...more of a delayed glitch than a glitched delay. Still sounds pretty sweet, though.

So here we are. In 2026. The world’s been on fire for the past decade. Economic uncertainty abounds, we’re probably on the precipice of some sort of global disaster from which there will be no return and the world of Eurorack seems to have devolved into a forum of obsessive fanatics arguing about exactly where and when modular “peaked,” uniting only to make disparaging comments about a certain German company’s release of a recreation of some piece of hardware from the 90’s at a price point that is insulting to their coveted troves of machinery. Where the market is largely comprised of completionists rounding out their lists, perfectionists seeking their various aesthetic and sonic holy grails and the occasional weirdo who’s still unwilling to port their collection of wires to a laptop-based, virtual equivalent. Where manufacturers are mostly either putting vibe-coded microprocessors behind a turnkey breakout panel or deep diving into abandoned schematics from 60+ years ago to unearth various plumes of lost wisdom. Where the market share is being replaced with bespoke, USB-powered sound gadgets or prompt-based AI and despite Harry Styles’ best efforts, the format continues to sink in popularity due to concerns about cost, addiction and the general lack of inspiring output from users. Where the most popular videos from the genre come from sleep-deprived recluses who are more intent on making the perfect sales demo as opposed to actual music with these damn things… and for some reason in spite of that all, I’m making a new analog device based on a more or less original design – which I’m doing also in spite of the fact that even I had an epiphany earlier this year that centered around the fact that the only thing I’ve ever needed to make good music after all this time was a Fender Telecaster… yeah. Kind of bleak, right? But still, it’s 2026, the world’s on fire, the market for these wares are weird and waning at best and I’m still making a new, original analog thing. Why? Because, oh my children, that is what I do.

And speaking of doing, this is what it does: It’s an 8-second analog delay. Or at least it should be. On paper it is. But according to the vibe-coded inquiry to some generative oracle, such a device is not possible. Does it manage to reach 8 seconds in any functional way? Hell’s no. Would anyone actually want 8 seconds of lo-fi, mono, filtered, barely clock-synched audio from an 8-second analog delay? Also hell’s no. Is it easier to get a more controlled, synched, high-fidelity, multi-channel, spatialized, impulse-response driven, morphing, multi-tapped, adaptive time manipulation thing with presets off a microprocessor board that costs $18 or less? Hell’s yes. Can you get a digital looping pedal for less than $50 at this point? Also (hell’s) yes. In fact, there’s so many other practical approaches to sound that one can embark on that make so much more sense than this particular module. But will you? If you’re still reading this even though I’ve spent the past two paragraphs insulting your scene, music and financial decisions, no I don’t think you will. If that’s the case, welcome back - it’s great to have you and you’re among friends here. Here’s my latest tape release, as is the customary greeting among our people.

So here’s what’s up – I’ve kind of been chasing the whole extended bucket-brigade analog delay thing for nearly two decades now, ever since I was in a guitar-centric noise band in San Francisco back in like 2005 (because of course I was). One of the members had recently received a Maneco looper, which was kind of a big deal at that point – lacking US distribution, getting a pedal that promised itself to be a direct clone of the EH 16 Second Delay shipped from Uruguay was a massive gamble – but when it did arrive, oh my – seriously, what a pedal! Shout out to Maneco – they’re great. Their modular port of said pedal is a sonic powerhouse. But, as I was young at that time, I joked to my bandmate that one day I would design a 16 second ANALOG delay. He laughed, because, like the previously mentioned generative AI, the idea sounded somewhere between ridiculous and impossible, but hey, 20 years later and we’re halfway there! Does that mean that there will eventually be a pedal port of this? Yeah, maybe, but in the meantime here we are.

Things to know. As far as anyone’s concerned, the developers of this echo chip never intended them for bucket brigade use. You can technically extend the length by putting two in a row, but once you get beyond 4, you can either treat it as a multi-tap unit or accept the fact that the built-in filters are going to make things funky. I’m sure there’s a way to overcome that, but again – all it would take is a Daisy or Pi Zero and you can have any shimmer you want. With this guy, it’s about embracing limitations. At longer lengths and repeats, there’s just not enough sound to feed back on. Similarly, when you’re overclocking four IC’s through a current mirror, things get ultra-lofi, ultra-fast, meaning probably the final quarter of the time pot is just percussive clicks and hisses. Is this a bad thing? Depends – I think it’s one of the best parts – especially considering the LFO, which really messes this thing up to the point where you must wonder if you’re listening to the signal or clock bleed. And when you clock it externally, as I did a few weeks ago via ultrasonic sensors attached to a performer, oh man, pure chaos. Will this thing be the secret weapon to your magnum opus of planetarium music? probably not – but dear lord, you’re gonna have some fun and go to some dark places as you try to wrangle this thing to order trying to make it that.

Which I guess is kind of the point – as modules go more digital, the Eurorack sound becomes more contrived or marketable and the selection of original new designs dwindle back to safe harbors and proven hits, it’s nice to feel like I’m still doing what I can to explore the potential of uncertainty and hopefully plot out some uncharted waters while covering my expenses in doing so. So yeah, the world can burn and everyone else can argue – if you’re still with me, let’s make some effing music.

Oh right – the name. Lexicon is always important, I guess. So years ago, when plotting out mysterious-sounding Spanish names for these things, there were two that I really wanted to use after releasing the Sangre de Nieve – Jarra de Avispas and Nubes de Arañas, where one would be a delay and the other a reverb. But of course, this is Menu de Avispas – which, considering we’re halfway between our previously released Menu de Secreciones and the Jarra de Avispas, the mashed-up nomenclature kind of makes sense. BUT – does that mean there will also be a Jarra de Avispas and Nubes de Arañas? Welp, considering that I’m following through on a preposterous claim from 20 years back, yeah, you can probably count on that.

https://vauxflores.com/electronics/menu-de-avispas/