Digital Delay Questions

[Xandeeno]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

Awesome Thanks, that was really helpful

[Mincer]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

But it isn't that simple. These days, complex digital delays can replicate the softness and round analog delay tone. They can also replicate things like tape wobble, distortion on the repeats, and oscillation. Digital pedals can have very long delay times, too. In an isolated guitar tone, with a few repeats at less than 300ms, it would be impossible for anyone to guess with absolute certainty if the pedal is analog or a digital pedal emulating an analog one.

[GuitarStv]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

But it isn't that simple. These days, complex digital delays can replicate the softness and round analog delay tone. They can also replicate things like tape wobble, distortion on the repeats, and oscillation. Digital pedals can have very long delay times, too. In an isolated guitar tone, with a few repeats at less than 300ms, it would be impossible for anyone to guess with absolute certainty if the pedal is analog or a digital pedal emulating an analog one.

Yep. Boss has been doing this forever. You just put a low pass filter on a digital delay and BAM . . . you've got analog pedal tone. Throw some flanging in - tape wobble.




My advise is always to plug a couple pedals in, screw around with them in the store for a bit, and then pick the one that sounds best to you. At the end of the day delay is delay.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

My advise is always to plug a couple pedals in, screw around with them in the store for a bit, and then pick the one that sounds best to you. At the end of the day delay is delay.

Not a delay fan then?

I personally can’t stand perfect copies in repeats. Darker and darker is good, brighter and brighter is good, modulation, degradation, anything but a pristine repeat.

I am an analog snob, they DO sound better to me... but digital simulations are so good that the difference is nearly negligible solo and not apparent with a band.

[Mincer]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

I like the choice for perfect repeats or not- great for looping. I also like the expression pedal control that many digital pedals allow.

[Old Guy]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

If you want pristine reproduction of your signal at any gain level, I would recommend going digital. The Boss Digital Delays are really the industry standard unless you want to go super high end and get a Strymon.

It's also a matter of how much gain you use. To my ears, analog delays just don't sound good at super high gain levels. It just sounds thick and muddy to me. YMMV

[Nacho8807]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

I had been using a DD-6 for a long time before switching to a Carbon Copy. I sold the DD-6 not thinking I needed it, but honestly I wish I had it back now because they really can be used in different situations. After using both having one of each sounds really ideal to me.

[IMENATOR]

Re: Digital Delay Questions

Can a digital delay like the prophet get a classic analogueish delay sound?
Answer: Don't know about that pedal but there are digital pedals that can do both voices very nice: Digital voice means pristine clean repeats while analog voice means warmer repeats ala Analog Man or Carbon Copy. I use an H2O v3 Chorus/Echo which as an analog voiced digital delay, in a live situation the analog voiced digital pedal works for me just fine so far. I think stereo spread of a rhythmic digital delay can be great too, I plan to get me a versatile digital delay some time.


Also s will it turn my entire signal digital when engaged?
Answer: It depends on the pedal, some have something called analog dry thru which means your dry signal is analog and the repeats come from a digital signal processor (DSP).