Did you know you can use a delay on bass?!!?!

[Andy Will]

What's with everyone always ignoring the Eventide Timefactor? Eventide are one of the most respected effects companies in studios all over the world.

Yes it's a little pricey at first glance (not when compared to some delays mentioned earlier) but it's loaded with Excellent delays (10 types) modulation, tremolo, reverb, looping and much more, with the added bonus of regular software updates often adding great new features, plus 40 presets! (originally 20) It's either simple or a tweakers delight depending how you want to use it.

Here's my pedalboard built around the Eventide:

 

[Andy Will]

I'm really trying to stay below $200 for a delay pedal (I'm not sure how much viability this'll have in a live situation yet). I've got the AF-9, so I'm familiar with the quality of their products, but iirc this one has a street price over $300, right?

Sorry Unrepresented, I know the Timefactor is out of your price range, but just think this pedal needs a bit more visibility/love on the forum!

 

[James Hart]

Anyone tried the Ibanez AD9 against the Maxon AD-9 Pro?

not yet, but I plan on adding a Maxon to my board. It may sit next to or replace my Ibanez.

 

[Sorefinger]

Hey - you can actually use two as well!

 

[Unrepresented]

More rambling:

With the Echo Park, I've never had a problem or issue with powering it. It seems all the trouble comes about when people try to daisy chain it. But I used a dedicated AC adaptor (Boss PS-120 IIRC) for a while and then for a long time I used one of the plugs on my PPII with zero problems in either case. Now the footswitch does feel a bit cheap, but I gigged with it for quite a while with zero problems. In fact, the only reason I'm getting ready to sell mine is that I finally made up my mind between two more expensive delays. I'd recommend the Echo Park if you are getting a delay more for fun than a specific gigging purpose. It has modes that no other pedal near it's price point have and is easy to spend an entire afternoon playing with. Again, far from pristine sound, but still good and super tweakable.

Moving on, I know Boo is making his recommendations based on you saying that you didn't want your delay to be too muddy, but looking at the examples you gave (Pink Floyd, U2) it seem like you would like a warm, analog delay so long as it doesn't turn to complete mush. The Malekko 300 bright is in your price range, but honestly, that wouldn't be nearly a long enough delay time for me. To me short and "slapback" delays aren't what I want on bass. If the Malekko 600 is too much, then I'd look elsewhere. But I'd at least try the Carbon Copy before ruling it out completely.

If you do decide that you want a digital delay, the Boss stuff is great and in your price range. I actually think delays are among the best (if not the best) things Boss makes. But again, if you don't need tap tempo and you want crystal clear digital repeats, I'd definitely give the Guyatone a spin before making up your mind.

Thanks again for a really helpful post.

I'm with you, in that slapback isn't what I'm after. I had the most fun when I was taking synth-y sounds and making them sound even more synthier-er by having short repeated delays trailing off, or using the trails to create temporary multivoiced chords... nothing near as fancy as looping, more along the lines of the vocal breakdown in Queen's The Prophet's Song or for that matter the guitar solo from Queen's "Brighton Rock." (Sorry, I dig the Queen).

Like I said, I really haven't had enough experience with delays to really know what I like or dislike, since I've only experimented briefly with the DD3. My only real gripes with it were my perception of the bypass quality and the muddiness as the delays got further into their cycle. The first two or three repeats were typically fine though. I'm really leaning towards the DD6/7 because of the equivalent footprint with additional features for a reasonable price (by delay standards).

I'm also not toooooo up to date on how the ms counts actually are calculated. Is the ms capability the length of the phrase that's captured, the duration between repeats, both? Trying to visualize how much of a second I actually need is kinda tough, a reference guide would really help... as in "to get a quality Edge-like chiming repeat you'll need a minimum of _______ms" or somethang.

Yeah?

 

[nad]

HBE Mimick mock

I was extremely disappointed by this pedal, and I normally love HBE stuff. I had the Mock I, which had a decent delay time, but got muddy quickly, and, the Ultramega NOT OK part was that it doesn't self-oscillate. The Mock II might be better, but I have no experience with one.

Malekko Bright 300

I have used the 300 Dark, 600 Dark, and 600 Bright. The 300 has a pretty short delay time, but sound frickin' great if you just want slapback or reverb, and can be battery powered unlike the 600. The 600 has lots of time, and is just as easy to control as the 300: the delay time knob isn't fidgety, if that makes sense. I much prefer the Dark because it can self-oscillate without getting into that feedback chirpy crap like the Bright does, but the Bright does stay a bit cleaner if you aren't self-oscillating. Definitely not in a digital delay type of way though, just brighter than the Dark.

I ended up keeping just the 600 Dark and couldn't be happier with it.

 

[RickenBoogie]

I love's me some delay, but sadly just don't have room for one on my board. I use way too much processing boxes, but it's the tone I'm after. Could always put one in the loop, but only recently trimmed back to whatever would fit on one board, board, board, board.....

 

[Kano2864212]

i have a Carbon Copy and i can get all kinds of great sounds from it. the self oscilation is great but can get out of control sometimes

on another note ive played a DD7 and i dont know what all the hype is about. its got a couple extra modes that werent too memorable but if you want lots of modes and like digital then its ok

 

[JanusZarate]

My only real gripes with it were my perception of the bypass quality and the muddiness as the delays got further into their cycle. The first two or three repeats were typically fine though.

That right there is why I advise against the Carbon Copy, because that's what it'll do after the first two or three repeats. But the CC is awesome for self-oscillation and weird delay-decay stuff... and that's why I liked it so much when I tried one out. That, and blue LEDs.

I'm also not toooooo up to date on how the ms counts actually are calculated. Is the ms capability the length of the phrase that's captured, the duration between repeats, both?

It's just the time between repeats. Nothing more. Example: Set the DD-6 to about 1 second for your delay time. Play a single note. About 1 second later, you'll hear the repeat. Each repeat is delayed by about 1 second in this scenario.

That's why they call it DELAY time.

 

[Joe Gress]

But the CC is awesome for self-oscillation and weird delay-decay stuff...

Hmm, might have to pick one up. The SMMWH does not self oscillate. At least not like my magicstomps delay did.

 

[Unrepresented]

That right there is why I advise against the Carbon Copy, because that's what it'll do after the first two or three repeats. But the CC is awesome for self-oscillation and weird delay-decay stuff... and that's why I liked it so much when I tried one out. That, and blue LEDs.

I'm listening to clips of a T. Rex Replica. It sounds nice and clean, while not sounding clinical and harsh. I think that's what I want, with the slight exception of the $400 price tag.

Anything in that general style for a more reasonable bankroll?

It's just the time between repeats. Nothing more. Example: Set the DD-6 to about 1 second for your delay time. Play a single note. About 1 second later, you'll hear the repeat. Each repeat is delayed by about 1 second in this scenario.

That's why they call it DELAY time.

Thanks for clearing that up. Like I said, I'm a n00b to this whole delay thang.

 

[RickenBoogie]

The Trex Replica is an awesome pedal. The modulation switch for the delay is one of a kind sounding, but the price tag is way too high for what you're getting. That's a problem with all their pedals, 'cept fer the Squeezer, which I think is worth every penny. Haven't tried the Roommate reverb, but I suspect the same. It's too bad really.

 

[rcubed]

I will direct you AWAY from the MXR Carbon Copy... I love that pedal, but it's a low-headroom dark-sounding analog delay, so it gets muddy quick if you crank it. While it is simple and compact, the tone you seek is pretty much the opposite of what the Carbon Copy delivers, since the CC is aiming for old-school delay tones.

For me, those are the reasons why I like it so much.

 

[Unrepresented]

Just an update:

Went to the local Guitar Center last night to see what I could play around with. They had the Boss DD's but I had forgotten that they like to set these up in a display case setup with roughly 40 "meh" quality buffers running into one another and out a questionable amp.

The reverse echo didn't seem as usable as I was hoping, and I don't anticipate needing the 3200ms delay it offers. Hard to tell on the sound though because of the bad setup.

They didn't have the MXR Carbon Copy in stock at the moment -- apparently they've been selling through them too quickly to keep a supply, but the accessory nerd raved about it, like many others on here.

So, I'm no further than I was, really.

 

[Unrepresented]

The Trex Replica is an awesome pedal. The modulation switch for the delay is one of a kind sounding, but the price tag is way too high for what you're getting. That's a problem with all their pedals, 'cept fer the Squeezer, which I think is worth every penny. Haven't tried the Roommate reverb, but I suspect the same. It's too bad really.

Been doing more research on things and I've found a couple competitors to the Replica that seem to be much more compatible with my budget:

a) Earthquaker Devices Disaster Transport Delay

b) Subdecay Echo Box

The Echo Box has gotten some good press on here. The Earthquaker hasn't really gotten any real reviews. I like the fact that there's a "cherry on top" modulation addition to each, even though it's not really something I see myself really needing at the moment. The Subdecay has a slightly longer delay capability. Both sound a little darker than I want but fit close enough to most of my expectations that they're worth a shot.

Any owners of either of these guys want to testify? Am I still lost in the wilderness? Should I just buy a damn Carbon Copy?

 

[bongomania]

Just a side note: the delay time in mS that you'll find in a pedal's name or description is not exactly the time between repeats. A "one second delay" or a "300 mS delay" is a delay that can capture an audio sample of up to that length. Yes, the samples then typically repeat at the same length of time as the sample itself, but with many units you can modulate or sweep the playback time, or edit the sample on-the-fly, so the repeats time is just sort of an after-effect of the sample time.

I find anything less than 400 mS to be too short for my tastes, and anything over 1000 mS to be excessive for delay- IMO it turns into a phrase looping device at that point.

 

[Unrepresented]

It's just the time between repeats. Nothing more. Example: Set the DD-6 to about 1 second for your delay time. Play a single note. About 1 second later, you'll hear the repeat. Each repeat is delayed by about 1 second in this scenario.

That's why they call it DELAY time.

Just a side note: the delay time in mS that you'll find in a pedal's name or description is not exactly the time between repeats. A "one second delay" or a "300 mS delay" is a delay that can capture an audio sample of up to that length. Yes, the samples then typically repeat at the same length of time as the sample itself, but with many units you can modulate or sweep the playback time, or edit the sample on-the-fly, so the repeats time is just sort of an after-effect of the sample time.

I had noticed that the Boss and the possibly the Earthquaker were the only units I'd found that had a separate setting for both the delay sample length and the delay between those samples.

Most seem to combine the function of the sample length and the delay between replay into a single knob.

Thanks for the clearup.

I find anything less than 400 mS to be too short for my tastes, and anything over 1000 mS to be excessive for delay- IMO it turns into a phrase looping device at that point.

As you said, I'm not looking to go for a looper. Just something to add some wall of sounditude to my synthier moments, and hopefully create those synthier moments more often and more compellingly.

I agree with you on that sweetspot, which was more or less ruling out the lower priced Malekko entry for a while now. I would definitely like to have the "delay headroom" available though, so that I can adjust to fit a slower tempo if need be rather than be maxed out at the lower end of the scale.

I don't want to be stuck with a glorified slapback when a "call and response" type moment rears its ugly head.

 

[bongomania]

Most seem to combine the function of the sample length and the delay between replay into a single knob.

Just to clarify the discrepancy between what Boo said and what I said, when Boo described playing a note and then the repeat happening "one second later", that is true; however the delay was recording the sample for that entire second, whether you are playing the whole time or not.

 

[JanusZarate]

Just to clarify the discrepancy between what Boo said and what I said, when Boo described playing a note and then the repeat happening "one second later", that is true; however the delay was recording the sample for that entire second, whether you are playing the whole time or not.

Thanks for the clarification, Bongo!

That brings a whole new consideration into choosing a delay pedal that I'd never considered...

...it's not something I'm picky about anyway.

 

[SFjonstarr]

I don't understand the view that the Guyatone Delay is a one trick pony. It does some pretty clear sounding standard delays if you don't mess with it. But you can also push the feedback in and out of self occillation by pushing the feedback toward it's limits. You can also get some pretty radical sounding stuff by changing the time setting while the echos ring out. And if you really want to freak out bandmates and-or small children you can flip the time range switch back and forth and you can get all sorts of rhythmic artifacts. And because of the range selector setup the time knob doesn't jump throughout it's range with tiny knob movements. This is particularly useful when you're trying to do fine adjustment of the time setting while the echos ring out. This means that with a little finnesse you can push the feedback knob to grab a phase as a little mini loop and then push the echos slightly out of tune and back again.