Universal Audio Starlight Echo Station Review

There are a number of go to effects that can add instant drama and texture to your sound, but none have quite the same immediate impact as a good quality delay pedal, and if the hype is to believed, Universal Audio’s latest offering, the Starlight Echo Station, is one of the best around 

This unit has been designed with next generation digital processing and uses dual engine technology to deliver some otherworldly delay and echo effects with genuine studio quality sound.  

In this KillerGuitarRigs Review, we got the chance to run the Universal Audio Starlight Echo Station through its paces to find out whether it really deserves the incredible reputation that it very quickly developed after its release.

If you’ve been planning on investing in a delay pedal that could help you to shape your signature sound, this is one you won’t want to miss!

Who Is This For?

The Starlight Echo Station is a high end delay pedal aimed at players who want the benefits and reliability of modern digital tech, while still retaining the tone and feel of an analog vintage unit. Universal Audio are amongst the best in the business when it comes to modeling and digital recreation of old school hardware, so it’s no surprise that the Starlight does this extremely well.

We think that it’s primarily aimed at intermediate to advanced and pro players, but if you’re a newer player with a bigger budget, this pedal still offers an intuitive interface that should be simple enough for less experienced pedal users to get the most of without much of a learning curve.

Appearance / Features / Controls

Once again, Universal Audio impressed us with their attention to detail and build quality – the Starlight Echo Station, like pretty much everything else UA does, was really flawless in terms of construction. It was housed in an all metal body and chassis with high end switchgear that all engaged really nicely without any kind of play or wobble.

It came with three built in delay modes, including Tape EP-III, Analog DMM, and Precision, all of which were accessible via the mini switch on the left of the center row. It also came with a downloadable bonus mode, Cooper Time Cube, which was accessible only after we’d registered the pedal on the UA website. 

The rest of the control layout was pretty standard for a delay pedal, but nonetheless well thought out. The six primary dials controlled delay, feedback, mix, division, color, and modulation. Delay, of course, was there for controlling the echo time, feedback set the number of repeats, with the mix knob we were able to control the echo level, which was set to 100% when the knob was dimed, and the division knob controlled the quarter note tempo ratio.

The color and modulation knobs had multi function controls, and changed different parameters depending on which of the delay types was engaged. Color changed the record level in Tape EP-III, it changed the input gain in Analog DMM, and it acted as a tone control in Precision. With the Cooper Time Cube activated, color manipulated the treble. The Mod control changed the wow and flutter in Tape EP-III, in Analog DMM it controlled the depth, in Precision it looked after rate, depth, feedback and mix, and in Cooper Time Cube it was used to alter the bass. 

One of the more interesting features was the dual stereo delay engine, which effectively ran two individual instances of each delay effect, both of which are always running concurrently. The result is a pretty incredible stereo spread that we don’t think any other pedal on the market can even come close to. 

In addition to all of this, it still had more to offer, including a tap tempo switch, as well as selectable presets, plus analog dry through, silent switching, and both true and trails bypass.

Performance / Sound

With a lot of pedals we find ourselves quickly working through the settings to find the sweet spot that we like and ultimately end up leaving it there, but with the Starlight Echo Station, we just couldn’t stop playing with it. Between the four different modes, and the huge customization options for each, even after a week it felt like we’d only just broken the surface of what the pedal was capable of. 

Starting with the Tape EP-III mode, we thought it did a simply fantastic job of recreating the organic character of a real vintage tape delay. The repeats and slapbacks were warm, and truly analog sounding, giving us the ability to transform clean tones into super interesting, and sonically rich soundscapes. The ABC switch opened up even more tonal varieties with this, giving us the option to switch between a fresh tape effect, a gently used but worn one, and even a heavily used, dark worn sound.

With Analog DMM we found that it took a bit of a darker, but altogether more mellow turn. We thought it added tons of depth and some amazing atmospheric qualities to the sound, all without overpowering the guitar’s natural character. We found it especially useful for creating ambient backgrounds for neo soul tracks, and even enhancing solos.

The Precision mode gave us more of a modern, digital sound, and as you can probably guess from the name, it did have more of a tight, dialed in feel. The repeats were all super crisp, and very articulate, giving us some really distinct echo trails that still made every single repetition of every note we played distinctly audible, making it a fantastic option for intricate lead lines. 

One of our favorite settings, though, was the Cooper Time Cube, which is based on a 1970s design by Duane Cooper and Bill Putnam. This was a garden hose based design that served up some fantastic short delay effects. The original literally used varying lengths of garden hose to create a slapback effect, and UA has done a frankly incredible job of recreating it.

The Starlight Echo Station’s Modulation function opened up a ton of creative options, too. It let us add everything from subtle warbles to some pretty outrageous delays.

Final Thoughts on the Universal Audio Starlight Echo Station

Ultimately, we found that the Universal Audio Starlight Echo Station was much more than just a simple delay pedal. Sure, you can use it that way, but if you’re looking to get involved with experimental sounds, it offers so much scope for creativity, and getting the best out of this pedal doesn’t require a vast amount of skill or experience with FX units. 

It’s a great tool for the studio, and with its presets and easy switching, it works fantastically for live settings, too. We found it to be extremely versatile, and we can confidently say that it will remain as a permanent feature on the KGR pedal board.