The advantage of multi-effects pedals is that they combine all of your effects into one hub, saving space on your pedalboard and making it easier to quickly toggle through each setting. There was a problem. It has a limited number of controls, but theres a lot that can be done when they are used in various combinations. The easy to use nature of this pedal combined with its wide array of delay creating potential makes it a worthy addition to any guitarists pedalboard. Subtler sounds are harder to muster. And all of this for less than $50, whats not to love about this delay pedal? The Discoverer doesnt offer any huge twists on the analogue delay format, however its neat enclosure and wide range of sounds will appeal to many and its square in the more affordable end of this list. Who is this best suited for: Pysch-rock guitarists who want to create soundscapes. Controls: Delay time, feedback, tone, regeneration, modulation depth and rate, dip switch array for expression/ramp operation You see, there's nothing quite as exciting, expressive or dynamic as a delay pedal. Who is this best suited for: Id recommend the DD-8 for guitarists who have experience using multi-effects pedals. Tap Tempo: No Now that youve learned the basics about delay pedals, you might be wondering which particular ones will produce the sounds youre looking for. Guitar World is supported by its audience. Who is this best suited for: Guitarists who want to use multiple delay settings during a show will find the Empress Tape Delay to be very useful. Despite the limited number of things to turn and press, the pedal isnt limited in its variety of sounds, with up to 600ms delay time allowing for psychedelic swirls or funky slapback. Due to the multitude of effects available, the options available to you will most likely be reduced, so if youre looking solely for a delay pedal its probably best to overlook one which has a combination of audio processing options and instead choose a more specific model. published 1 March 22, Whether you prefer digital or analog delay pedals, the options in this round-up will help boost your creativity on the guitar. The feedback setting should be turned down so that sound isnt repeated multiple times. If you've already got the basics covered, then a more out there delay could spark some needed inspiration in your rig. Where the Yellow Fall really shows its class is when you start to play around with the three basic controls. Power packs are particularly useful because they can be fixed permanently to your pedal board, so all you need to do is plug it into the mains and all of your pedals are ready to go. These are just a couple of the almost infinite ways you can use one of the best delay pedals to bring your playing to life. Bottom Line: At $250, this pedal is more expensive than many of the other options Ive reviewed so far. With a tap tempo switch and true bypass in the bottom corners of the pedal, you get complete control over the tempo and output of the pedal. Many of these pedals are compatible with USB so you can connect to a computer and tweak their settings within your preferred DAW. This digital pedal has a massive 11 classic delay types which cover all of the classic sounds of days gone by with more modern, processed variations. Donner Yellow Fall Vintage Analog (Best Value), 3. Ambient delay pedals should come with a disclaimer you may lose many hours of your life sitting in a trance experimenting with the psychedelic sounds they create. The second is layered over the top and can be reproduced either as triplets, dotted 8th notes, or a self-oscillating dotted 8th pattern which is ideal for psychedelic music. Just next to the delay level control, there is a small switch with three settings: 60s tape, 70s analog, and 80s digital. Mono or stereo: Mono The sounds are solid, with a good range of user-tweakable options, and the delays themselves never stray into brittle territory, keeping a warm, organic timbre whatever the patch. This is a great way to work on a melody for a chord sequence you have written, or you can use it to create a wall of atmospheric delay sounds. Bottom Line: The Boss DD-7 is the complete package and easily one of the best delay pedals for the money. Tap tempo: Yes Bottom Line: Probably the pedal with the most functions out of all of the options on this list, the DD-8 is akin to having Ableton or Logic on your pedalboard. As you can see, Electro Harmonix has packed this pedal full of every variation of delay imaginable. Its especially effective when linked with a tap tempo footswitch. The Rowin Analogue Vintage Delay is more than just a budget option though. If all the control is a little intimidating and youre not sure where youd start, Eventide provides 100 presets to get you going. If you intend to use your delay pedal for recording via a D.I, this is an awesome option for the studio due to its low noise output. They tend to be relatively niche, and it's a deep rabbit hole to venture down, but here we're thinking about pedals like the Montreal Assembly Count to Five, the Catalinbread CSIDMAN, the Red Panda Particle and others. My Review: Next we have a truly brilliant delay pedal from TC-electronics. Its hard to categorize the DD-500 as a pedal, because it is so immersive and detailed that it feels more like a piece of software. Keep in mind that none of the above features make a pedal better or worse but they do affect the kinds of sound it is suited for. + Chaotic self-oscillation and modulation is an option Although Koogo is a relatively new manufacturer of pedals, that isnt reflected in the overall performance of the Analog Delay. The Starlight echo station leverages huge digital power for some seriously great sounds, made all the more appealing by the lack of menu-diving. Description: Multi-function delay pedal with MIDI support Some, like the Boss DD-3, DD-5 and DD-6, deliver a distinctive tone of their own that sits somewhere between clinical and the darker, grungier tone of an analog delay. A common issue with pedals that dont have built-in tap tempo is that your delay can drift out of time with the tempo of the song youre playing. My Review: Another offering from renowned effects pedal manufacturers TC-Electronic, is their Flashback Delay. This is basically an electronic hub that has multiple powered outputs of varying voltages. My Review: The Wampler Ethereal Delay Pedal is both aesthetically pleasing and sonically satisfying. Still to this day many musicians and producers prefer to use tape delays in their recordings due to their authentic, vintage sound. Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*, US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year, UK pricing 2.99 per month or 29.00 per year, Europe pricing 3.49 per month or 34.00 per year, *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription. This extensive research period resulted in three different variations of tape machines being installed into the pedal. This is a small chip that transmits the analog signal through a number of capacitors at one step for every clock cycle. The presets are high quality and this pedal encourages you to create your own sounds which can be a valuable learning experience. However, this Donner pedal only has three, two of which are a form of delay. Buying one of the best delay pedals for your setup has to be one of the most exciting pedal purchases you can make as a guitarist. The simplicity really means that theres just very little in between you and excellent delay sounds, ranging from springy slapback to the more destructive longer delay times, thanks to a pair of MN3205 bucket-brigade chips. Description: Dual analogue delay with modulation and reverb This creates a variety of delay tones, ranging from sparkling clarity to dark and chaotic. This pedal uses an all-analog dry path, but it also has many modern options. The inclusion of Sound on Sound further emulates an original tape machine by recording the audio then allowing you to choose the length of the delay, before triggering it back out through your amplifier. Doubling echo is another popularly featured variety on delay pedals. Or a two piece with just a drummer and guitarist. Responsible for some of the most innovative pedals ever made, EHX has carried their decades of sound-sculpting knowledge into the Canyon Delay and looper pedal. Many multi-effects pedals are large in dimensions, but somehow despite the variety of options, this pedal wont take up much space on your board. Price: 189 / $199 Ive been playing guitar since I was 13 years old and am an avid collector. James Farmer + Has its own distinct character Ive fallen victim to some cheap alternatives which have stopped working after a short period of use before, simply because I didnt research whether the brand had a solid reputation. Although it shines when used for a variety of different uses, it's probably most at home in the shoegaze, dream pop and ambient genres, even cropping up on a lot of post-rock guitarists' pedalboards. The 5 controls on the face of the pedal allow you to adjust the feedback, tone, delay mix, delay amount, and reverb mix. However, with both modulation controls at zero, the pedal is a straightforward analogue delay with the added bonus of a secondary output jack for just your dry signal. The Space Delay has everything from 'tape' warble and analog style saturation to heavily oscillating atmospheric delay and even more - all from a limited control panel which features time, feedback, level, pattern and modulation controls. Recording with the Carbon copy straight into a direct output produces some interesting results. Theres also an LED indicator which shows the working state of the pedal, and three function knobs for controlling the echo, feedback, and delay time. Controls: Time, repeats, mix, tweak (plus mini toggle for modulation, tone and age), program, attack, A/B/C memory bank selector switch, quarter, eighth and dotted eighth division switch. Bypass: True or Buffered bypass The advantage of these smaller sized pedals is that they take up minimal space on your pedalboard. In some ways, calling this pedal digital is slightly misleading. By tweaking the echo, feedback, and time you can create tight slapback delays or long, spacey effects and basically everything in between. Each of these effects has its own separate footswitch, and three control knobs to manipulate the sounds. Mono or stereo: Stereo Price: 359 / $399 If you feel abject terror when you look upon a behemothic multi-footswitch delay pedal with a thousand onboard presets, full MIDI connectivity and knobs for wash, spin, rinse and dry, the simple-to-use MXR Carbon Copy could be for you. Saving presets allows you to fine-tune your delay settings then store them within the pedals memory so that you can easily access them again. One of the most interesting types of delay which is commonly found on a pedal is reverse delay. Digital delay pedals come very close to reproducing analog tape delay, but there is an undeniable charm associated with the original method which still sounds great decades after its discovery. Not only can you create a variety of delay effects, but you can also use it as a songwriting tool. The October 2021 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! On the left side of the pedal, you have all of the necessary delay controls and a smart tap footswitch to activate the effect or tap out your desired tempo. Theres nothing more fun than playing around with modulation controls create otherworldly sounds from your amp. If you want a simplistic, straight forward delay pedal that packs a punch, the Koogo Analog Delay may well be the perfect option. Popular Related Article: Recommended Cheap Electric Guitars. Trails: Switchable, + Extremely customisable approach to tape delay emulation In the section below, I will advise you on what types of delay pedals will provide your desired results. Distortion pedals have the biggest impact on your signal, so putting delay before them would create a mess. Mono or stereo: Stereo The majority of these pedals have effects like chorus, reverb, phase, flange, modulation, and others installed. The level of detail it allows is extensive, and youll never run out of options when playing around with the Nova. Internal trimpots for modulation control might frustrate some. Amps, pedals, guitars, bass, drums, microphones, studio, and recording gear, I love it all. The issue many guitarists face when choosing a delay pedal is that the sheer number of options out there can be overwhelming. Its the kind of pedal that once you have it, you wonder how you coped when it wasnt present on your board! The extensive range of controls that are crammed into this pedal is great if you are comfortable with all of their functions, but for lesser experienced musicians the DD-7 is probably a better choice. The delay time control can be set to anywhere between 20ms and 620ms, which makes it compatible with a variety of musical genres. If you play psychedelic music, the Canyon is a must have pedal. Trails: No, + Huge amount of control The DD-3 has been a staple for three decades for a reason, and the addition of tap-tempo just makes it that much better. Maestro just recently made its surprise return, with its revived lineup of pedals including fuzz, overdrive, distortion, reverb and, of course, delay. On release, the DD-500 even pipped the Strymon Timeline to the post in terms of raw audio quality - although it's debatable which has the better patches. Lets explore some of the best ones out there today. Bottom Line: Its rare that such a detailed number of controls can be fitted onto a small delay pedal without it becoming confusing and overcrowded. My Review: Another budget option, the Behringer VD400 gives you all of the authentic delay sounds of the golden days of rock n roll. The standout quality of this delay pedal is its simplicity. Others allow for much more extreme affectations of your sound, from adding reverb to delay trails, reversing them entirely or ping-ponging them across stereo channels. Description: Modulated delay/looper combo pedal with characterful digital sounds Bypass: True bypass My Review: If youre into effects pedals, youve probably heard of Electro-Harmonix. This program is designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. The first thing that strikes you is the bright yellow aluminum housing and the minute size of the pedal. The commonly produced sounds by delay pedals are: If you want to produce vintage delay from your effects pedal, you ideally need one which is of the analogue variety. After spending long periods in the Strymon sound design labs trying to capture the saturated, distinctive details of classic tape echo machines, they finally settled on the SHARC DSP processing power. Once youve selected your preferred era, you can customize the sound using the time, level, and repeat controls. The latter allows your reversed signal to sit subtly under your playing, or dominate it for a shoegaze-y wall of sound. Not all delay pedals have this capability, but there is a good number that do. There are a variety of delay pedals which allow you to create more complex rhythms, rather than just your standard quarter or sixteenth notes. Its basically the amount of delay you want to allow to be added to the signal. Granted, you cant produce layer upon layer of ambient delay with it, but for simple vintage sounds, it does a splendid job. The Echoplex looks simplistic, but in reality, its brimming with sound manipulation functions that will keep you entertained for long periods of time. Theres a discrete tap tempo footswitch, too, as well as a selector switch to divide delay times into quarter, eighth and dotted eighth notes. Besides reviewing countless pedals for Total Guitar, he's written guides on how to build your first pedal, how to build a tube amp from a kit, and briefly went viral when he released a glitch delay pedal, the Atom Smasher. Within these three parameters, you can blend analog delay sounds in order to either replicate the classic tones of years gone by or create your own blend. There are a staple set of controls and parameters included on nearly all delay pedals. Bypass: True bypass A word of warning however, multi-effects pedals dont usually provide you with the detailed controls that you would find on a pedal that is exclusively for delay. Delay pedals, like overdrives and fuzzes, come in a variety of flavours. Trails: No, + A revived classic Another noteworthy feature of the DD-7 is its tap tempo capability, which can be hooked up to an external footswitch for ultimate timing control. These loop delay pedals work in the same way as all other forms of delay by receiving audio then playing it back retrospectively. Bypass: True or Buffered bypass Popular Related Article: Top 17 Reverb Pedals. The September 2021 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! The true bypass nature of this pedal ensures that there is no tone coloration. In this instance, I think its justified due to the generous number of controls you get access to. My Review: The updated version of the Boss DD-7 is loaded with a wide range of features. Trails: Switchable, + Packed with features and sounds It's also a little cheaper, so if we had to pick only one best delay pedal out of the two, the DD-500 wins by a hair. Tap tempo: Yes It produces a very clean sound, with no unwanted noise or hum occurring. This is useful because it means that the dry, clean version of what you are playing carries on even when you use your delay pedal or other effects, giving you an overall beefier sound and avoiding losing power when you switch your pedals on. I understand that some of the terms used to describe the different variations of delay can be confusing, so in the guide below I will go over the main aspects of delay pedals so that you have all the information required to choose the best suited option for your needs. Included in the Cruncher Multi Effects pedal are delay, chorus, and distortion. You might remember the original Danelectro Backtalk, however, yours mightnt have survived the 20 odd years the pedals been around. Generally speaking, analogue delays have shorter delay times and bring a more characterful tone to their repeats, while digital delays offer longer delay times and a more accurate reproduction of your sound. Donner has made it possible to combine a variety of effects to make innovative guitar tones, all the while there is an underlying analog presence to the sound. Eventually, analog tape delay would be emulated by digital machines like delay pedals. The large enclosure means theres room for dedicated bypass and tap tempo footswitches, as well as an infinite repeats footswitch in between. 17 Best Delay Pedals (Digital and Analog) in 2022, Best Acoustic Electric Guitars (All Prices), Songs with Lots of Bass Guitar (Rock and Pop), delay pedal information guide at the bottom of the page here. They usually feature a mixture of emulations of the classic delay sound I previously mentioned, but the advantage of a digital pedal is this you get complete control over the characteristics of the delay. This is easily one of the best analog delay pedals for the money. This compact red pedal was first introduced in 1981 but was only around for three years. + Lots of onboard presets Still fully analogue, this reissue adds a custom mode switch to engage a brighter voicing and longer delay time. Building on their best-selling range of delays, the DD-7 has all of the popular features from previous pedals with some useful additions including analog delay mode, modulation delay mode, and external pedal control options. Next to the era selection switch, there is a delay time selector, with tap, slow and fast options. Delay pedals come in two varieties: analog and digital. The beautiful thing about combining these two effects is that they both compliment each other so well. Each of the three delay subdivisions have quarter note, dotted eighth note, and combination settings which are great for creating trippy rhythmic delays. Unlike some control-filled pedals, the Empress Tape Delay doesnt look overly complex, and its not oversized either. Another feature to look out for is trails, which refer to the final repeats of a delay after the effect has been disengaged. Alex Lynham is a gear obsessive who's been collecting and building modern and vintage equipment since he got his first Saturday job. By turning up the feedback and echo controls, you can create a loop of delay which is useful for creating pad sounds or building suspense. Unveiling Donn Aaron's new guitar technique, YouTuber builds super-super thin electric guitar. Effects pedals provide you with sonic options that can completely transform the tone of your guitar. Who is this best suited for: If you are torn between analog and digital delay sounds, the Echoplex is the perfect middle ground. My Review: Since their origination in 2008, Strymon has quickly established itself as a leading producer of high-end effects pedals. One of the common questions regarding any effects pedals is where should you position them in the chain? Theres no doubt its the most feature-rich pedal on this list, which also makes it the most complicated to use. Consequently, you get great sounding chorus and delay effects which can be transformed with the addition of distortion. If youre looking for a vintage, warm sounding delay and dont require dramatic presets then analog is probably the right choice for you. Price: 279 / $299 Basically, the more effects you can combine with the delay, the more ambient sounds you will come across. Repeat a phrase at unity volume, and you effectively have a looper at your disposal. When should you change your guitar pickups? Whether analog or digital delay pedals are the better choice is a subjective matter. The Boss DD-3 has been the staple digital delay for 30 years, and the reason is no secret - it simply sounds amazing. Universal Audio is best known in the pro-audio world for producing recording hardware and a number of VST effects. It is possible to get those classic tones from some digital models too, but ensure that it has a tape echo unit. Its a no-nonsense pedal that produces a handful of quality delay effects, so if you want endless options then a digital alternative would probably be better suited. When combined with some dirt in the form of a distortion or overdrive pedal, the Carbon Copy sounds huge! Im just as hooked as everybody else, and I have been since I was 5 or 6, Unrivalled access to the artists and gear you love, Exclusive lessons that will make you a better player, Organize your effects with our pick of the. The completely analogue nature of the pedal means that repeats are far from pristine, and have a lot of top-end rolled off which might not be ideal if youre looking for that super-clean, digital delay sound.
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