EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run Settings Guide
The EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run is a stereo reverb/delay hybrid — combining a digital delay with a high-quality reverb in a single pedal. Features include tap tempo, reverse delay, true stereo operation, and an expression pedal input. It is particularly capable in ambient and post-rock applications where the combination of reverb and delay from a single source is required.
The best EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run settings start with: Repeats at 4/10, Mix at 5/10, Decay at 5/10, Tone at 5/10, Speed at 3/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Post-Rock: Repeats 6/10, Mix 6/10, Decay 7/10, Tone 5/10, Speed 3/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Repeats | 4/10 | Single → Self-Osc |
| Mix | 5/10 | Dry → Wet |
| Decay | 5/10 | Short → Long |
| Tone | 5/10 | Dark → Bright |
| Speed | 3/10 | Slow → Fast |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Higher Repeats and Decay — the Avalanche Run's combined delay+reverb for post-rock swells. Long Decay produces a sustained reverb tail that fills the space between delay repeats. Mix 6 pushes the wet signal forward, creating the immersive, atmospheric texture of post-rock arrangements.
High Repeats approaching self-oscillation, very long Decay — the Avalanche Run for ambient drone and texture applications. Dark Tone at 4 prevents the dense wet signal from becoming harsh. At Repeats 8 the delay begins to build on itself, creating an evolving ambient texture from sustained notes.
Moderate delay and reverb for lead guitar — the Avalanche Run at practical lead settings: enough repeat and reverb to add spatial depth without obscuring note clarity. Tone 6 keeps the lead signal bright and cutting within the reverb/delay wash.
Faster Speed adds a chorus-like pitch wobble to the delay repeats, layering with a substantial reverb Decay for a dense, unstable wash characteristic of shoegaze guitar textures.
With Reverse mode engaged, moderate Repeats and Mix let each backward-swelling repeat read clearly rather than blurring into a wash, best suited to sustained notes and slow melodic lines.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Reverse mode (activated by toggle) produces delay repeats that play backward — each echo sounds like a swelling, reverse attack before the repeat plays. This is a performance effect rather than a utility setting; it works best on sustained notes or slow melodic lines where the reverse character has time to develop.
- Because Decay is independent of the delay Repeats, it is possible to have a short, tight delay with a long reverb tail or the reverse — treat the two as separate creative decisions rather than assuming they need to move together.
- Expression pedal control over Mix or Decay allows building intensity in real time during a performance, particularly effective for ambient and post-rock passages that need to swell gradually rather than jump between fixed settings.
- True stereo operation means this pedal is significantly more spatially convincing through two amps or a stereo interface than in mono — worth the extra cabling for ambient and post-rock applications where the effect is central to the sound.
- Starting with Repeats and Mix both low and building up gradually, rather than starting from a dense preset and trying to simplify, makes it easier to understand exactly how much each control contributes to the combined wash.
FAQ
EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run — Common Questions
Best starting settings for EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run: Repeats at 4/10, Mix at 5/10, Decay at 5/10, Tone at 5/10, Speed at 3/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Post-Rock: Repeats 6/10, Mix 6/10, Decay 7/10, Tone 5/10, Speed 3/10. Higher Repeats and Decay — the Avalanche Run's combined delay+reverb for post-rock swells. Long Decay produces a sustained reverb tail that fills the space between delay repeats. Mix 6 pushes the wet signal forward, creating the immersive, atmospheric texture of post-rock arrangements.
For Ambient: Repeats 8/10, Mix 7/10, Decay 9/10, Tone 4/10, Speed 4/10. High Repeats approaching self-oscillation, very long Decay — the Avalanche Run for ambient drone and texture applications. Dark Tone at 4 prevents the dense wet signal from becoming harsh. At Repeats 8 the delay begins to build on itself, creating an evolving ambient texture from sustained notes.
Repeats: Delay feedback — approaches self-oscillation at maximum. (Single to Self-Osc). Mix: Wet/dry blend of the delay signal. (Dry to Wet). Decay: Reverb decay time — independent from the delay. (Short to Long). Tone: Overall tone of the wet signal. (Dark to Bright). Speed: LFO modulation rate applied to the delay time — creates chorus/shimmer variations. (Slow to Fast)
The Reverse mode (activated by toggle) produces delay repeats that play backward — each echo sounds like a swelling, reverse attack before the repeat plays. This is a performance effect rather than a utility setting; it works best on sustained notes or slow melodic lines where the reverse character has time to develop. Because Decay is independent of the delay Repeats, it is possible to have a short, tight delay with a long reverb tail or the reverse — treat the two as separate creative decisions rather than assuming they need to move together. Expression pedal control over Mix or Decay allows building intensity in real time during a performance, particularly effective for ambient and post-rock passages that need to swell gradually rather than jump between fixed settings. True stereo operation means this pedal is significantly more spatially convincing through two amps or a stereo interface than in mono — worth the extra cabling for ambient and post-rock applications where the effect is central to the sound. Starting with Repeats and Mix both low and building up gradually, rather than starting from a dense preset and trying to simplify, makes it easier to understand exactly how much each control contributes to the combined wash.
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