HDD1
by HoRNet · Delay · Early-80s digital delay pedal
Not rated yet
HDD1 emulates an early-1980s digital guitar delay pedal, with the lo-fi character of 12-bit processing and analog circuitry.
Delay runs from 12.5 to 800 ms with host sync, a Hold loop mode and a Haas-effect stereo mode. It costs €9.99 (about $11.34).
Best for: Guitars, Keys & Synths, Vocals, Sound Design. Genres: Rock & Indie, Lo-Fi, Electronic & EDM.
Keywords: lo-fi, 80s, digital classic, electric guitar, digital delay, bitcrush, hardware emulation, tempo-synced, vocals, dark, keys, samples & loops, slapback, analog-sounding, mixing, mono, rhythmic, sound design.
What it does
HDD1 is HoRNet's model of an early-1980s digital guitar delay pedal, built around 12-bit sampling with analog circuitry around it. HoRNet calls it "a peculiar digital delay with character", and the lo-fi sound of the original is the point: repeats darken and degrade as they feed back.
- Delay: 12.5 to 800 ms, with level, feedback and time controls.
- Tempo sync: locks the delay time to the host tempo in multiples of a sixteenth note.
- Hold: records 200 to 800 ms of audio while bypassed and repeats it when switched on, like the hold function on old pedals.
- Stereo mode: sends the dry signal left and the wet signal right for a fake stereo effect from a mono source.
- Lo-fi character: a 7 kHz cutoff and a degrading feedback loop, with pre- and de-emphasis filters as in the original circuit.
- Saturation and hiss: analog saturation and hiss emulation, each switchable on or off.
The current version is 1.1.0. The demo is fully functional except that it silences periodically, does not save settings and ignores host automation.
When to use it
HDD1 is a cheap, one-sound plugin for dark, gritty early-digital repeats and short slapback. Compared with Soundtoys EchoBoy, which covers tape, analog and digital styles in one window, it offers a single pedal voice with a handful of controls, at a small fraction of the price. Unlike ValhallaDelay or FabFilter Timeless 3 it has no modulation and no tone shaping beyond its fixed 7 kHz roll-off, so it suits players who want the limitations of the old box rather than a flexible studio delay. Waves H-Delay also has a LoFi switch for a degraded digital tone, but HDD1 commits more fully to the pedal sound, with its hiss, saturation and Hold loop. MusicRadar guessed the original pedal to be the Boss DD-2, though HoRNet does not name it.
- Best for: guitar slapback, rhythmic sixteenth-note echoes and lo-fi repeats on keys and vocals.
- Genres: rock, indie, lo-fi and electronic.
- Look elsewhere if: you need delays longer than 800 ms, modulation or filtering; HoRNet's DeeLay Plus or ValhallaDelay cover those.
Where to buy
- HoRNet: $11.34 (Listed at €9.99; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
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