Delay

Dogman3Dogman3 Posts: 330
edited February 2008 in Musicians and Gearheads
I need some delay. As a U2 fan, I've gone waaay too long without some delay effects. I don't know whether to go digital or analog, or which brand to try out or buy. Any suggestions guys?
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Comments

  • lucylespianlucylespian Posts: 2,403
    Me, I have an analogue, but for U2, digital is going to be simpler. I just spent some time adjusting carefully for the intro to Streets, which is a delay nirvana.
    Making all the changes will be much easier with a digital unit, and I am thinking about adding one for that reason. I love to play Floyd as well, and the same reasoning applies.
    Music is not a competetion.
  • boss dd6 for digital delay

    or try and find a 'tape echo' analogue pedal. i used to have thid DOD one which was awesome but can't remember what model it was but i used to get some great delay and sample delays out of it

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  • I use delay almost exclusively, and have done for years. The Edge basically stole John Martyn's approach to echo and delay (and every guitarist using the device takes from JM, knowingly or not). John was the father of echoplex guitar experimentation, and everyone from Fripp to Page to Brian May to U2 owes him an enormous amount of credit:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n7KUUUdIOg

    That's 1973.

    He's using a Maestro Echoplex. There's really nothing like the warmth of a good old fashioned tape delay. However, they're large and unwieldy for gigs, and you're at the mercy of tape that could break at any time.

    As for digital delay, I use a Yamaha DDS-20M, one of the first real digital delay sampler stompboxes on the market. (Much better than the Boss DD-2 a couple of years earlier). It's the only non-racking system effect Abbey Road Studios use, but that doesn't mean it's too pristine or clinical. You can tweak the feedback knob and get some tape-like sounds.

    I know someone in Cambridge who gets a nice amount of loop from a Line 6, and someone else who uses a Boss Loopstation. The problem with those pedals is that although they give you many seconds of delay (the Line 6 is supposed to give you about 16 seconds but it's more like 28 seconds if you fart around), they sound a bit twee and gimmicky and don't provide that ambience you want, unless you're using a backline and other effects to shape your tone (rather than relying on a DI box/soundboard).
  • I have the BOSS DD6 which sounds AMAZING. The Digitech Digital Delay(X-Series) is also pretty good. You might wanna check both of them out because the Digi just might surprise you. The Danelectro PB-J Delay is good but not a road worthy or reliable pedal. It's a good pedal for very short delay, somewhat like a subtle echo. It's inexpensive and adds a LOT to your solos.
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  • IDgotIIDgotI Posts: 262
    Fin... Cool link for John Martyn.

    This is a good link for Edge fans

    http://www.amnesta.net/edge_delay/

    As you'll see from the link Edge's live pro rig in the late 80s, and even for several tunes on recent tours has used TC Electronic rack units. For this reason I'd recommend you try out the new TC Electronic Nova delay.

    http://www.tcelectronic.com/NovaDelay.asp

    Should be the least expensive way to replicate Edge sounds. Tape delay is definately an amazing experience... but perhaps not the best fit if you are trying to cover edge or anyone else. The great thing about tape is it tends to have a unique sound and feel of it's own depending on the unit, speed of the motors, type of tape, cleanliness of the tape transport etc. If instead of looking to cover anyone you are simply looking to bliss out on some spacey echos though... Tape is definately worth exploring... though its not cheap. Hiwatt makes a solid state unit for about $500, fulltone a tube based unit for about $1100. Anything else you'll have to buy used, which is a dicey proposition with fragile tape mechanisms. It's easy to get burned buying used tape delay units on ebay.

    If you are really tight on cash try the line6 echo park... a hair more versatile than the boss dd6 which is also a very solid delay pedal. Other contenders in the digital space will be the Boss DD20, and Line 6 dl4. My personal feeling is the Nova has raised the game over these two similarly priced units. There is also the T-Rex Replica which is a beautful digital pedal for about $400. Sounds great. As for Analog delays, they are great... but not a fit if you are trying to emulate the Edge in particular. Edge started out with an Analog Memory man, but pretty much scraped that for a Digital by the time the band finished recording their first albums with Steve Lillywhite. Nearly all the sounds you've heard from him are most often based on Digital delays. Again if you aren't specifically focused on Edge so much as trippy echos, then Analog is worth checking out too. Used Boss DM3 and DM2s are a reasonably safe buy on ebay and usually go for $150 - $175. Mike uses one on his pedal board and they add great atmosphere... though perhaps not spot on repeats. With Analog you get echo... with Tape and Digital you get repeats of what you played. There are plenty of contemporary high end analog delays as well, though in my opinion if you are going to spend over $500 on a delay, it makes sense to go with tape. After all, all these units are imitating tape delay. The only advantage to digital, as Lucy wrote is tweakability. You can peg the *exact* delay time with a unit like the Nova. With tape... factors as out there as room temperature can affect the speed at which your motors are running. Oh... my last 2 cents... the Roland Space Echo tape delay emulator isn't worth it... just a slightly more tweakable version of the tape sim sound on the DD20 which is otherwise more versatile... and still not quite so strong a contender as the Nova. (again in my opinion).
  • ianvomsaalianvomsaal Posts: 1,224
    The Edge (David Evans) also used a(n) click here: Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man for
    their BOY, WAR, and UNFORGETTABLE FIRE albums - the Edge used an EH Delay in some of our favorite U2 albums.
    Cheers . . .

    - Ian
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  • Personally I use the Boss DD-6 but if you're looking for lots of different delay textures and analog simulations on a budget, check out the Marshall Echohead and the Ibanez DE7.
  • Dogman3Dogman3 Posts: 330
    I've narrowed it down to the Line 6 DL4, the EH Memory Man Deluxe, or the Boss DM-2 or DM-3. Any major differences with these aside form price or sound?
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    look at the boss DD-20 as well.

    much better performance all around than the DL4 though the DL4's sounds have more personality in the extreme settings.

    for dialing in precise, edge-like delays with dotted eights and all that stuff, the DD-20 will serve you much better though the DL4 can do it as well.

    the DD-20 gives you 5 delays in one box (4 saves and a manual mode) and tap tempo. the DL4 gives you 3 saves and tap tempo. the DL4 has a better loop recorder as well.

    the DL4 has no readout display and has some quirks as far as volume drop and switch pop.

    out of pure analog delays, the deluxe memory man is my favourite.
  • Dogman3Dogman3 Posts: 330
    I like the EH Memory Man, but I don't know about the chorus/vibrato. I already have a pedal for that. Is it still worth it to go for the Memory Man?
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    it's a different kettle of fish than your standard chorus/vibrato pedal. it's only modulating the delays and makes for a very nice, interesting sound. so, if you wanted analog anyway, yes, i'd say that's the one to go for.
  • seanw1010seanw1010 Posts: 1,205
    if your a u2 fan why not buy the visual sound h2o
    thats what the edge uses.
    ive got one, its a delay and chorus pedal, and they are both great sounding
    a little more expensive than a regular delay, but much better, and you get a chorus pedal as well!
    they call them fingers, but i never see them fing. oh, there they go
  • ianvomsaal wrote:
    The Edge (David Evans) also used a(n) click here: Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man for
    their BOY, WAR, and UNFORGETTABLE FIRE albums - the Edge used an EH Delay in some of our favorite U2 albums.
    Cheers . . .

    - Ian

    Agreed!
    7/16/06 7/18/06
  • Dogman3Dogman3 Posts: 330
    The pricetag is crazy though. I'm gonna have to go to ebay for a Memory Man.
  • Dogman3 wrote:
    The pricetag is crazy though. I'm gonna have to go to ebay for a Memory Man.

    yeah it's a bit pricey but totally worth it in the long run. you'll love it.
    7/16/06 7/18/06
  • Dogman3Dogman3 Posts: 330
    Ebay often has vintage, late 1970's era Memory Man pedals, lacking chorus and vibrato. Do I go after these, since reissues never seem to sound as good as the originals (Its in my price range) or do I just go for a brand spankin' new Memory Man?
  • IDgotIIDgotI Posts: 262
    That's what edge played on those early albums... a 1970's memory man. Just a note, pretty sure he only played it on Boy, October and War, their first three albums, and not on Unforgetable fire, which was their fourth. By that time Brian Eno had him working with digital delays that could be more tightly controlled in the studio. So if you are into the early early edge sound, a vintage memory man should hit the spot. Personally, I'd put in one last plug for the Nova as I think you will get more bang for the buck, and wind up with a much wider pallate of 'edgelike' sounds, esspecially those from Unforgetable fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung and so on. Good luck any which way. Delay is an *incredle* and incredibly *fun* tool to have in your toolbox. Enjoy!
  • Dogman3Dogman3 Posts: 330
    Well, would it make sense to have two delay pedals? One digital and one analog? The Nova is certainly interesting, but it doesn't look simple. Does it take some time to finally get used to changing settings and finding good ones?
  • ianvomsaalianvomsaal Posts: 1,224
    Evan's (Edge) early Memory Man's needed to be rebuilt all the time because
    they broke down a lot on tour (so I've read), I'd go for the newer one.
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  • ianvomsaal wrote:
    Evan's (Edge) early Memory Man's needed to be rebuilt all the time because
    they broke down a lot on tour (so I've read), I'd go for the newer one.


    On those early tours when he still used a Memory Man, he would use two of them on his pedalboard at a time, but rumor has it he toured with a dozen of them, and whichever two were working that day were the ones he used. Memory Man's are notorious for working fine one time and being completely useless another, and then being fine the next time after that.

    If I remember right, he still tours with several backups to his vintage Vox AC-30's for a very similar reason.

    That being said... for the prototypical Edge delay sound, you really need a tap-tempo digital delay capable of 1/4, dotted-1/4, and 1/8th note delays. Using a mild form of modulation will also be very helpful. I'd recommend a Boss DD-5 with the external tap switch, and then follow that with maybe a very mild chorus like the Boss CE-5.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • IDgotIIDgotI Posts: 262
    Everything written here about the vintage memory man pedals is correct. Sorry, my bad for the nod to the vintage pedal earlier. They do sound different than the reissue, but yeah, they are pretty unreliable. Mccreadyisgod is right (in my opinion) to give you the nod towards a digital again. I'm recommending the nova both because it's digital, and because it's by TC Electronic which is the real workhorse of Edge's live sound. Check those links on his sound YgoWash and I posted (same link as it turns out). TC Electronic rackmounts are the heart of his live setup. The Nova was just realeased and pretty much nails the same quality of sound as those, now vintage, once high end rack mount units. Is it difficult to set up? My vote is no... though it is very versatile, and has loads of features you may take a long time to get around to using, you can be up and running with a straight tap tempo sound pretty fast. It has modulation on it... or the slight bit of chorusing mccready recommends, and best of all.... it's the cheapest delay (I know of) with 24 bit processing. Other units with 24 bit converters are things like the T Rex which is $400, or the Blackbox Quicksilver, also $400. The Nova is $250... same price as the DL4 and not *too* much more than the DD20.

    The DD 5, recommended above, is a standard solid work horse pedal, and you can get one for about $100, but then you need the tap tempo pedal which will run you another $20 - $50 depending on your ebay luck. It's a solid workhorse pedal... and man... the difference between no delay... and something like a DD5 will blow you away. Delay is amazing, and if you are a rhytmically inclined guitar player... it will open up incredible new avenues for you in your playing. You should not hesitate to just grab something like the dd5 if it's a choice between that and nothing. *BUT* if you have the loot for a memory man, or a DL4... I think you would be making a big mistake not to check out the Nova. FYI... the Nova only came out late last year, and barely made it out before wider retail distribution this year... so a lot of people on this board may not have even checked one out yet. It's not had a chance to become the flagship I have a hunch it will become. Here... check out this link:

    http://forums.musictoyz.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/4066066091/m/8481083064

    People who have had a chance to AB it against current flagship semi (not quite) boutique pedals like the Dl4 and DD20 are giving it the... uh... edge. (crickets)... anyway... If I were buying just one delay right now and I had the money, I'd buy the Nova hands down. Remember (everyone else) the Dl4 and DD20 were new once too. Anyone in to delay should check out the Nova. It's a killer delay at the price and doesn't start to have a rival until things like the T Rex Replica or Blackbox Quicksilver... which have more "vintage" tones... but aren't anywhere near as versatile, and don't necessarily sound "better". In a year I believe everyone on this board will be hailing it as the new standard. (No... I don't work for TC Electronics, and I don't make money selling gear... I just play... and it's a killer delay).

    PS... if anyone is wondering about the new eventide pedal... in my opinion it's a disapointment... not nearly as good as the nova.
  • Dogman3Dogman3 Posts: 330
    Why is the eventide a disappointment?

    I'll try out both, Eventide and Nova. But right now, Nova is more likely for me due to its price and size.
  • IDgotIIDgotI Posts: 262
    Dogman3 wrote:
    Why is the eventide a disappointment?

    Because it's $150 more, and doesn't really bring anything else to the table that the Nova doesn't have (unless you are planning to use it's MIDI features). On top of that it's bigger, and the controls are a bit more convoluted. It's a great sounding pedal, and if someone gave you one as a gift there would be no reason to return it. But if it's a choice between spending $250 on the Nova and $400 on the Eventide, I personally feel there is absolutely no reason to spend the extra loot. The Nova sounds great, and is a bit of a bargain. It's a bargain because it sounds better than anything else in it's price range, and as good as pedals costing much more.
  • boss dd6 for digital delay

    or try and find a 'tape echo' analogue pedal. i used to have thid DOD one which was awesome but can't remember what model it was but i used to get some great delay and sample delays out of it
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