The world of effects is a vast and complex one, a world that remains a mystery to many but that we guitarists must master if we are to find our own sound. From wah to reverb, from flange to delay... the possibilities are endless, and this complexity is compounded with each additional link in the chain. Effects are available in many guises today, with rack-mounted devices and software on our computers; however, we will concentrate on good old fashioned pedals.
This time we'll look at delay, which is commonly used across many genres and will find itself on the pedalboard of all of your heroes.
The Science
The delay effect itself is simple – the input signal is recorded to some sort of electronic storage medium and then played back in addition to the input signal. It may be played back only once, or repeatedly so as to create an echoing and decaying delay.
The first delay effects were created with tape loops on reel-to-reel systems. By altering the length of the tape loops and adjusting the heads, engineers could alter the nature of the delay signal. Audio engineers soon got in on the act, creating dedicated audio effects to supplement their use of reverb to create echo effects. First available as rack mounted units from T.C Electronics, the first delay pedal effect was the DD-2 from BOSS in 1982.
In Use
Delay is popular with guitar players in many genres to give depth, and to create distinctive guitar sounds familiar to us today. With the cost of digital storage coming down over time, lengths of delay have increased and we move into the territory of the looper – whole phrases can be recorded and played back, allowing a guitarist to accompany him/herself. Steve Vai uses multiple delays to create a layered sound giving the impression of many guitarists performing. K.T Tunstall is also a good example – performing live and being her own backing band via a loop station. U2's 'Edge' uses delay to create his signature guitar sound (using more than one delay so that the different timings create a rhythm of their own), as do many others. I, like many players, just use delay habitually to the point that a good electric lead tone sounds thin or hollow without it. Flange, Chorus and Reverb are all delay-based sound effects. With flanging and chorus, the delay time is short and modulated. Reverb uses multiple delays and feedback so that individual echoes are blurred together, mimicking the sound of an acoustic space.
Products
Delay pedals come in many guises and at many price points. The Ibanez DE-7 is a good choice for a first foray in to the world of delay. It has a good mix of features and the range of control available means you can dial in many options in what is one of the lowest cost units on the market. The BOSS DD-7 is slightly more expensive, but in common with the rest of the range will probably still be going post-nuclear apocalypse. It too has a range of features but I'd probably recommend the Ibanez over it solely on cost, performance is very similar and I found the number of controls and tweaks available on the DD-7 overwhelming – spending more time messing with delay than actually playing. I personally like the BOSS DD-3, finding the controls intuitive and the effects produced to be usable and versatile, a simpler alternative. If money is no object, the T.C Electronics Nova Delay is pretty much unbeatable in my opinion – studio quality based on the mega-bucks rack units the company is famous for, but then at $345 or £200 list price, it had better be good. I should also note that I broke mine pretty quickly, and went back to the DD-3.
So if you haven't got one in your signal chain already, delay no further.... check out delay. (sorry!)
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