Delay

An effect that repeats the input signal after a set time, either once or repeatedly as the repeats feed back into the line.

The delay time sets the musical relationship: long times produce an echo you can hear as a separate event, short times smear into doubling or chorus, and times matched to the tempo create rhythmic patterns. Feedback decides how many repeats occur before they die away, and mix decides how far behind the dry signal they sit. Analogue designs darken each successive repeat, which keeps them from cluttering a mix, where digital units can stay bright and precise.

Example: a slapback delay of around a hundred milliseconds with a single repeat is the classic rockabilly vocal-style effect on guitar.

Delay

See also