BOSS - SDE-3 - Dual Digital Delay

Timeless Inspiration

The SDE-3 fuses vintage digital character and wide-ranging versatility into one unique and inspiring BOSS compact pedal. Experience the genuine sound and core features of the Roland SDE-3000, an iconic ’80s-era rackmount delay favored by some of the most influential guitarists of all time. Flow into any creative setup with a slate of modern features. And twist the powerful Offset control to explore an array of colorful dual-delay textures.

Compact Legend
Introduced in 1983 by our parent company Roland, the SDE-3000 is revered for its beautifully rich sound and distinctive modulation. The coveted SDE tone was realized through a finely tuned digital engine and the non-linear behaviors of the supporting analog circuitry, including magnetic saturation in the anti-alias filter, evolving modulation produced by the components of the time, and an altered triangle LFO shape. The SDE-3 brings the authentic vibe of this classic delay to a pedalboard-friendly BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative features for every musical style.

Vintage Color and Character
Dripping with warmth and musicality, the SDE-3 elevates your tone with endlessly evocative delay sounds. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs that expand your sonic potential. Explore retro single delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos. Or tweak the mod and high-cut controls to conjure moody, atmospheric tonalities for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music.

Offset Magic
Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's famous mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset feature to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, you can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay for a wealth of mono and stereo colors.

Doubled Delays—Turning the Offset knob up to its center position introduces a second delay that’s 1–100 ms longer than the primary delay. For example, if the primary delay is 400 ms and the Offset is 10 ms, the second delay’s time is 410 ms. Coupled with the SDE-3’s time, feedback, and highly adjustable modulation controls, you can craft deep delay tones unavailable with typical delay pedals.

Timed Dual Delays—In the second half of its range, the Offset knob produces a shorter second delay that’s based on the primary delay time. Use the pedal’s tap tempo function to determine the quarter-note value for the primary delay. Next, turn the knob to sweep the second delay’s time between eighth-note and dotted-eighth subdivisions. This lets you introduce a variety of rhythmic effects that sync with your music.

Multiple Output Modes
The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations for any stage or studio scenario. Run it in mono for basic setups. Play in true stereo with discrete left/right delays or a panning mode for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Send dry and direct feeds to two amps for wet/dry setups. Or mute the direct sound entirely for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs.

Modern Workflow
The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance your performances. Press and hold the pedal switch to enable the tap tempo function. Or use the TRS MIDI input to receive clock sync signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Connect external footswitches for on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.

Features
The iconic character of the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay in a BOSS compact pedal
Beautiful vintage digital delay tones with expanded creative range
Distinctive modulation with independent Rate and Depth knobs
Hi Cut control for shaping the high-frequency amount
Variable Offset feature for creating unique sounds with a secondary delay line
Adjustable maximum delay time: 800 ms (mono/stereo) or 1600 ms (mono)
Two stereo delay options: panning and discrete stereo
Versatile output modes: stereo, wet/dry, and dry mute (mono or stereo)
Tap tempo and carryover functions
Jack for extended control with up to two footswitches or an expression pedal
TRS MIDI input for syncing to external MIDI clock signals
BOSS five-year warranty

SPECIFICATIONS
Sample Rate
48 kHz
AD Conversion
24 bits + AF method
AF method (Adaptive Focus method) This is a proprietary method from Roland & BOSS that vastly improves the signal-to-noise (SN) ratio of the AD and DA converters.
DA Conversion
32 bits
Nominal Input Level
INPUT A (MONO), INPUT B: -20 dBu
Maximum Input Level
INPUT A (MONO), INPUT B: +7 dBu
Input Impedance
INPUT A (MONO), INPUT B: 1 MO
Nominal Output Level
OUTPUT A (MONO), OUTPUT B: -20 dBu
Maximum Output Level
OUTPUT A (MONO), OUTPUT B: +7 dBu
Output Impedance
OUTPUT A (MONO), OUTPUT B: 1 kO
Recommended Load Impedance
OUTPUT A (MONO), OUTPUT B: 10 kO or greater
Bypass
Buffered bypass
Controls
TIME knob
FEEDBACK knob
LEVEL knob
DEPTH knob
RATE knob
HI CUT knob
OFFSET Knob
Pedal switch
CARRYOVER switch
Indicator
CHECK indicator (Used for indication of Tempo and check battery)
Connectors
INPUT A (MONO) jack, INPUT B jack, OUTPUT A (MONO) jack, OUTPUT B jack: 1/4-inch phone type
CTL/EXP jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
DC IN jack
MIDI IN jack: Stereo miniature phone type
Power Supply
Alkaline battery (9 V, 6LR61 or 6LF22, commercially available)
AC adaptor (PSA series: sold separately)
Current Draw
75 mA
Expected battery life under continuous use
Alkaline: Approx. 4.5 hours
*These figures will vary depending on the actual conditions of use.
Accessories
Leaflet ("USING THE UNIT SAFELY," "IMPORTANT NOTES," and "Information")
Dry battery (9 V, 6LR61 or 6LF22)
Options (sold separately)
AC adaptor: PSA series
Footswitch: FS-5U
Dual footswitch: FS-6, FS-7
Expression pedal: FV-500H, FV-500L, EV-30, Roland EV-5
TRS/MIDI connecting cable: BMIDI-5-35, BMIDI-1-35, BMIDI-2-35, BCC-1-3535, BCC-2-3535
SIZE AND WEIGHT
Width
73 mm
2-7/8 inches
Depth
129 mm
5-1/8 inches
Height
59 mm
2-3/8 inches
Weight (including battery)
450 g
1 lb
* 0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms
*The specifications are subject to change without notice.