Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

[IMENATOR]

I have never been a delay user and want to get started, to me the market seems to be divided by analog-analog delays with no tap tempo and digital-taptempo delays. So tonewise I get the differences between analog and digital but then enter the dilema of the tap tempo. It is clear to me you can have delay set on the fly with tap tempo for delays that you want to really really be clearly heard and match the song tempo, like reinforcing the rythm, but I think those can also be the delays people say can stay in the way of your playing. There are other sounds like Eric Johnson clean tone that he uses a delay with no tap tempo, it does not change the delay length from song to song and it still sound nice and adds some depth to the clean sound and still when combined with chorus it does not sound like he has too much but just enough to sound like heaven.

So tell me on how you use delays with no tap temp, or how you can get away with a nice sound while keeping your delay time fixed among different songs? I am asuming you use one single delay pedal and no fancy presents like strymon timeline.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

Analogue delays tend to offer only relatively short repeat time settings. As in the EJ example, even when not synchronised to the tempo of a song, these manage to blend in. Doesn't seem to matter whether it is tape, BBD or magnetic disc à la Binson Echorec.

 

[johnthomas]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

I have never been a delay user and want to get started, to me the market seems to be divided by analog-analog delays with no tap tempo and digital-taptempo delays. So tonewise I get the differences between analog and digital but then enter the dilema of the tap tempo. It is clear to me you can have delay set on the fly with tap tempo for delays that you want to really really be clearly heard and match the song tempo, like reinforcing the rythm, but I think those can also be the delays people say can stay in the way of your playing. There are other sounds like Eric Johnson clean tone that he uses a delay with no tap tempo, it does not change the delay length from song to song and it still sound nice and adds some depth to the clean sound and still when combined with chorus it does not sound like he has too much but just enough to sound like heaven.

So tell me on how you use delays with no tap temp, or how you can get away with a nice sound while keeping your delay time fixed among different songs? I am asuming you use one single delay pedal and no fancy presents like strymon timeline.

Hi IMENATOR,
As mentioned previously, most analog delays tend to have short maximum delay time, so can usually blend in...I will go further and say one can use this idea up to approx 1000ms on analog or digital delays for a super reverb sort of effect. This sounds like the type you express admiration about... At 1000ms one simply adds less delay volume. I generally find that this comes out to be around 22% of the total signal volume. In analog world this is around 1/4 to 1/3 of possible output.
I presently use a tech21 flyrig5, which has analog delay and a tap tempo. Tap tempo is useful for higher signal strength delays. Digital tempo is great for recording, because when entered as a millisecond number, the delay virtually disappears except as a fattener if the user has calculated delay time by tempo time. There are free calculator apps available online for this function.
That said, do not give up on finding a tap tempo delay for live use...it is just easier...lol

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[blueman335]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

I prefer analog without tap tempo. I like a soft repeat or two with solos, to make them sound bigger. For some genres and styles, longer delays can be used effectively, especially to fill in space. I've heard some nice stuff done with them. But there's times and places where long delays can create a jumble if the player isn't careful. Overall, I get much more use from a short delay; you can use it more often for more things.

For longer delays, to me nothing beats the wonderful rich sound of decaying repeats (I grew up in the tape echo era).

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

I've never felt the need for my repeats to be in time with the song. In fact, I prefer the repeats ... and tremolo waves as well, to be completely unsynchronized with the beat of the song.

I you want long delay times (up tp 900 ms) with analog warmth and no tap tempo the Maxon AD999 is your baby. It is a little too dark for my taste but it is high quality and very precise.

 

[hydro]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

I have a TC Flashback 4. It has tap tempo but I never use it; with 3 presets I can get a couple different tempos and different delay sounds.

Another approach is - get two delays, one set to a slapback and the other to a longer delay. I did this for a while until I got the flashback 4.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

Delay is simple. Twist the rate/time knob until it locks to your tempo...then set level and repeats to taste. Ain't no mystery 'bout it.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

For me, it's as simple as if the delay is supporting what I'm playing, or an in-your-face signature effect. In the latter, I'll generally tap the tempo, but in the former just grab a reasonable delay time and low mix.


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[Chickenwings]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

Ive got one of those deja vu delays with the tap tempo and it works well. Especially nice to have the ratio knob.
However, at gigs i just use a boss analog delay cos i only use two settings. One is a slapback and the other is 300ms, 4 (ish) repeats and a low mix. It is really just a glorified extra long reverb/ambience sound.
I find that with delays, i start getting all wound up if i worry about syncing tempos and stuff, plus I hate it when the effect becomes part of the song. I prefer to have a much looser feel with less fidelity and precision, which leaves more room for playing with dynamics and tempos. The last thing i want is to sound like I'm in some kind of new age praise and worship band.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

For short washes, I don't need tap tempo. The Vapor Trail is perfect for this. For long delays (I LOVE long delays), it is essential, as is controlling the feedback and delay level with an expression pedal.

 

[devastone]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

I presently use a tech21 flyrig5, which has analog delay and a tap tempo.

The FlyRig delay is based on the Boost DLA which is a great delay, but it is an analog voiced digital delay not a true analog delay.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

Got some of the first back then....2290 and a DD-5....
Used the tap for awhile....got somewhat annoyed with the idea, and removed the footswitch for the DD-5, on the 2290 I went back to presets.
Later I sold the 2290 for a fortune, and went back to my old Ibanez digital delay and a Boss DD-2.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

Every once in a while I'll come across a song which, when playing live, you have those short moments of mid-song "silence" where it's nice to have the delay be in sync with the tempo of the song so it trails off in time... but only every once in a while!

For the most part I just like to set it and forget it... like a fancy reverb.

I kinda dig longer times with a little louder mix for a clean, ethereal effect for some songs, but for the most part I just like screwing around with those at home. I've also found times that it's nice to set the tempo to be in sync for solo acoustic stuff, especially when fingerpicking, as it gives a feeling of two guitars playing slightly different chord shapes.

Bottom line: I like having a tap tempo available, but I wouldn't by any means consider it a necessity... at least not for my style of playing.


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[Diego]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

I'm a "set and forget" kind of guy with a delay. But then, I just use it as spice, I don't play WITH the delay.
If you do play with the delay (think The Edge) then you'll need tap-tempo. If you just want to make things spacier, then you probably don't.

I've used a modest EHX Memory Toy for years and love the dark tone/volume boost it has. I recently tried a Flashback X4 and loved it as well. Sounds wonderful.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

I'm a "set and forget" kind of guy with a delay. But then, I just use it as spice, I don't play WITH the delay.

Same here. I don't want to have delay on all night at a gig, but it can really make a solo shine. With all the different tempos of the songs you play, it can muddy up the chords on some songs. I use a little overdrive and reverb all the time; any other effect is used in moderation. It can quickly be tiring to listen to. I've heard bands that use chorus all night and it's not enjoyable. Anything can be overdone, and a player with good ears knows that.

 

[johnthomas]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

The FlyRig delay is based on the Boost DLA which is a great delay, but it is an analog voiced digital delay not a true analog delay.

Whoa...it took about a half hour of rereading every scrap of text from tech21 + reviews to verify this, because the flyrig5 boasts an all analog signal path, but you are indeed correct. This thing sure sounds analog to my ears and I engineered sound samples for gigastudio/ et al for years.
Getting back to the thread...Even I find that getting a good "super reverb" setting and then NOT using any tap tempo is easy and what I actually do most of the time.

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[devastone]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

Yeah, sorry to bust your bubble on that, but the sound is what matters! And those FlyRigs sound great, I have been tempted many times.

As far as tap tempo, I have a Flashback but never use the tap tempo, I generally just use it to fatten solos and such. If I had enough coordination to set tempos on the fly I would have been a drummer :jester:

 

[Mincer]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

The FlyRig is indeed, a great pedal. The delay on that is wonderful.

 

[ant_riv]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

Everyone else has done a great job explaining the why.

I use two delays, one for a slapback effect, reverb-ish and the other for a longer trail. As mentioned by others, I set the volume of the repeats so they are barely audible, with a higher feedback amount so they are felt more than heard. Too loud and the sound gets muddy and the guitar can get lost in the mix. We don't do any songs where I need an audible, pronounced, syncopated delay (like Edge would use). If we did, I would use tap-tempo to make sure the delay was in sync.

In a real reflective room, I usually won't even turn them on, as the room adds all the ambience I need.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Educate me on delay pedals tap tempo. Why you don't need it?

To be honest I don't like taptempo much....
All this sterile perfection, syncing and so on....
No no give me a mountainrange for that real echo.....
And big hall for that natural reverb.....modernist comfortist crap...go away!