Hey all you delay users

mikegug · 11-13-2010, 12:06 PM

If you use delays and have a lot of know-how in this area, I'd like your input:

I understand the Edge uses delay to "fill-in" much like a second guitar player. For him, delay timing is critical.

Is it ever not critical?

I've never had a tap delay and have never been a "student or master" of delay.

Is delay ever pleasing to the ear WITHOUT dialing in exact timing?

It seems to me that if a band REALLY wants to successfully use delay, they either lock into a BPM and have delay times preset, or a tap-tempo feature is needed.

Experts, please weigh in.

**Rainer.** · 11-13-2010, 12:17 PM

Delay time isn't essential for slapback (super short delay times) delay, or really light "echoey" delay (mix maybe under 30%). Timing becomes more and more critical as the delay gets louder in the mix, and is on the order of an eighth note off of the original sound. Then it becomes more like a repeat, which must be synchronized to the tempo, or else it may just sound like a really sloppy repeat.

**thesteve** · 11-13-2010, 01:01 PM

Interestingly, when the Edge first developed his signature sound, it was done with pedals that didn't feature tap tempo. While I'm sure timing was important, it wasn't so critical that being slightly off ruined the effect.

**Rainer.** · 11-13-2010, 01:32 PM

Well, the funny thing about delay is that you can be slightly off with your knobs, or even the tap tempo, because the margin of error of your delay time isn't propagated over the course of a song (unlike a tempo-synced tremolo, for example), so "pretty close" is good enough. Though you do have to get pretty close, and Larry Mullen Jr. should probably be steady as a rock with tempo.

However, the less knob twiddling I have to do between tunes, the better. I'm sure that Edge feels similarly.

mikegug · 11-13-2010, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Well, the funny thing about delay is that you can be slightly off with your knobs, or even the tap tempo, because the margin of error of your delay time isn't propagated over the course of a song (unlike a tempo-synced tremolo, for example), so "pretty close" is good enough. Though you do have to get pretty close, and Larry Mullen Jr. should probably be steady as a rock with tempo.

However, the less knob twiddling I have to do between tunes, the better. I'm sure that Edge feels similarly.

Hmmm... good info

I read/heard that LM Jr. first HATED playing with a metronome and now he can't live without it.

metropolis4 · 11-13-2010, 09:59 PM

I use delay quite a bit and I rarely use tap. There are a lot of applications of delay where it's just not necessary. Sometimes it's nice to get the delays lining up perfectly, but most of the time it's not necessary.

**Rainer.** · 11-13-2010, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metropolis4

I use delay quite a bit and I rarely use tap. There are a lot of applications of delay where it's just not necessary. Sometimes it's nice to get the delays lining up perfectly, but most of the time it's not necessary.

"Most" is relative.