It’s also the effective replacement of the Echolution 2 Deluxe making a number of notable improvements over that pedal, which was already one of the market’s nicest boutique delay offerings.

But, rather than just tell you that the product is good, I'll help you determine whether the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro is right for you.

Read on for an in-depth review of the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro's features, strengths, weaknesses, and an assessment of the ideal buyer.

If you're looking for a different effect, checkout our best guitar pedal parent article.

Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultro Pro Review: Features and Functionality

An in-depth review covering every capability of this pedal is outside the scope of this article, partly because the list is simply too massive.

Because the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro is packed with a ton of features, customization options, and functionality. We’ll cover a lot of those features here but, if you want a more detailed and complete look, I’ll refer you to the following two resources:

• Echolution 2 Product Video Demo Page
• Echolution 2 Blog

After spending some time with this pedal, I’m convinced you could write a book on all of its capabilities and overall functionality.

The E2 is without a single identifiable weak spot when it comes to sound quality.

I won’t do that here but, I will take a high level look to give you a general idea of what to expect, based on my own experience with the pedal.

What does the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro do?

Primarily, the E2 is a delay/echo pedal.

It provides the ability for you to create multiple delay taps (tap tempo is included) and gives you five different time divisions to choose from.

Read more: Delay pedals with a tap tempo

Those divisions include the following:

• 1
• 3/4
• 2/3
• 1/2
• Phi

This can all be adjusted by the familiar TIME, REPEATS, and MIX controls.

The TAPS button allows you to select different divisions.

For example, if you set TAPS to 1, the tap tempo will match the timing between two clicks. If you select 1/2 the tap tempo will double the time between two clicks, effectively giving you a tempo that is twice the speed of whatever you've clicked in.

Additionally, the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro provides the following supplemental effects that can be used in conjunction with the delay:

• Pitch Shifting
• Filters (five different varieties and subsequent combinations)
• Complex Modulation (LFO)

Far from being a thrown-together multi effects box, the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro provides more effects that are well-integrated into the pedal's delay sounds and complimentary to the overall mission.

These three different sounds are included in a way that enhances the delay and gives you a seemingly infinite amount of customization options. At the same time, you can fully disable the delay functionality of the pedal and use the other features as standalone effects.

Let’s take a brief look at each one.

Pitch Shifting

The E2 supports independent pitch shifting that can be set to any musical interval within one octave.

Checkout the E2 product page for a full list.

Each delay tap can then be assigned its own unique pitch shift interval, which theoretically means you can have multiple intervals shifting at the same time.

You can see how the amount of sounds and combinations available to you begin to quickly skyrocket.

Pitch shifting can be turned on or off at any time via the Echolution 2 Remote switch JUMP function (more on this later).

Filters

Right next to the TAPS button you’ll see the FILTERS button, which provides five different filters to choose from.

1. LP
2. Tape
3. Comb
4. Sweep
5. Crush

You can select any one of these as well as a few different combinations. To select combinations you just keep pressing the button after you’ve already cycled through the five single options, at which point the LED will light up on multiple filters at once.

The filters add different textures to your delay, though in many cases (and depending on your settings) the difference between them is fairly subtle.

The SWEEP and CRUSH are probably the two most pronounced filters, adding modulation-like enhancement to each echo.

Modulation

When you first look at the front of the Ultra Pro's interface it won’t be completely obvious as to where you can make adjustments for modulation.

What you’re looking for is the button labeled “LFO” and the nearby DEPTH and SPEED knobs.

The LFO button cycles through the different modulation waveforms while the DEPTH and SPEED knobs can be used to make adjustments to each one.

These modulation variances can actually be synced with your delay time either via the delay time knob, tap-tempo, or the MIDI beat clock.

The modulation options are as follows:

• Triangle
• Square
• Ramp
• Random
• Super Triangle
• Super WSquare
• Super Ramp
• SuperRandom

For most people (myself included) these terms (and the symbols on the pedal to indicate them) are going to be unfamiliar. It would have been helpful for Pigtronix to use some more descriptive language here for those of us who don’t know our waveforms.

That said, you can cycle through the modulations and still get used to the sound and variance of each one.

It’s a great-sounding feature that melds perfectly with the delay functionality.

What tweaks and adjustments can be made?

As I’ve already eluded to, covering everything this pedal is capable of and how it can all be adjusted is daunting, if not impossible.

However, we can cover the general tweaking capabilities.

First, note there are six knobs, not counting the tap tempo button.

1. Repeats
2. Mix
3. Time
4. Preset
5. Depth
6. Speed

The first three knobs, REPEATS, MIX, and TIME, all allow you to control the delay setting. They’re the same features offered by most other delay pedals.

• REPEATS: Number of echoes and length of detail trail
• MIX: Balance between delay and original (dry) signal
• TIME: Length of time recorded for a repeat

The PRESET knob simply allows you to cycle through (and save your own) presets while the DEPTH and SPEED knobs, as I mentioned, control the modulation.

Misc. Features

The Echolution 2 Ultra Pro comes with a number of notable features that I consider mere bonus material since the core functionality of the pedal is so remarkable.

Those bonuses include the following:

1. USB Connection and Mac/PC Software available to download
2. Two inputs/outputs (stereo)
3. MIDI controllable
4. Expression and remote controller output

For the remote controller output you can purchase the Echolution 2 Remote for an additional cost. Note that this unit does not require any kind of power supply.

The primary functionality of this foot switch is to cycle through the presets and engage the looping function via the FREEZE button.

An additional JUMP button gives you the ability to control pitch shifting.

Usability and Learning Curve of the Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro

The massive list of features and customization options does present a steep learning curve, even for the seasoned electric guitarist who knows their way around a pedalboard.

This isn’t necessarily a problem unless you’re looking to avoid the complexity and lengthy process involved with learning the ropes of the Ultra Pro.

If you prefer a simple delay solution that’s easy to implement, this isn’t the best option for you.

You’ll often feel like you’re missing something or that you’re not taking full advantage of the pedal’s capabilities.

And in all likelihood, you might not be.

One nice thing about the Ultra Pro is that it has plenty of presets already built in, allowing you to cycle through a ton of different sounds that are already setup for you. They allow you to explore the pedal and get a feel for its capabilities before dialing into the control and customizing your own presets.

However, the strength of this pedal is found in the amount of control and creative input that it affords the user. If you’re not going to take advantage of that, you might be over-buying.

Bottom line: It’s great for someone who wants a ton of control and power in one pedal, and who also has the patience to learn how to harness it. Those who want a simpler solution will likely be a bit overwhelmed and will have undoubtedly over-paid.

The “Ideal User”

To summarize the “ideal user,” I’d describe this person as a tone enthusiast.

In other words, you’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to guitar pedals and you’re looking to get new and expansive sounds out of your delay effect.

Perhaps you enjoy exploring different sounds and ethereal tones or you’re in a musical group that utilizes those sounds frequently.

Otherwise, the retail price is really high for someone who is not looking for that type of delay pedal.

Sound Quality and Tone

When you pay that price for a delay pedal, you are (in most cases) going to get a product with superior sound quality.

This is an immediately evident aspect of the E2’s appeal.

Every effect and preset sounds pristine, clear, and well-defined. You’re never questioning what you’re hearing and the tone is never muddled or ambiguous (unless you set it that way on purpose with some kind of crazy pitch-shifting).

The delay tones, in particular, I would describe as clean and full-bodied.

When shifting, adding modulation waves, or dialing in filters, the sounds fit together well without unwanted volume fluctuations or shrill highs. Feedback was never an issue either, even with some of the pedal’s noisier settings engaged.

The Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro is without a single identifiable weak spot when it comes to sound quality.

It simply produces the most well-defined delay tones I’ve ever heard.

Resources for Listening

You don’t have to buy the pedal to get a nearly full-breadth demo of its tones and capabilities.

The first place to check is Pigtronix’s own website where they’ve compiled an extensive collection of demonstration videos. LFO (modulation), filters, pitch-shifting, tap tempo, and a number of other features are all given their own lengthy presentation.

• Pigtronix Delay Page

I recommend listening nice and loud with a pair of headphones.

Pricing and Value

For the massive list of features and capabilities this pedal offers, the retail cost is not unreasonable.

It’s on the high end, to be sure, but there are few delay pedals in existence that can do what the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro can.

Whether it’s worth it to you or not is a question of how you’ll use your delay pedal and weather or not you might want the modulation, pitch-shifting, and other additional features involved.

Even if you would describe yourself as needing a “versatile delay pedal,” I would contend that this particular option is far more than even that.

The Line 6 DL4 is a versatile delay, because all it does is delay.

When you buy the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro, you’re paying for more than just a few different echo types.

With the high price tag, it’s up to you to gauge the value this pedal will provide you and whether or not it’s ultimately worth the hefty investment.

Final Verdict

The Pigtronix Echolution 2 Ultra Pro is at the top of the delay pedal food chain.

While it’s true that an echo box with this many features might be overkill for a lot of folks, there’s no denying the completeness of this pedal and the value that it provides the consumer, even at a high price tag.

A more affordable version, the Echolution 2 Filter Pro, forgoes some of the more advanced features in favor of cutting costs.

Thus, we can still recommend the Echolution 2 Ultra Pro as one of the highest standards in delay pedal design, ideal for those wanting a thorough, versatile pedal that will expand their tonal capabilities.

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