Andy Timmons' Keeley Halo - The Ultimate Delay Pedal?

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I'm a big fan of Andy Timmons' tones and playing, and so when this Halo pedal came out a few months back, I wanted to check it out, but the price was a bit prohibitive. The price in the UK at the time was around £319, though I think they can be found for about £285 now. My only "negative" might be that for that money, you could grab a Strymon Timeline used? And wouldn't that cover this ground and a lot more?
Please leave a comment if you find this type of pedal demo/review useful, so that I know to keep making them!
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only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!
Get my PADs bundle here: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... (this folder will grow, and I'd encourage you to ask for different keys/songs and stuff that might suit this type of preset?)
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Try my general patches for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
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/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnath... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs - here's my Halo build for Helix So - in the manual of the Halo - it claims to be the Ultimate Delay Pedal....Which. I really like it - BUT - what about the Strymon Timeline, Empress Echo System - Meris LVX - can't these do everything the Halo can do and more? 13:48 Halo - is it you Lionel? Also - some important lessons I've learned from this about what the "Halo" delay thing actually is: -500ms - 375ms dual delay - BUT crucially with some cross feedback - this can't be achieved by just putting two delays in series? -Slow modulation that seems to be acting the same on both sides of the delay -Possibly a very small amount of diffusion -Panning doesn't seem to be super wide - maybe something like 50% to the Left and Right?

[@2010njdevil]

I definitely agree about panning.... the Haas effect is really in full force in width of dual delay for the Walrus Audio Mako D1 V2. The larger units? I've tried many and great fucbtionality of many. I actually like Boss' DD200 better than the 500. Wampler's workstation which really came out is great and ,more variables with the Empress unit. I like the Source Audio Nemesis vs. any of the ones I previously mentioned and I'm NOT paying $400.00 for the UA Starlight with many different user reviews that differ. I've played the Halo and, even in mono, is more dynamic than for crafting textured melodies or a wide array of solos. 1 more things in that the Halo is pedal board friendly foot print. I'm a part-time gigging musician with 3 different bands and the scope of what the Halo covers makes it a much more usable tool and closer to "the ultimate" than many others out there....with some being more "workstation" than pedal. This this is good! At the end of the day, any pedal is only as good as a player perceives it.

[@Fastguitar]

Now you’ve had it awhile. Somebody could do a great how to use vid on this pedal. Because of the. Double use knobs it’s a tad confusing

[@fivewattworld]

“Halo - Is it me you’re looking for?”!!!😅

[@peterkelly8357]

Halo, halo

[@jerryhorton5708]

Hahahaha! Well played, sir.

[@christopherjbutler]

@@jerryhorton5708 that was on that slip of paper in the package, I think? He bought it used, so either keeley is a funny guy, and the seller is anal about making sure everything is in the box that it came with , or the seller has punny sense of humor. :-)

[@jerryhorton5708]

@@christopherjbutler I saw the slip of paper. I suspect that this is a Keeley thing. While I’ve never met Keeley, I have talked to some of the folks there. Good people all and a terrific company

[@Imokyourok440]

That’s funny!😂😂😂

[@tdz69]

The tap and hold with the swell is amazing. Very atmospheric sounds from this thing.

[@jessenicholson1777]

There’s a really great thread on the Fractal forum where Robert Keeley and one of the engineers there post and explain how it works, including providing a block diagram of what it does. Someone made a preset replicating it. The Aurora delay to my ears doesn’t exactly do this. A big part of the sound is phase reversal, which gives you a wider than wide effect. Worth a read for sure.

[@ransombaggins9301]

It is fantastic! Just about anything Andy Timmons uses is awesome. This and his JHS pedal are a wicked combo.

[@ruvchbrevth]

Favorite pedal with the stomp I swear on my life! 🖤

[@CMHobbies]

The presets for this thing have set the bar-best sounding I’ve heard. There are delays out there that do more, but its simplicity, versatility, form factor, and just the tone make it something hard to beat.

[@RobertKeeleyTV]

Many thanks for the kind words @CMHobbies!

[@nikdsh]

Every single sound is stunning...

[@kevinp_25]

You did finally get one! Nice.

[@rokusho0100]

Closest I've gotten to this sound is with the tc flashback. If you set the delay type to tape, the subdivision to quarter + dotted eighth and then connect the mono out to the stereo in with a patch cable, you get the dotted eighth and quarter running in series on the "stereo" output. But the tc's lack of presets and no real tap tempo make the Halo look more appealing.

[@stuartdennis8506]

Gorgeous pedal and playing

[@timguntz3119]

Get an expression pedal for it. Real time gradient control of parameters is epic. Love this pedal!

[@gffg387]

Sounds good, John Nathan

[@drcockles]

I love this pedal, I have the AT+ overdrive too as became AT obsessed after his session with Dan and Mick on That Pedal Show

[@BrianVallotton]

I had bought the Halo and was watching that same vid... and bought the AT+ too! I then thought I was being a bit of a hog and canceled the AT+.... for now... you are not alone my friend!

[@mattgilbert7347]

Ah yes, how many lost ourselves in the magical world of TPS with Magic Mike and Professor Dan...... .... Or lost bank balances

[@mikelee1906]

Same!!!

[@skipneumann1]

Be great if you did a part 2 comparing the Halo pedal to the Fractal Aurora take on the Halo. I have both and it’s very easy to edit in the FM9- the pedal I pretty much use the stock presets

[@vespass225]

Hi John. Very nice demo. Just got my Halo some days ago. One thing that is problematic when watching demos of the Halo is, that very often a preset + a personal adjustment to that is used in the demo, which is visible by the blue upper light lit. BUT, you can't know which knob has been adjusted by looking at the positions. When you enter a preset, you get the preset sound independently of the mutual positions of each knob. It is not until you twist any of the knobs slightly that its position gets active and reflected in the sound that comes out of the Halo. So, you can't know the settings by just looking at the Halo's knob positions, unless you have done a tiny twist back and forth of each knob and then have "activated" its position.

[@cybersixx]

It can do reverb also and there is a beautiful boston preset,, amazing pedal for me i dont need my strymon flint anymore

[@mikejones-hs7od]

Amazing pedal. Hello temptation.

[@pertrot]

Can’t wait for a even more refined HX Stomp version😎

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs here's what I ended up with not sure if it's close or not really!

[@bobmitchell1970]

Okay, I just picked up on the outro song. Clever and beautiful!

[@Sea_Dove]

Wow dude thanks so much 🎉 I mean I didn’t know about second function of switching button - when you can freeze your sound🤝

[@fishy4071]

. . . page 7 of the manual says how to kill the "dry" signal so it can be used in a parallel fx loop (e.g. HX Stomp). Well done Robert Keeley for including that feature which makes it useful beyond the traditional pedalboard set up.

[@RobertKeeleyTV]

Thanks!

[@williamdevlin366]

Thank you!

[@joemiller9856]

John I’m thinking of building a small board around the Tonex player, I think halo would cover my needs for delay. Have you looked at the gearbox drive pedal? Might be an Andy Wood signature pedal if my memory serves me.

[@CharLessMajor7Music]

I wonder if it will work well if you put a spring reverb before or after. Coz I think this doesn’t need any reverb anymore after it.

[@andsoistopped]

That’s the best infinite hold I have heard.

[@johnnathancordy]

It's pretty good init!!

[@andsoistopped]

@@johnnathancordy yes. Very. Could justify the purchase alone for some.

[@kevinp_25]

I do think the pedal is worth it just for the first preset. It's magical. But it can do other cool delays as well--more standard stuff I mean, but that sounds great. I haven't tried too hard to build the Halo delay on my FM9. I'm not sure if I'd use two delay blocks or one. But I'd guess you'd want some modulation and diffusion and possibly a little saturation on the repeats. And getting the level correct might be a little tricky since it seems to get out of the way a bit. Would love to see what you can come up with on the Fractal.

[@johnnathancordy]

A couple folks mentioned in the Multi Tap block the Aurora being a good place to start

[@joshbabbitt9243]

Only minutes in, but hoping to hear thoughts on how it sounds going straight into the front of an amp (in mono)..running into a gainy amp. None of the amps I have incorporate an effects loop.

[@Herfinnur]

The smooth attack is exactly what I'm trying to achieve on the HX Stomp, but so far I haven't been able to do it without the sound becoming a bit dull and muffled

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs here's where I ended up

[@DrProgNerd]

Beautiful sounding pedal. I can't help but think that it could be replicated in a modeler using some creative routing. Afterall, Keeley achieved this using creative routing. I'm hoping to see you figure out a solution to this for the Quad Cortex. There's a coffee in it for you if you do. Maybe even two or three. 😀

[@ethanrapske1768]

In regards to recreating this pedal with the Helix, I've mentioned this on a few other videos of yours, but I've found I can get really close running two transistor tape delays in series (dotted 1/8 into 1/4) with the same settings on both: wow/flutter set around 8, mix on the expression pedal going between 0-30%, and feedback to taste.

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs - here's what I ended up trying

[@r.llynch4124]

lot's of stuff is "close" I think it's actually dotted eighth and a triplet that is the secret sauce.?

[@ethanrapske1768]

@@r.llynch4124 Andy has been pretty clear in a number of videos talking about the Halo that it's for sure a dotted 1/8 into 1/4, but use whatever works for you!

[@r.llynch4124]

Me thinks so BUT I also love the Eventide micropitch for it's dual delays/pitch. This Keeley dual delay reminds me of the great analog Rockman Stereo Echo.

[@tdz69]

This looks like a great pedal with such an efficient footprint. I’ve had an old Line6 M9 for a long time and it’s just beyond amazing and, in my opinion, a “sleeper” out there in the guitar world. Don’t think they sell them anymore but if you can find one and can deal with a little more real estate on your board they are incredible.

[@kingpants8764]

I have an m5, total sleepers.

[@vialima1]

excelente, aunque tengo el UD STOMP de Allan Holdworth lo voy a comprar para reducir mi equipaje.

[@on3orafter]

Sounds great, can you put some gain through it in the next video

[@davidp158]

Keeley did a great job designing the user interface. With minimal effort you can quickly program and save the 8 presets, which is more than I will ever need. I am replacing my bulky BOSS DD-200 with this pedal.

[@timsellsted521]

This is on my list to buy....curious what you will be able to do in Helix. I had bought a Strymon Digi a while back. Dual delay....cool pedal. I may trade for a Halo.

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs - try this Tim - interested to hear what you think?

[@bobbysbackingtracks]

Watch your hands with that knife broski!

[@yourhomeonmaui]

Great playing, great sound.....hope you can make something for us Pod Go folks....?

[@johnnathancordy]

Hmmm without the parallel path that gets a little tricky....

[@diatarussoulbane]

Fractal has the new multitap aurora based on this. Wonder how many of the modes it can nail.

[@dicecard921]

Wish it had the wonderful Sound on Sound "looper" of the Eccos

[@Shredsofeden]

Is the buffer on the Trails setting good?

[@Lorneplumber]

I couldn’t get anything useful out of the halo personally but I enjoy listening to other people using it

[@dustinarnold79]

I have one and it made me realize that I just need a very basic delay I bought a aqua puss with the halo I spent more time twisting knobs than I did playing

[@yugiohllavaneras]

Do you recommend adding this to a HX Stomp Rig? Does it add anything extra? TY for the video! :D

[@johnnathancordy]

Umm - well - it's a nice size - and pretty easy to use - I wonder if not having Midi might be a thing that some Stomp users miss?

[@MarcoNeriMusic]

Have you tried replicating the halo with the criss cross of hx stomp? I'm trying with some nice results. It has the possibility of modulation and crossfeed. It can be the best algorhythm to try to achieve the halo maybe?

[@johnnathancordy]

In two minutes you can see my efforts!

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs - here's my attempt

[@MarcoNeriMusic]

@@johnnathancordy already watchin' now! 🙂

[@cwwmbm]

One thing Halo does excellently is saturation on repeats, whereas each repeat is more and more saturated. I wasn't able to recreate this anywhere. LVX has the means to do it, but it doesn't sound nearly as good. Haven't figured out a way to do it in HX Stomp at all. LVX has the rack delay and poly structure delays that can approximate the Halo effect. Not 1 to 1 but incredible sound nonetheless.

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs - here's where I got

[@MitchellSpille]

Seems like the only advantage this has over the timeline is the smaller size. No screen, less options and presets, and lack of a dedicated tap tempo button definitely make the timeline the better choice imo.

[@olsza6969]

is this delay mono without modulation?

[@Theylieohio]

It takes 2 strymon time lines to achieve what the Halo sound is doing. That was the purpose of the Halo . Andy details this in several interviews.

[@johncruz9357]

No it doesn’t. Andy was using one timeline with the dual delay algorithm. He was using two deluxe memory man’s or tape echos. I doubt very much the Halo compares to those analog units. Check your facts!

[@Zan_Halford]

Bro your sword opening that box 😂😂😂

[@mikeller]

I just picked up one today . One question is this best run into the front of an amp or in the amp loop (which is where I normally run delays) ??

[@aaronwong4642]

Did you find out the answer 😂

[@forester057]

You got one. Find out. So scary lol.

[@ArthurvanRiet]

Aurora preset in Multitap Delay block from the Fractal Units comes pretty close.

[@johnnathancordy]

I'll take a look Arthur - thanks for the pointer!!

[@Alemski]

How would you compare it to Walrus Mako D1? thanks for response in advance

[@johnnathancordy]

Never tried one I'm afraid

[@nourdinenourdine4223]

Halo and tokai les paul are my dreams

[@elkuervojuarez1890]

Yes bruv !!! I didn't think of you as a machete type bloke... respect to the steel and oh yeah and the amazing halo

[@dasczwo]

Check out the jam dellay lama extreme!

[@33shoobs]

Did not know my halo had an infinite foot hold function. Niceeee

[@stephenstgo]

Holy knife!

[@chrismclaren4871]

A very apt name since it will be used in churches everywhere now. A perfect worship delay pedal ❤

[@gabrielperrymusic]

What the hell kind of knife is this guy using to open that package?

[@waynebacer6235]

Try it with an expression pedal and you can control the amount of delay on the fly. Works great

[@ezraestrada4992]

What expression pedal do you recommend?

[@waynebacer6235]

@@ezraestrada4992 Any expression pedal should work. I’m using a Mission Engineering.

[@wdbuchner]

The knife 😂😂

[@johncruz9357]

Andy cop That dual delay sound from Gilmour.

[@billsherrington5996]

Love this pedal! I have an Empress EchoSystem which is also amazing but I understand Andy Timmons took 3 years getting his sound [originally using 2 old Memory Man pedals] exactly right with Keeley so although you may get close with other pedals, Im sure it would be difficult to match it exactly.

[@johnnathancordy]

For sure there may be subtleties that are pretty tricky to get right but the basics of it seem to be: 500ms - 375ms delay with cross feedback Slow Modulation relatively shallow Sides A and B don't seem fully panned, something like 50%? I might ask Steve at Empress if he fancies trying to tackle it haha!

[@user-uo7lh7cf4q]

What doze it sound like straight out of and anp.

[@dustinarnold79]

I have one and I run it through the front it sounds ok but some of it can sound very digital and fake

[@rolandmuller1247]

man be carefully, every time i saw that sword i hope you dont cut your fingers, the most important part to play the guitar, good luck i hope you stay complete

[@johnnathancordy]

It's very blunt ha!

[@tubeampsrule1]

I think the Night Sky would be a good pedal to replicate the sound

[@eduniversal1298]

You're forgetting Robert Fripp

[@johnnathancordy]

YES!!

[@christopherjbutler]

Andy summers, maybe?

[@sordel5866]

John Martyn made his name with Echoplex ... sounds very much along these lines to me. (The pedal sounds great BTW.)

[@paulwatson9217]

Well is there other pedals that can achieve the same results. The answer is almost but remember this. The Halo has been built around Andy’s playing style it’s functionality is designed for him to work with in real time. It’s been specifically built for live performance. How much deep editing would it take on other high quality pedals? Lastly how would they compare in live performances, the answer is I don’t know but the Keeley Halo dose it out of the box. So I would say if these are the sounds you require just buy one of these, why try to reinvent the wheel it already done.

[@midnightsocean2689]

Very nice sounding demo but I don't think your letter opener is quite big enough mate.

[@johnnathancordy]

I've been keeping my eye out for something bigger!

[@zoomzoom3950]

Delay today is what chorus was to the '80s. 😁

[@FasterCrypto]

Can't these sounds be replicated via helix?

[@johnnathancordy]

A very valid question - the answer is I think - kind of - the Criss Cross delay can do 500ms - 375ms with cross feedback, which should get us quite a lot of the way there?

[@FasterCrypto]

@@johnnathancordy right mate. Any thoughts on Bigsky compared to this one? Which looks more "complete" in your view?

[@johnnathancordy]

Do you mean the Timeline? I think the Timeline is still about as fully featured a delay pedal as it gets - not sure if anything jumps out as being obviously better yet?

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs - here's a direct video about your question sir!

[@nealpike6611]

Neil finn

[@kiwiramjet5625]

Sorry, but when the hype dies down it will soon become another good delay pedal option, but I had it and found the functionality somewhat convoluted, and the delays much more on the “rubbery” ambient end of things rather than a delay I would use more in practical use. I guess it’s the beauty of subjective opinions and all the countless other options on the market. But I do think too many pedals these days ride a wash or hype before the way crashes on the shore or objective and practical reality. Usually a 3-6 month period

[@forester057]

I crashed on the shore of objective reality reading your many typos. 😂 Not your cup of tea. That’s fine. People swap shit all the time.

[@winstonsmith8240]

I want one 😫.

[@zoomzoom3950]

Get two! It's more better.

[@jerryhorton5708]

Letter openers have a different design in the UK, I see…

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I was like: He opened it with a Machete! Be careful . . . you don't wanna accidentally Cut your fingers. You are too-good-a-player. I thought NYC was Dangerous ?

[@trickfall8752]

Something tells me you'll get close enough on the HX Stomp for me.

[@johnnathancordy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKqyfIudnpeBsLs - you be the judge - close enough or not?

[@emaloy4205]

Anyone try replicating on Kemper?

[@forester057]

Kemper users~ Kemper is in the closet getting dusty.

[@Kevin-the-Just]

Call that a knife?

[@forester057]

Nobody has ever said that here. 🤨

[@VoodooDewey69]

Shweeeeeeeeeeeet

[@jcournoyer2]

You need a bigger knife lol

[@bobmitchell1970]

Hey mate! Thanks for not cutting your fingers off. Then you'd need to get a real job. 😋

[@PackinForSuperbowl]

First time on the channel so I'm sure I'm missing context but I can't imagine as a guitar player risking using a huge knife like that to open a box as a bit. One slip and your guitar playing days are done.

[@tdemask]

Although I think it’s hilarious, I was pretty nervous watching him wield that Crocodile Dundee knoife!

[@johnnathancordy]

It's a very blunt knife don't worry too much!

[@PackinForSuperbowl]

@@johnnathancordy that's good

[@robmontesi5623]

A dull knife can be the most dangerous one because you end up having to use extra force. Please be more careful and protect your hands, bud!

[@jeale778]

Really?? Do you need that big knife?????

[@johnnathancordy]

Have you not seen how much tape there was

[@sergiorojas5017]

I think the tone came from that small pocket knife.

[@Filoofa]

Sorry dude, you fail to show what the pedal really can do. The freaky effects you’re dialing in - how often do you use them? In one or two songs per gig? Also, you talk too much. Me and others trying to find out what a pedal can sound like - don’t want to hear your voice. I think most of us want to hear the pedal. Watch some of Pete Thorns demos. He knows whats it’s all about.

[@IBCCaliGurl]

Just watch another video, if you don’t like his channel! He does an amazing job!

[@nigeldaddyo]

Keeley lost any chance of getting my money after he publicly supported BLM

[@tdemask]

Bureau of Land Management? Yeah they are bad.

[@RobFlaxMusic]

Oh, don’t be a schmuck.

[@nigeldaddyo]

@@RobFlaxMusic oh, don’t be naïve. The organization, not the message, is corrupt AF.

[@RobFlaxMusic]

@@nigeldaddyo That's inaccurate, and irrelevant. (Glad you're at least on board with the basic message part.) Besides, there's plenty of corruption to go around in US politics regardless.... I won't fault a brilliant pedal maker for making a gesture in support of Black lives, whether or not it was an effective measure. (This country has a ways to go on fixing racism.)

[@lukather1]

I may buy a pedal on that basis and I’m white !!! Lol KKK

[@lukather1]

Hi Jc did you check FM9 for halo ?

[@lukather1]

Fm9 does it already I believe

[@lukather1]

Keeley £250 strymon -£450 !!! 😳🤔🤔🤔 Just like plug-in way way overpriced !