KORG ToneWorks 301dl Dynamic Echo - hidden 100% wet option discovered!

[Pepe]

The KORG ToneWorks 301dl is one of my favourite digital delay units. The pedal features a stereo mode if a TRS cable is inserted, but this does only result in a slightly delayed effect sound on one output, only a few milliseconds to make it spacious. Actually that sounds really good, but I was always disappointed that it doesn't split the signal into dry and wet signals like a BOSS DD-3 does if you use the second output. I always wished that the 301dl could be used without the input signal and with the pure effect sound only. To my surprise this is possible!

Yesterday I received another one of these pedals and today I disassembled and cleaned it. Although I have always noticed it whenever I had opened such a pedal, this time I was completely curious what this connector with the yellow wire leading from pin 1 to pin 3 ('CN8A') might be doing. So I carefully pulled that noose and powered the unit. While it stays absolutely normal in bypass mode this way, the input signal vanishes as soon as you engage the effect. The Level knob still defines the volume of the delay, but the dry signal is completely cut and not mixed in at 100% anymore. Oh, yeah!



This way the pedal can be used in the send/receive effect loop of a mixing console, and with the proper signal routing dry/wet stereo is possible, too. I doubt that this was an intended feature, as it isn't explained in the manual. I rather think that it was made for testing the units at the factory. Anyway, this is a very cool function that I had loved to know when I made the demo video years ago (see below). Everything it requires is to remove the six small screws of the enclosure, open the pedal (be careful with the battery connector, in case you want to use it) and remove that connector.

[fuzzbuzzfuzz]

nice discovery. I surpose for careful modders, leave connected, snip the wire and attached a toggle switch.

[Pepe]

Indeed, that would be a gentle and useful mod. The battery compartment that takes four AA-batteries is a good spot for such a switch, if you want to keep the optics of this cool looking series* unharmed.

Since I have two units in my personal collection, I can simply pull the connector of one of them and leave it this way.


*The pictures of the animals on the four KORG ToneWorks pedals are (for whatever reason) based on the famous and spectacular Peruvian Nazca lines (104ds = 'The Condor', 105od = 'The Spider', 301dl = 'The Lizard', 411fx = 'The Dog').