Kevin W. Lee

INTO The cave
Echo meets reverbKeeley Caverns Delay Reverb V2 · Pedal Zines № 05

Issue05
Caverns (n.) A Keeley pedal with an analog-style tape delay and three reverbs in one white box, each with its own footswitch.
§ 01 · What it isRead me first

Left stomp = reverb (Spring, Shimmer, Modulated). Right stomp = delay (30 to 650 ms, with Off, Light or Deep wobble). RATE on the reverb changes job with the mode.

Left = reverb, right = delay
§ 02Where everything lives

The Map

Reverb lives on the left, delay on the right, and the four knobs in the middle sit on that crazy gem. Top row of the middle: DECAY (reverb) and TIME (delay).

Stylized top view of the Keeley Caverns Delay Reverb V2 White pedal with red lettering and a low-poly multicolor gem printed behind the center knobs. Reverb side on the left: BLEND (1), WARMTH (2), reverb mode switch SHIMMER, SPRING, MODULATED (3). Center: DECAY (4) and RATE/SHIMMER (5) for reverb, TIME (6) and REPEATS (7) for delay. Delay side on the right: BLEND (8), RATE (9), modulation switch OFF, LIGHT, DEEP (10). Footswitches: REVERB (11) and DELAY (12). Top-mounted jacks: OUT, IN and 9V power (13). ▲ OUT ▼ IN 9V BLEND WARMTH DECAY RATE TIME REPEATS BLEND RATE SHIMMER SHIMMERSPRINGMODULATED LIGHTDEEPOFF C A V E R N S REVERBDELAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Drawn from Keeley's product photo · toggle labels approximate, knob pointers are decoration
  1. 1Reverb BLENDDry vs reverb mix. Clockwise = more reverb.
  2. 2Reverb WARMTHTone of the reverb, brighter to warmer.
  3. 3Reverb mode switchThree-way: SHIMMER · SPRING · MODULATED (labels as printed on the panel).
  4. 4Reverb DECAYLength of the reverb tail. Higher = longer.
  5. 5Reverb RATE / SHIMMERChanges job by mode: tremolo speed in Spring, shimmer feedback blend in Shimmer, depth/pre-delay in Modulated.
  6. 6Delay TIMEDelay time, 30 ms to 650 ms.
  7. 7Delay REPEATSHow many echoes (feedback).
  8. 8Delay BLENDDry vs echo mix. Clockwise = more delay.
  9. 9Delay RATESpeed of the modulation on the repeats.
  10. 10Delay modulation switchThree-way: OFF · LIGHT · DEEP wow and flutter on the repeats.
  11. 11REVERB footswitchReverb side on/off, with its own blue LED.
  12. 12DELAY footswitchDelay side on/off, with its own blue LED.
  13. 13Top jacksMono IN, mono OUT, 9 V DC. Top-mounted to save board space.
✓ First sessionTap each one when done · saves on this device

First Session

0 / 8 done CAVE MAPPED.
§ 03How it's organized

Two Pedals, One Box

80/20Left footswitch = reverb, right footswitch = delay. Each half has a BLEND, a RATE and a three-way switch. Learn one half, you've half-learned the other.
REVERB SIDE

Blend · Decay · Warmth · Rate

Three reverbs on a toggle. RATE is the shapeshifter (§ 04).

DELAY SIDE

Time · Repeats · Blend · Rate

Keeley's Magnetic Echo circuit, built to emulate analog tape delay. Up to 650 ms.

TOGETHER

Or apart

Use either effect alone or both at once. Each has its own footswitch and LED.

§ 04Spring, shimmer, modulated

Reverb Modes

SPRING

Amp drip + trem

Blackface-amp style spring reverb with F-style tremolo.

RATE = tremolo speed
SHIMMER

Octaves up

Reverb with emphasis on octave-up voices in the trails.

RATE = shimmer feedback blend
MODULATED

Choral cave

Choral modulation on the reverb for a huge, cavernous space.

RATE = depth / pre-delay
Gotcha

Same RATE knob, three different jobs. If a mode sounds weird after switching, RATE is probably set for the last one.

§ 05Off, light, deep

Delay Modes

Mod OFF

Straight echoes, no added wobble.

Mod LIGHT

A little wow and flutter on the repeats. Tape-ish.

Mod DEEP

Heavier modulation on the repeats. Turn RATE for the speed.

TIME

30 ms slapback up to 650 ms.

REPEATS

One echo to many. Feedback, basically.

BLEND

Clockwise = louder echoes against the dry signal.

§ 06Footswitches and the inside ones

The Switches

ON THE TOP
  • REVERB footswitch (left) and DELAY footswitch (right), spaced wider than on the V1.
  • Reverb mode toggle: Shimmer · Spring · Modulated.
  • Delay mod toggle: Off · Light · Deep.
INSIDE

Trails or true bypass

  • One internal switch per side (delay and reverb) picks true bypass or trails.
  • Trails: echoes and reverb ring out after you stomp it off. Keeley says its buffers keep your tone full-strength.
  • 4 internal DIP switches turn on a switching-system mode: run each effect separately from a pedal switcher or pro switching system, patched with two TRS breakout cables.

Unplug power before opening it up. Check Keeley's instructions for which DIP does what.

§ 07Starting points, not gospel

Quick Recipes

My starting knob spots, not Keeley presets. Set it, play, then nudge.

Reverb only

SURF SPRING

  • Mode: SPRING
  • BLEND about noon, DECAY low to mid
  • RATE: slow tremolo to taste
  • WARMTH: brighter for drip

Blackface-amp style spring with F-style trem, per Keeley.

Delay only

SLAPBACK

  • Mod: OFF
  • TIME short (near 30 ms end)
  • REPEATS one echo
  • BLEND low to mid

Short and tight; the Magnetic Echo side is voiced to sit in the mix.

Delay only

TAPE WOBBLE

  • Mod: LIGHT, then try DEEP
  • TIME mid
  • REPEATS three or four echoes
  • RATE: slow for seasick, faster for chorusy

Wow and flutter on the repeats; dry stays clean.

Both on

THE FULL CAVE

  • Reverb: SHIMMER, DECAY high
  • RATE/SHIMMER up for more octave
  • Delay: TIME long, REPEATS mid
  • Both BLENDs under noon so notes stay

Octave-up shimmer trails with long echoes. Ambient swells.

Reverb only

CHORAL WASH

  • Mode: MODULATED
  • DECAY mid to high
  • RATE sets depth/pre-delay
  • WARMTH: darker to sit back

Choral modulation in the reverb for a huge space.

§ 08Juice and jacks

Power & Specs

POWER
  • 9 V DC, center negative, 2.1 × 5.5 mm barrel.
  • Draw about 75 mA: give it a supply rated 75 mA or more.
  • Supply not included. Plan on an adaptor or a board brick.
THE BOX
  • Mono ¼" in, mono ¼" out, top-mounted.
  • About 120 × 95 × 50 mm, 450 g, metal.
  • Built in the USA by Keeley's crew.
§ 09Swap pedal

In My Rig

The Caverns is one of my swap pedals. It usually trades places with my Lucky Cat delay: when I want reverb on the board too, the Caverns goes in that slot.

Phase 90beforeLucky Catusual delayIR-2after
Phase 90beforeCavernsswapped inIR-2after
TIP 1

Two in one slot

Swapping it in adds reverb and keeps a delay, so the board loses nothing.

TIP 2

Trails for swells

Flip the internal switches to trails if you want tails to ring when you stomp off.

TIP 3

Same jack, same power

Mono in/out and 9 V center negative at 75 mA+: check the brick output before swapping.