If Someone Knows And Would Help, I Have Questions About Delay Pedals Options

[Charisma]

I have a POD Studio UX2 and it has 8 different delay pedals on it. I haven't really used delay pedals before, so I could really use some help.

It has:

1. Analog Delay with modulation
2. Bubble Echo
3. Digital Delay
4. Echo Platter
5. Low Rez
6. Phaze Echo
7. Tape Echo
8. Tube Echo

There's no instructions at all. I don't know what the settings mean.

A few have things like time, sync, feedback, speed, depth, mix... some others have for example... time, sync, heads, flutter, feedback, mix. There are other settings on some of the others too.

I hate to be ignorant, but I just haven't learned this yet.

Can anyone help me to understand these settings? I want to learn to use a delay in my playing. I play mostly rock, 80's hair band/glam type.

I also want to try to match the sound on this lesson, Desert Blues.
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Desert-Blues/
Lale said that he used a Stock Nuendo delay, 1/4 sync, which kind of went over my head.

If there's any questions just ask.

I'd like to know which delay to use and what settings would be good.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Charisma

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[Mudbone]

Different delay pedals have different names for the same functions, so I'll just tell you the main functions of a delay pedal and hopefully you can figure it out.

The first function is choosing how long you want the signal delayed, this is usually adjusted in increments of milliseconds. This can also be adjusted with a tap tempo. A tap tempo allows you to adjust the delay by tapping on a button to the rhythm you want it adjusted to. So for example, if you want the signal adjusted in 1/4 notes, just tap on the button on the 1, 2, 3 and 4 beat.

The second function is how many times you want the delay to repeat. You can have it repeat once or however many times the certain pedal you're using can handle.

The third feature is how loud you want the delayed signal to be. You can choose for it to be as loud as the original signal, or it can be faint and in the background.

With the exception of the tap tempo, these are the main features you'll find on just about every delay pedal, digital or analog.

edit: Just would like to add one more thing, many of those types of delays you listed are supposed to be simulations of actual pedals. So just try to imagine the real thing when you're using it. For example, the tape echo is supposed to replicate an old delay unit that used a magnetic tape (similar to a cassette tape). So "flutter" I guess is supposed to replicate the sound of the tape fluttering inside an actual vintage tape delay pedal.

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This post has been edited by Mudbone: Apr 23 2011, 06:24 PM

[Charisma]

Thanks a lot Mudbone

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[Ivan Milenkovic]

I have a POD Studio UX2 and it has 8 different delay pedals on it. I haven't really used delay pedals before, so I could really use some help.

It has:

1. Analog Delay with modulation
2. Bubble Echo
3. Digital Delay
4. Echo Platter
5. Low Rez
6. Phaze Echo
7. Tape Echo
8. Tube Echo

There's no instructions at all. I don't know what the settings mean.

1. Analog delay is the kind of delay where repeats have rolled off treble response. This means they are becoming increasingly muddier with each repeat. These delays were popular when microchips started to be used in pedals instead of tape echos, like they existed before. These chips could repeat the signal, but with small imperfections, thus the hi frequency roll off in repeats. Although it has imperfections, it is still praised because of it's natural character compared to digital hi-fi delay. This is due to the fact that space introduces similar effect in nature (walls and surfaces absorb some of the high frequencies and they reflect the lower end of the spectrum more frequently). Today, analog technology is outdated, and it has more of a collector and nostalgic value.

You can use analog delay in vintage type situations, or acoustic situations, or somewhere where you need those warm and natural repeats. Since the repeats are not that edgy, they have harder time cutting through the mix then hi-fi (digital) ones, so they might not be the best choice when you have a busy arrangement going on.

Modulation on analog delay means that some type of modulation effect is introduced on the repeats. Usually it's the chorus effect, and it is usually introduced only on repeats, while the original signal stays transparent. This option is usually used by players to emulate the tape delay effect to some extent, since tape delays have some modulation characteristics.
Some hi-end analog delay units (such as Moogefooger MF-104Z) even have a built-in loop, where you can introduce any FX chain on the repeats.

Digital delay is the kind of delay that uses repeats of hi fidelity. These repeats are made to sound exactly like the original signal. Digital delay is more louder, it better cuts through the mix, but it doesn't sound too natural, and leaves the impression of a "cold" space. These are the spaces with flat and hard surfaces that allow more reflections. It doesn't sound like "home", but they cut well through the mix

2. Bubble Echo
5. Low Rez
6. Phaze Echo are delay effects that have some type of effect added on repeats. Not sure about the bubble one, but low rez has narrowed down sound range, both hipass and lowpass filter added. Phaze echo has phasing modulation effect added on repeats.

Tape Echo: is vintage-style echo, that used magnetic tapes and multiple write and read heads. It's a complicated mechanism of synced heads that write the signal on a small loop of tape which turns at declared speed, and other heads read it some milliseconds after the write heads record them. This creates delays. Although tape echos are really outdated technology from the 50ties (they didn't have anything better then!), they have strong nostalgic and collectors value today. The effect alone is praised because of it's imperfections that somewhat remind of imperfections of echoes in the real world. The tape introduces artifacts on repeats like: mild modulation, flutter, pitch bending, lowpass and hipass filtering. Tape can also introduce some natural (even-spaced) harmonics, which sound more musical to human ear. Tape echo artifacts cannot be easily emulated with even today's technology, since they are very complicated and random.

Tube Echo means that the delay unit has a preamp that is tube-powered. Vintage Tape Echo units usually had tubes, and tubes generate something that people perceive as "warmth" or "pleasant" sound. This is due to the fact that tubes are resistant to clipping to some extent, and generate even-spaced harmonics when in overdrive that form harmonics in the upper range of the spectrum that are in close match with the original signal. Although people do not hear these ultra high frequency notes, they are added as "color" to original tone, thus creating a nice sound (very much like you can blow in a blues harp, and create a chord with several notes ringing, only tubes create much higher tones with the original tone).

A few have things like time, sync, feedback, speed, depth, mix... some others have for example... time, sync, heads, flutter, feedback, mix. There are other settings on some of the others too.

time is the distance between two repeats, it's usually in milliseconds (ms), but if delay has tap tempo option, you can tap the time yourself. In this case, you can program the delay to calculate the millisecond range itself, based on the given note duration (delay can create whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eight notes and so on). Usually people tap with the beat, creating delay that is synced with the tempo of the song, which creates more pleasant feel for the listener (the repeats follow the beat).

Feedback controls the amount of repeats, it can span from 1 repeat to infinite number of repeats. On analog delay units, you can overdrive the unit with repeats, which is unique for this type of delay.

Speed and depth are modulation controls, with speed you control how often the modulation is happening (usually in milliseconds), and with depth you control how big (pronounced) is the modulation is.
Mixcontrols the volume of the effect, compared to a input signal.

Time is usually time signature in tap-tempo mode, where you tap with your foot, and the unit repeats the amount of notes you tap in. If you set the unit on 1/4, it will sync your repeats every time you tap a foot. If you set it to 1/8, it will sync your repeats that occur twice in between your taps etc..

Heads and Flutter are controls for tape echo. You can emulate multiple heads, which means you get dual tape delay. Flutter is an imperfection of a tape echo, effect added naturally because of the nature of a tape medium and tape mechanism.

Can anyone help me to understand these settings? I want to learn to use a delay in my playing. I play mostly rock, 80's hair band/glam type.

During 80ties there was a boom of digital devices, so my direction of thoughts would be: in order to sound authentic, digital delay will complement nicely. Start with a simple 250ms digital delay, and go from there. Since you will use distortion, this delay will cut nicely too.

I also want to try to match the sound on this lesson, Desert Blues.
https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Desert-Blues/
Lale said that he used a Stock Nuendo delay, 1/4 sync, which kind of went over my head.

I'd like to know which delay to use and what settings would be good.

I have made this lesson with Lale, and we put digital delay there. I used Nuendo software for recording, and there is a delay effect that comes with this program. Since it comes with the package, it's probably referred as "stock delay effect" of Nuendo by Lale.

1/4 sync means that Lale is playing in a tempo, against a click (you can hear a quiet hihat in the main video), and the repeats occur on every quarter note. This is why they sound nicely with it's playing, because they are synced with the tempo and his way of playing notes.

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