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Post new topic Delay. Most asked ?'s
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Author Topic:  Delay. Most asked ?'s
Tommy R. Butler


From:
Nashville, Tennessee
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2006 9:11 am    
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I get alot of questions about delay. I am not the writer of the crowd so I thought some of you more inspired writers could explain in good detail for those needing help. Some of the questions are.
What is purpose of delay? How do you set it up? Do you use more on some songs that others? Does it help you appear play faster?
How do you set it for slow songs? How do you set it for fast songs?
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Curtis Mason


From:
Ohio, USA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2006 9:34 am    
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Tommy,

I use my digital delay to give a fuller/fatter sound, but if you set the spread/delay time just right, you'll get a sound similar to two players playing exactly the same thing.

For fast songs, you'll need less delay...if you get too much it will just be one big smear...too little will sound dry and dull.

Of course the slow songs is where the digital delay can really be most appreciated, you've got more time between notes so you can hear the effect.

It's really a user preference, but those are the basics for delay settings.

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Sho-Bud LDG & Nashville 1000
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Howard Tate


From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2006 11:18 am    
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I like to use it with one slapback, minimum delay time, mode at 800 ms (maximum),and level at about ten or eleven oclock. This is with a DD-3. My Steel King has a foot control and on slow songs I usually turn on the amp reverb at ten or eleven oclock. That works pretty well for me, but I'm open to suggestions.

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Howard
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Ray Minich

 

From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2006 1:48 pm    
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Bobbe Seymour shows, in one of his videos, how to use it to sound like yer pickin' real fast when ya ain't.
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James Shelton

 

From:
Austin, TX USA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2006 2:29 pm    
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The big thing with Delay is how hard you pick. You can get away with a whole lot on slow songs if you have "soft hands". However if you spank the strings it'll stick out like a sore thumb! When it's used rite you don't really hear it at all. It should blend with the reverb, not overcome it.

The exception to this is what's called "slapback" where the idea is "echo".
This sounds cool on fast things like rock-a-billy tunes. For this you want a short Delay.Say 100ms or so turned up allmost as loud as the guitar by it's self. In this case you NEED to pick hard to get it to "slap".
I use about three settings to cover everything from slow country tunes to hard rock stuff.
For the slow songs try: 250 or 300ms half as loud as the guitar with about one and a half to two repeats.
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Jim Sliff


From:
Lawndale California, USA
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2006 3:06 pm    
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"Bobbe Seymour shows, in one of his videos, how to use it to sound like yer pickin' real fast when ya ain't"

Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Ricky Skaggs and especially Albert Lee have used this method with great results.

You set your delay so it hits just about in the middle of the "spaces" between the notes, with only a single echo at exactly the same volume as the original note. Then you play half as many notes as you want to come out, and the delay plays the rest. It's an amazing trick. Your timing has to be flawless or else it falls apart immediately. You also can't "pre-set" the sped live, because it has to be set to exactly the right speed for each song.

When done right though, it's jaw dropping.
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Lee Baucum


From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2006 3:15 pm    
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To my ears, 200ms sounds good with most uptempo tunes. 300ms works well with most slow songs. I like to keep the repeat very subtle.
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