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Digital Delay for bass? need advice!

L

Loves2Jam

Nov 17, 2008
84
0
#1
I'm very interested in purchasing one of the delay pedals boss makes. I love jamming on trippy/experimental music and I think this would be sweet. Does anyone have any experience with using a delay peal on bass. I know they are designed for guitar, does this matter and if so how much? I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from anyone who has experience of playing bass through a delay pedal. Also is there a delay pedal out there specifically for bass.


thx,
 
#2
Used before Digitech's Digidelay and MXR Carbon Copy.

Prefered the sound of the MXR as it's more organic and warm.

Using a Delay pedal on bass should be alright as Delay affects the entire Frequency range.

But most importantly......

There's no limitation when using effects. The only limitation is your mind and some say, your wallet.

Go forth and try out various pedals in stores to see how it works and if it suits your playing style and music and the band you are playing with.
 
#5
uaudio said:
I used the Line6 Echo Park, because I needed tap tempo and I didn't want to pay a ton. It worked great, nice unit.

For a digital unit, the analog/tape emulation was pretty good.
Click to expand...

I used to have an Echo Park on my board and I agree the features/sound are very good for the price. The thing that bothered me was the stomp switch - it just felt bad.

Also I found that daisy-chaining it with other pedals on a 9v supply can make it noisy. Line 6 do a 9.6v adapter for it and I would recommend you use it.
 
#6
Loves2Jam said:
I'm very interested in purchasing one of the delay pedals boss makes. I love jamming on trippy/experimental music and I think this would be sweet. Does anyone have any experience with using a delay peal on bass. I know they are designed for guitar, does this matter and if so how much?
Click to expand...

Nope, it doesn't matter. If there are any "bass delay" pedals out there, I haven't seen one. There's no need, though - as others have said, they affect the entire frequency range.

Loves2Jam said:
I would appreciate any comments or suggestions from anyone who has experience of playing bass through a delay pedal.
Click to expand...

Ever listen to a band called Tool? Their bassist uses a LOT of delay, among plenty of other effects.

There are other examples, too. I personally use delay in my current band, but only for particular moments.

One thing to be aware of is the analog/digital delay difference. I would suggest doing some research on both types to get an idea of what they can do. Some bassists prefer analog, and others prefer digital.

The general "features" of analog delay pedals:

  • Easier to use
  • "warmer" repeats (usually, they roll off the high end with each successive repeat... some bassists find this to be "muddy")
  • Easy self-oscillation and crazy feedback :D
  • The controls, when adjusted in real time, smoothly warp the signal
  • Lasts longer on batteries
  • Short maximum delay times (rarely above 1 second, usually 600ms or less)
The general "features" of digital delay pedals:

  • More feature-packed
  • Crystal-clear repeats (no high end rolloff, but some bassists find this to be "sterile")
  • Usually doesn't last long on batteries, or doesn't use batteries at all
  • Knob adjustments usually don't produce "smooth" realtime warping results
  • Large maximum delay times
  • Harder to produce oscillation and crazy feedback with (can be useful if you want lots of clear repeats, not so much if oscillation and feedback are your goal)
Not all digital delay pedals are like this, though. Many have tone controls and analog delay modeling, and can sound just like an analog delay.

Given that you're interested in experimental styles, I'd highly suggest messing around with a few different delay pedals, both analog and digital. This is the sort of thing that requires hands-on experience to find what you like. ;)
 
#7
kevteop said:
Also I found that daisy-chaining it with other pedals on a 9v supply can make it noisy. Line 6 do a 9.6v adapter for it and I would recommend you use it.
Click to expand...

Generally, Line 6 pedals are not known to play well with other pedals on a common power supply. Unwanted noise is the usual result. You don't necessarily have to use an original Line 6 supply, though. Others should work fine, too - just don't share it with other pedals.
 
#11
I'll chime in suggesting the EHX Stereo Memory Man w/ Hazari. I like the filter it has: you can cut highs on the repeats to make it sound more "analog", or cut lows on the repeats so you can do more rhythmic stuff on bass without having the delays muddy things up too much.
 

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