Exploring the Depths Of The Meris LVX Modular Delay System

Led by a Strymon co-founder, a professional multimedia designer, and a former Line 6 DSP engineer, Meris combines these disciplines to produce creative, original, and thoughtfully designed guitar pedals and 500 Series processors. Last year, after two full years of design and development, Meris brought to market their most ambitious product yet: the expansive LVX Modular Delay System, an advanced stereo delay processor that’s as powerful and customizable as it is easy to use. 

According to the Meris team, “LVX was our goal and dream from the start,” and the dream became a reality when the Meris LVX took home the Future Music Gear of the Year 2022 Award for Best Guitar Pedal. So, what’s all the buzz about?

The best way to get a feel for the Meris LVX is to hear it in action. Watch the video below with performances by Gideon Boley and Kevin Schuck for a deep dive into its capabilities with plenty of guitar examples. Then, keep reading for the full scoop on this powerful pedal.

A Next-Generation Delay Engine

Making full use of its next-generation ARM processor, LVX is capable of producing almost any kind of delay you can dream up, from accurately modeled analog classics like saturated tape echo and pedal-style bucket brigade delay to wild effects that morph your input signal into unrecognizable sonic landscapes—and it can do it all in stereo, too. To sweeten the deal, a 60-second stereo Looper enables you to layer sounds on the fly to create dynamic, dreamy compositions without taking your hands off your instrument.

Under the hood, LVX invites you to explore with an endlessly tweakable signal chain made up of discrete left and right delay lines, feedback loops, effects inserts, and more. By combining different Delay Structures, Delay Types, and Processing Elements, one could easily spend hours crafting highly musical echo patches, complex multi-delays, and abstract sound design engines. And, with 99 slots for presets, LVX can fit all the patches you need for shows, studio sessions, and jams.

Tailor-Made For Performance

Not content just to make one of the most versatile delay pedals ever, Meris went to great lengths to make LVX intuitive to use. The faceplate features just seven knobs clustered around a high-resolution, full-color screen that tells you everything you need to know at any given time. Four large knobs put the most commonly-used controls at your fingertips: Time, Feedback, Mod, and Mix. Two “push and turn” encoders below the screen control two additional parameters depending on the preset, while a third manages preset navigation.

That level of hands-on control is great to have, but when it comes to performance, it’s all in the feet. The LVX’s four stomp switches control a variety of functions, from engaging and bypassing effects to quickly switching presets and banks, controlling the Looper, tapping in a tempo, and accessing the built-in tuner (yes, you heard that right). Deep expression pedal control and MIDI integration open up even more possibilities for expressive performance and on-the-fly control.

What Meris Says About the LVX’s Delay Modes and Effects

LVX’s delay lines are defined by two main parameters: Delay Structure and Delay Type. There are also 26 Processing Elements (effects) that can be inserted at different points in the signal chain. Each Structure, Mode, and Element is configurable, with many sub-parameters to adjust to your liking or control with an expression pedal. 

Delay Structures

Delay Structures define the fundamental layout of the delay lines, including the order of delay taps, filters, feedback, modulation, crossfeed, and more.

• Standard: stereo parallel delay lines.
• MultiTap: an eight-tap delay with four taps dedicated to each side.
• Multi Filter: the same as MultiTap with a bandpass filter added at the output of each tap.
• Poly: a dual version of the Polymoon delay structure, where each side of the delay gets processed by its own algorithm and spread across the stereo spectrum independently.
• Reverse: stereo parallel delays with reverse playback.
• Series: each side has two delays in series, all with independent note divisions.

Delay Types

Delay Types dictate the fundamental character and tonal quality of the delay algorithms. Each type has its own built-in modulation feature, which you can control via the MOD knob on the front panel.

• Digital: clean, uncolored delay. MOD knob ranges from slow and wide to fast and narrow.
• BBD: analog-flavored bucket-brigade delay. MOD knob adds depth to the classic LFO.
• Magnetic: tape-flavored delay with a slight saturation and gentle degradation. MOD knob increases the amount of “wow” and flutter.

Processing Elements

Using the LVX’s in-depth patch editing, you can place mono or stereo effects anywhere before or after the delay lines, in the feedback path, on your dry signal. When using the Looper, you can also place effects in the Post Mix position. The effects are grouped into five categories:

• Dynamics: compressor, limiter, swell, diffusion
• Preamp: tube, transistor, op-amp, drive, bitcrusher, volume pedal
• Filter: ladder, comb, parametric, state-variable
• Pitch: harmony, micro tune, lo-fi, mono chroma, poly chroma, 

Modulation: chorus, flanger, dynamic flanger, cassette, barberpole, granulize, ring mod

If you're looking for ribbon microphones for your studio, we're here to help! Please contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.