Old Blood Noise Endeavors OBNE Black Fountain Stereo Delay

The OBNE Black Fountain Stereo isn’t just the original Black Fountain with stereo outputs.

The oil can delay model is now rebuilt around a dual delay line architecture, with independent left and right delays. The good news is it hasn’t lost its character. It’s still an oil can delay at heart. Warm, modulated, quirky, and rooted in its mechanical origins.

The Black Fountain has been part of Old Blood Noise Endeavors’ lineup since the very beginning. This is a worthy update.

Control stereo spread and diffusion with the new Space control. Left and right channel delay times are independent, modulation capability is expanded, and the whole thing now has full MIDI and expression control.

OBNE Black Fountain V3 vs Black Fountain Stereo — What’s Changed?

The original and V2&3 were mono only, with a single delay line. The Stereo has independent left and right delay lines, each with their own subdivisions, creating complex stereo rhythmic echoes that weren’t possible before.

Previous versions had no MIDI, presets, or expression input beyond a basic tap tempo. The Stereo adds 127 MIDI-accessible presets, three directly accessible onboard presets, and expression control over every knob.

The Space control is entirely new — it shapes the stereo spread of the delays in stereo mode, or routes the delay lines in different configurations in mono.

The Grit control is also new as a dedicated knob, giving you proper hands-on control over the saturation of the repeats.

And it’s quieter. Whilst we all expect a bit of noise from models of older analogue kit, the lower noise floor on the Stereo is very welcome.

Controls

• Rate and Depth: Set the modulation on the delay repeats. For zero modulation, turn Depth all the way down.
• Tone: Sets the delay warmth by adding low pass filtering — warmest settings are anticlockwise. At higher clockwise settings, a high pass filter engages to cut some low end out.
• Grit: Sets the saturation of the delay, from clean to dirty.
• Time L and Time R: Set the delay time of the left and right repeats independently. Holding the Tap/Aux switch while turning either knob sets the delay subdivision instead — six options per channel from sixteenth to quarter note.
• Feedback: Sets the feedback, which varies depending on routing. In MISO or Stereo, the delays feed back into each other, creating a ping-pong effect. In parallel mono or single repeat mono, they feed back into themselves.
• Space: In stereo and MISO modes, spaces the repeats out in the stereo field — close together anticlockwise, full stereo width at noon, with diffusion introduced past noon for an increasingly washed-out spread. In Mono mode, it assigns the routing of the two delay lines between Single Repeat, Parallel Mono, and Series Mono configurations.
• Dry and Wet: Set the volume of the dry and wet signals respectively.
• Tap/Aux switch: Press to set tap tempo. Hold to indefinitely sustain the delay at maximum feedback until released.
• Bypass footswitch: Tap to latch, hold for momentary action.

Setup, Presets, and Routing

There are three onboard presets. Routing (Mono, Stereo, or Mono-In-Stereo-Out) is set by holding the Bypass switch and pressing Preset to cycle through options.

Bypass mode (true bypass or trails) is set using the Preset switch in the same menu. Both routing and bypass settings save globally.

Expression is assigned by turning any knob while holding the Bypass footswitch — the position when you press becomes the heel value, when you release becomes the toe value. Saves per-preset.

If you need to start fresh, factory reset is straightforward — hold Bypass and Aux for ten seconds.

Note: the USB socket is solely for future firmware updates and has no current operational function.

Power and Connections

Black Fountain Stereo requires a 9V DC centre-negative supply at 350mA — not included.

Who Is This For?

The Black Fountain Stereo suits players who want delay with character — warm, slightly worn, and full of movement. Analogue in feel, and very different from the clinical precision of a digital delay.

The stereo architecture makes it a worthwhile step up. Independent left and right delay times combined with the Space control’s spread and diffusion capabilities open up a lot of delay possibilities that the mono versions simply couldn’t reach.

Worth taking a look at its stablemates too — the Dark Star Stereo and Sunlight Stereo reverbs share the same architecture and pair particularly well with the Black Fountain on an ambient board.

Watch It In Action

FAQs