Too many delays?

[devnulljp]

...is it curable?
And thing is they keep getting bigger.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2807204701_3119ebe710.jpg
Boss DSD-2 great 12-bit digital delay/(crappy) sampler
Retro-Sonic BBD Analogue delay
Digitech PSD8000 Echo-plus Digital delay/sampler/looper
EHC DMM
DL4 modeller/looper
Echoplex EP-4 -- nothing sounds like tape delay...although the DL4 is sure easier to carry.

Anyone else?

[mario]

Wow...that's a lot. LOL, all I have is a Boss DD-3. Seriously though, how do you like the Echoplex? I know they sound great but I have been told they can be a pain to maintain.

[Milkman]

Although delay has always been my favourite effect, when it comes to playing in the context of an ensemble I use very little of it, generally none at all.

One is certainly enough for me. I prefer a nice clean digital, programmable unit.

I've had tape units incluing echoplex's, Roland Space Echos and another brand I can't remember. When analog came out I was all for it and promptly got rid of my tape unit. Then digital came along and again I moved on.

I know lots of folks enjoy the old technology. To me, the "warmth" people refer to is simply distortion, and I'm happy to live without it.

Just my tastes of course.

[Stratin2traynor]

I sold most of mine. I still have a DD-20, Magicstomp and Guyatone MD-3 (for sale). Sold: DMM, Nova Delay, DD-3 (miss that one).

How do you like the Retro-Sonic?

[Paul]

To me, the "warmth" people refer to is simply distortion, and I'm happy to live without it.

Just my tastes of course.

When you get right down to it, EQ is a form of distortion. :smile:

I think the "warmth" we were weaned on with tape based echo was the high freq loss with each successive echo. The first digital units didn't have that, each successive echo was identical, except quieter. That gave our conditioned/trained ears a sense of either hi-fi, brittleness, or "cleaness", depending on our predispositions.

In the context of a busy mix, it doesn't matter too much what kind of delay you are working with. The more sparse the production, the more the subtle differences in the choice of fx matters.

YMMV.

Right now I've got a DM-3, and H2O Liquid Chorus Delay, and I'm building a BYOC Ping-Pong delay. They all have their place, usually in the closet.:smile:

[mhammer]

I have a (now busted) Echo Park, a Vantage rackmount that I modded for more delay, a blue MXR Digital Delay, a Lexicon MXP-100 rack unit with plenty of delays, a Behringer multi-FX rack unit with assorted delays, a DOD floor unit with 1sec delay, a Zoom amp modeller with delays, am finishing up a DM-3 clone, and a rack unit I'm making with a pair of 800ms digital delays that can be cross-linked in interesting ways (e.g., regen tap of delay 1 goes to input/recirculation-point of delay 2).

I intend to use up all my BBD and digital delay chips at some point, and then take a rest. But, until then, it's nice to have more.

[bagpipe]

I use a Digitech Digidelay and so far I've been very happy with it. It has a Tape Delay setting which sounds great, and I generally leave it there. However, I'm finding that I'd like to have something with some presets. A couple of our songs require a much longer delay and I'd like to be able to select a preset, rather than manually screwing around to try and get it right.

Other than splurging a small fortune on a Eventide Timefactor or an Empress Superdelay, is there anything cheaper which has presets?

[iaresee]

Other than splurging a small fortune on a Eventide Timefactor or an Empress Superdelay, is there anything cheaper which has presets?
DD-20, DL-4, SMMw/H -- all have preset storage. All pale in comparison to those two delays you're avoiding though. :)

I'm really GAS'ing for the new Line6 M13. Aside from being a very cool grab-and-go box and sounding pretty good it'll let you run 4 DL4 modules, sync'ed and cascaded into each other. :eek: I don't know how I'd use that, but some part of me wants to be able to try and find out.

[mhammer]

I was flipping through a 1983 issue of POLYPHONY the other day, while looking for something, and came across an ad for an Electro-Harmonix 64-second Looping Delay recorder.

Sixty-four seconds of delay in 1983, at maybe 1khz bandwidth (and probably no more than 10 or 12-bit resolution), cost enough in DRAM at those prices, to warrant a price tag around the $1500 mark...in 1983 dollars. Probably used as much RAM as the typical tricked out desktop computer of the time, or maybe more. Remember that the 16-bit address bus of most CPUs dictated that 64k was pretty much our ceiling at that time.

Multiple delays, in tandem with mixers, ARE ultra-cool, so your curiosity is not unwarranted. While my Echo Park was working, I had a gas using its stereo properties, by taking one output, processing it a little more and feeding that back to the other input channel. I brought my EP and Liqui-Flange (which also has stereo in/out and "reflange" capability) to a buddy's band practice, and we set those two suckers up for a sort of infinite reprocessing with a slow flange. All you had to do was hit a chord, and you could take the rest of the day off and listen as it kept transfroming with each repeat.

The EP, of course, is not "true" stereo, so I imagine having several delays that permit you to take a tap, process it in some manner, re-delay it further, and blend it back in later, would provide for some fascinating experiences. That's one of the things that has kept this dual-delay project of mine alive, despite the burden.

[devnulljp]

Glad I'm not alone. I think Milkman's onto something with the warmth thing - one of the great things about the early Boss digital delays -- the D(s)D2/3 is they're 12 bit, so the delay degenerates a bit. I had another one years ago, can't remember the model #, but it was too clean and very 80s sounding.
The RetroSonic has a tone control on the repeats, so you can darken them up to taste...it's a nice effect on the echo. For some reason -- and I might be doing Skinner's superstitious pigeon thing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.F._Skinner) -- it didn't like the old Marsland speakers in my Traynors. The repeats just went to mush and I thought it might be broken in some way. But the problem disappeared when I replaced the speakers w/ decent ones. Weird. It's a great delay though, although I find the short delay switch to be kinda useless as it always dumps you into a rockabilly slapback thing. It would be nice if you could set the ratio of the delay time rather than only 1/2.

I just got the EP in a trade, and I love the sound. We'll see how I hold up under the maintenance needs. I even read about Eric Johnson contemplating getting rid of his EPs and moving to modellers becasue of that, and i'm sure he has a crew to take care of such things. But side by side, the DL4 tape delay setting doesn't really sound like it -- although the DL4 is supposed to emulate an EP1 or 3, while this is an EP4. It's sure pretty though :D
I was expecting to be reallyblown away by the DMM, but that hasn't happened (yet). It sounds good, but I guess I'm spoiled for choice?
DL4 is sure convenient.
Still learning how to fly the PS8000 - works great as a looper.

Running in stereo with a different delay on each side can get interesting -- or mushy and chaotic depending how you do it. I'd love to be able to get those huge textural landscapes that Bill Frisell and Robin Guthrie manage to control so well. Here's the reason I bought the Digitech:

Svzv-YkUzdk

[shoretyus]

All you had to do was hit a chord, and you could take the rest of the day off


OOh perfect for those not so fun gigs :smilie_flagge17:

[hollowbody]

I've had a DM-3 and an Ibanez DML-20 III in the past, so I've pretty much covered one of the best analog delays ever, as well as one of the best digital modulation delays.

Right now I'm in the midst of a massive pedalboard overhaul (funny how when you change bands that happens) and now I'm sporting a new (to me) EHX DMM, which I've been playing with non-stop the last few days trying to figure out how it works, and how to get it sounding best for what I play. It's a brilliant little machine! It's the only delay I have right now, but I can't imagine needing more.

On an aside, my gf is looking for a nice cheap delay, and I was thinking of a DD-3, but I wanted to know if you guys have any experience with the Behringer knock-offs of the Boss delays, or even their take on the DMM. Are they any good at all, or just poorly executed copies?

[devnulljp]

On an aside, my gf is looking for a nice cheap delay, and I was thinking of a DD-3, but I wanted to know if you guys have any experience with the Behringer knock-offs of the Boss delays, or even their take on the DMM. Are they any good at all, or just poorly executed copies?The DD-2 & 3 (same pedal, different branding) and the DSD-2 are my favourite Boss delays. Not as clinical as the later ones -- I think because of the 12bit processing.
The little Guyatone delay gets good reviews too ,and is small, cheap, and no frills. I think Stratin2traynor has one for sale maybe?

EDIT: I knew I'd seen one on the board somewhere: http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=16015

[hollowbody]

The DD-2 & 3 (same pedal, different branding) and the DSD-2 are my favourite Boss delays. Not as clinical as the later ones -- I think because of the 12bit processing.
The little Guyatone delay gets good reviews too ,and is small, cheap, and no frills. I think Stratin2traynor has one for sale maybe?

EDIT: I knew I'd seen one on the board somewhere: http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=16015

Yeah, I caught that one earlier, but I have no experience with it at all, so I'll have to track one down in a store before I make a move on it.

[Buzz]

I've got my share of delays:

Aria AD-10 Analog Delay- two stage delay, this is the coolest delay pedal! You can have your regular delay , say a slapback echo, then press and hold down the pedal switch to have the second delay kick in which has its own small knob, then release pedal switch to go back to your original echo.

Electro Harmonix -4 knob deluxe Memory Man, sweet sounding analog delay.

Boss dd-3- nice bright echo.

Coming soon... Fender Echo Reverb III -oil can reverb /delay. So I ordered some oil for this thing and I really hope it works. It should sound amazing.

[Ripper]

I've got an old PAX tape echo unit, an ibaneze DE-7, Danelectro Dan Echo, Danelectro PB&J, a Boss SE-50, and a Boss DD-6.

I don't use delay as much as some people, but I do like goofing around with them too.