Delay
Delays less than 30ms are not perceptible. Instead, we only hear one sound, but it is elongated
- visually, this is taking a sphere of sound and elongating it
- Try putting the dry sound panned hard left, and the 30ms delay signal panned hard right. It will seem as if the sound is coming equally from both speakers
- This is called fattening, and it makes the sound fuller and more present.
- because of this, we can add this short delay and turn down the volume of the instrument to make it quieter, but not lose the presence.
Normally you don't add delay to very busy mixes, since delay fills out the sound space.
- this general rule wouldn't be followed if you are trying to achieve a wall of sound, such as in heavy metal, alternative rock and similar genres.
When using delay, try to change the sound of the delayed sound in some way, such as EQing it differently than the original sound, or changing its pitch slightly (try a 0.05 semitone sharpening of the pitch).
- doing this will cut down on phasing and lets you get a tigher delay so that you aren't hearing a strange doppler effect due to 2 identical signals coming to you.
When using delay, keep in mind the relationship between time and distance— the greater the delay time, the more distant it will appear to be.
- for each 1ms of delay time, the sound comes at a perceived distance of about 1.07ft.
Parameters
Delay (time)
Determines after what interval of time the original signal will get repeated
Can be done using note lengths (quarter, eighth etc.), in which the tempo is taken from the DAW, or it can be done in a more freeform way by using milliseconds
Feedback
Feedback is the output of the delay being fed back into the delay
- Feedback determines how many repeats you have— Does the signal repeat just once (ie. no feedback), or many more times?
This control changes the intensity of each repeat, making it possible to have subtle trails or full-blown psychedelic madness as the feedback builds up.
Modulation
Controls the pitch of the delayed sound
Types of delay
Slapback
A single delay commonly used as a vocal/guitar effect to add extra energy and draw attention to the sound.
- Since there is only a single delay, there is no washy trail left behind as you play the sound.
Slapback delay is more commonly found in faster more energetic songs.
Parameters to try:
- Delay time: 75 – 250 ms
- Feedback: None
- Mix: Above 50% wet
- Modulation: None or subtle pitch modulation
Ping Pong
A delay that bounces from left to right.
The input sound only enters the delay on one side. Then that delayed signal is fed back into the delay tap on the other side. The process is repeated.
Ping pong delays can easily overwhelm the stereo image, so short simple sounds are best when using ping pong delay.
Flanger
A flanger is made by having a very short delay that sweeps (oscillates) between two delay times in a loop
- ex. between 2ms and 10ms delay
- as the delay time gets shorter, the pitch appears to rise, which creates the "flange" effect
Chorus
A chorus is made almost exactly the same as a flanger, except the distance between the starting delay time is much shorter
- ex. between 2ms and 4ms
Phasing
Again, the same as Flanging and Chorusing, except we set the delay to sweep between 0ms and 1ms
Techniques
Try setting up the delay signal to go through the reverb
Rather than have your effects returning in stereo, try using mono reverb and delay effects and pan them on the opposite side of the mix to the dry guitar. It’s an excellent way to create a sense of space and movement in a mix.
Multitap Delay
The idea with multitap delay is that instead of having a single delay that feeds back into itself, we have a chain of delays, with the final delay in that chain feeding back into the first delay.
- see P.99 of ReaMix
Multitap delay can be used to fill out the space around an instrument, making it sound more present, but with an added clarity that wouldn't be heard with a single delay.