I want THE smoothest and dreamiest delay out there.

[Visirale]

Is the Roland Space Echo my best bet? I'm hopefully working a lot this summer and getting some decent cash.. I'd really like to get my hands on one of these old units. Anyone have experience using one on bass?

Edit: I searched and only found threads on the boss digital reissue. I'll have none of that in my signal chain, thank you :P.

[dancehallclasher]

Tried an EHX DMM?

[Visirale]

Originally Posted by dancehallclasher

Tried an EHX DMM?

I have not. How's it compare to the space echo? I'm listening to videos. It sounds super clean... but not sure if it's as "spacey" as the 201.

[opivy3056]

Anything analog.

Probably check out the new Malekko's.

I also have an Analogman AR20DL and its spacey and smoothe for days. fairly cheap too.

[Swimming Bird]

For more money, get an Eventride Time Factor, Pigtronix Phi Echolution or Empress SuperDelay, all of which have loads of options.

But +1 to the DMM for a relatively simple, spaced out delay.

[Ryan Mohr]

Originally Posted by opivy3056

Anything analog.

Probably check out the new Malekko's.

I also have an Analogman AR20DL and its spacey and smoothe for days. fairly cheap too.

I just checked the site and they aren't available. Are they usually out of stock?

[lenkyloos]

Honestly.... Ibanez DE-7~

Cheap, analog sounding and it can oscilate like an angry monkey!

It won't give you lots of options on decays like some of the others, can't loop like the big units (DL-4, Pigtronix) but it gets the job done.

Good luck searching.

[Mark Olson]

For what it's worth in my experience "smooth" and "dreamy" delay sounds have more to do with what you're playing into the delay pedal than the specific delay pedal being used.

[opivy3056]

Originally Posted by AqueousView11

I just checked the site and they aren't available. Are they usually out of stock?

I think they usually get them every 2 weeks or so in batches of 30. People eat them up!!!!

[derelicte]

MOOG Analog Delay.

[Lowpro]

Oh my God, Try the MXR Carbon copy. Thing's ****ing gorgeous.

[Toasted]

There's plenty of great delay pedals. What you really need to decide is how much delay time you want. We can shout and scream suggestions but you need to come up with that figure first. It's the crux.

[Visirale]

Originally Posted by Toasted

There's plenty of great delay pedals. What you really need to decide is how much delay time you want. We can shout and scream suggestions but you need to come up with that figure first. It's the crux.

Not more than a few seconds... not looking for anything too crazy. Just something subtle yet spacey I can use for studio productions. Not only on bass but synth and other instruments too. Probably won't be using it live either.

[Ely]

Originally Posted by derelicte

MOOG Analog Delay.

Seriously, this thing sounds great. It can do subtle, or it can quickly spiral into self-oscillated insanity.

[Colonel Monk]

Originally Posted by Visirale

Edit: I searched and only found threads on the boss digital reissue. I'll have none of that in my signal chain, thank you :P.

Yeah, we get it, you don't want anything fake in your pedal chain -- that's admirable.

But before you decide, here's a few things I know about the Space Echo that might change your mind:

-The originals are old, and therefore fragile.
-They are also expensive - I saw an RE-201 sell on ebay for $450 last week. The one we have at our studio was $400 and it only worked for a month before breaking down - reconditioning bill will cost about $130 locally, MORE if you have to ship it.

Now, what I've read about the RE-20 pedal is that it's a very faithful rendition of the original, and most of those here on talkbass that have used them (and everywhere else on the net) say that they sound great. And if you go by the old adage "if it sounds good, it is good" then maybe they aren't so bad after all.

So with this in mind, I just bought one last week. I needed a tap-tempo delay on my board, and since I have another analog delay I wanted something different. Space Echo has a variety of modulated delay sounds, that's why they are so cool. The tap tempo makes it interesting, and with an expression pedal input it seems a winner.

Most of my pedals are analog, but a well selected digital pedal can make it into my board if it sounds good.

I also own a Moog 104z. It's totally rad, but it's not part of my regular board -- it's in my Foogertron 7000 rig where it belongs, where it shines since you can control the parameters with CV. I use the foogertron as one big effect, punching the entire thing in or out at once with a specific patch config.

I can definately recommend the sound of the moog, but it's pricey unless you find a ridiculous deal like I did. No tap tempo, so it won't work for what I need on my board, which is rhythmic echoes in a live setting.

[Mark Olson]

Originally Posted by Visirale

Not more than a few seconds... not looking for anything too crazy. Just something subtle yet spacey I can use for studio productions. Not only on bass but synth and other instruments too. Probably won't be using it live either.

I'm no delay expert, but I do know that most analog delays have delay times measured in milliseconds, not seconds. If you want a few seconds of delay, you may have to go with something digital.

[Chronicle]

I love my Subdecay Echobox. It handles the delay of the bass notes so well. Each delay note is crystal clear. With the Modulation section, you can add some spacey element to it. Here's a recent clip i did with my bass whammy. Listen to the delayed notes.

http://media.putfile.com/disposition13

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by Mark Olson

I'm no delay expert, but I do know that most analog delays have delay times measured in milliseconds, not seconds. If you want a few seconds of delay, you may have to go with something digital.

+1, be sure what you mean about the delay time. More than one second (1000 mS) is going to be a digital unit for sure. Another issue- do you mean you want the decaying trails to last "a few seconds" or do you mean you want "a few seconds" of time included in each sample that gets repeated? It's a massive difference between those two ideas.

Also, please go back in time and dig up some of the old threads we've had about analog versus digital delays. You'll be surprised to see the majority of us old-fogey analog purists saying we have converted to digital delays, nowadays they are able to be every bit as creamy and smooth and warm as the analog ones, with much lower noise and much greater versatility.

Only get a "real" old tape-loop delay if you are willing to baby it and perform somewhat frequent maintenance.

[Visirale]

Originally Posted by Mark Olson

I'm no delay expert, but I do know that most analog delays have delay times measured in milliseconds, not seconds. If you want a few seconds of delay, you may have to go with something digital.

Haha my bad. I meant that if I played a note that the trails would last a second or two. I definitely just need between 0-300 milliseconds (from my experimenting on reason).

I'll have to read some of the digital vs. analog threads. I do value digital technology (VA synths, analog synths with digital controls...) but for the most part I try to keep my bass signal chain as "pure" as possible (but you could look at my SBDDI and question that). I definitely need to hear some recordings... if there is a digital unit out there that can mimic the classic dub sounds, then I need to check it out.

Thanks for the help so far, guys!

[mwalle1]

If you haven't yet, check out the electro-harmonix stereo memory man with hazarai. It's digital but it is so experimental and very open ended for delay possibility's, and all the other goodies it can do too. Good luck!