digital vs. analog delay

[oldironsights]

Hey guys I play post hardcore/progressive rock (heavy,mixed with soft) and want to get some opinions on some of the best sounding of the 2 worlds, analog and digital, so that I can hunt some down and try em out. Thanks!!!! p.s. under $200

 

[Chronicle]

MXR Carbon Copy- Analog
TC Electronics Nova Delay - Digital.


That's your best bet for ~$200.


Soundclips of MXR CC in my Chronicle of Effects thread.

 

[oldironsights]

thank you much!! Any more???

 

[Joe Gress]

For analog: Carbon Copy

For digital: EHX Stereo Memory Man w Hazari.

 

[René_Julien]

For analog delay, I had the EHX Memory Man deluxe and that was awesome.
Especially with vibrato on the delayed signal.
It sounded nice and dark.

But I discovered that analog delay isn't my thing really.

I prefer a digital delay. (Short delay without much feedback and true to the original signal.)

BOSS DD series I'd recommend for that. (DD-3,...)

 

[Chris Ramlar]

SMMwH its just great it has a lot of options, presets

 

[Helbent Revenge]

Sorry if this is off-topic but what are the difference between the two? I'm mildly interested in getting a delay pedal one day.

 

[René_Julien]

Sorry if this is off-topic but what are the difference between the two? I'm mildly interested in getting a delay pedal one day.

MysticBoo gave a good explanation once on what the advantages and disadvantages are of digital and analog.

As far as sound goes, the line between digital and analog is becoming more and more blurry.

Generally, digital can simply do more. For example, there are only a select few analog delays which can approach or even exceed 1 second worth of delay time. But digital delay pedals have no problem with creating effects with huge delay times. Of course, sound is a different story. Some analog effects can sound "warmer" than their digital counterparts, but that's not always the case (some digital delay pedals can faithfully emulate many of the traits of analog delay pedals). There are other differences, too, such as how analog delay pedal knobs behave and warp your delay sound when playing in real time, while digital ones produce an rougher, "staggered" result. Analog delay pedals often have fairly low headroom, allowing for easy feedback; meanwhile, digital delay pedals have much more headroom for cleaner, clearer repeats. Again, these are generalizations, because some analog delay pedals can be surprisingly clean, and some digital delay pedals can emulate analog delay sounds and behaviors.

The biggest controversy comes in digital modeling (i.e., emulating analog effects, amps, cabinets, etc. via software). The general belief is that modeling doesn't sound as good as the real thing. While that may be true among cheaper products, you'd be quite surprised at just how hard it is to tell the difference between the real thing and a high-quality modeler.

Along the lines of this quote, this explains why I personally prefer digital delay.

I like it more cleaner, without the "weirdness" of a analog delay.
It's a matter of taste. Some people prefer analog because of their "weirder" sounds.
You got to try out both types to see what suits you.

I experimented with analog, and it wasn't the thing for me... for the kind of sound I am after.

(You'll generally find more afficionados for analog delay, there are so many great analog delay pedals out there... and many boutique pedals.)