This program is designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Not only will it help you to thicken up your sound on stage, but its also a handy tool in the studio. In addition to the many effects presets, this pedal also has built-in audio tapping. Although there are a limited number of controls and presets, this pedal still gives you a number of options and is definitely worth implementing into your rig. Guitar World is supported by its audience. 
One unique feature of the EP103 Echoplex is the age control. The latter allows your reversed signal to sit subtly under your playing, or dominate it for a shoegaze-y wall of sound. Thank you for signing up to The Pick. Another feature worth mentioning is the tiny switch that is positioned to the right of the stomp. Trails: No, + Another revived classic England and Wales company registration number 2008885.
There is modulation on offer, however adjustment of rate and depth is assigned to internal trim pots this might appeal to those sick of losing their settings thanks to bumped knobs, although you might want to explore another analogue delay option if you enjoy constant parameter-tweaking. This pedal uses an all-analog dry path, but it also has many modern options. If you want the option of beefing up your tone, building suspense, or adding some vintage tape delay to your guitar output, youve come to the right place. + Affordable, compact version of a classic Bottom Line: You can expect ultimate quality with an Electro-Harmonix pedal, and the Canyon Delay and Looper once again cement their position in the top tier of FX pedal manufacturing. Equally, you may swear by them, especially if you have a unique delay sound for each song in your set, and know your audience wont be too thrilled watching you adjust pedal knobs. Tap tempo: Yes The inclusion of Sound on Sound further emulates an original tape machine by recording the audio then allowing you to choose the length of the delay, before triggering it back out through your amplifier.
Price: 189 / $199
Most rhythmic delay pedals are digital, as they need to process the patterns your program in. Tap tempo: No Although it shines when used for a variety of different uses, it's probably most at home in the shoegaze, dream pop and ambient genres, even cropping up on a lot of post-rock guitarists' pedalboards. Controls: Delay time, feedback, tone, regeneration, modulation depth and rate, dip switch array for expression/ramp operation In some ways, calling this pedal digital is slightly misleading. Theres no limit to the analog tones it can produce, so it would be a worthy acquisition for any guitarist who loves that old-school, original warmth of analog delay. Granted, you cant produce layer upon layer of ambient delay with it, but for simple vintage sounds, it does a splendid job. Bottom Line: You can tell that a large amount of care, research, and thought went into the design of the El Capistan pedal. Some, like the Boss DD-3, DD-5 and DD-6, deliver a distinctive tone of their own that sits somewhere between clinical and the darker, grungier tone of an analog delay. Bypass: True bypass Description: Reissue of Danelectros highly-praised reverse delay in a more pedalboard-friendly metal enclosure This is useful because it means that the dry, clean version of what you are playing carries on even when you use your delay pedal or other effects, giving you an overall beefier sound and avoiding losing power when you switch your pedals on. While this kind of ultra-modulated sound wont be for everyone, the option to have seasick pitch dives mixed with the warmth and self-oscillating possibilities of an analogue delay will appeal to the noisier end of the guitar spectrum. Why would you need two outputs? The advantage of multi-effects pedals is that they combine all of your effects into one hub, saving space on your pedalboard and making it easier to quickly toggle through each setting. Keep in mind that none of the above features make a pedal better or worse but they do affect the kinds of sound it is suited for. But if you enjoy figuring out new sounds and exploring the world of audio processing, this pedal is a fantastic option. 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Tap tempo: No The level of detail it allows is extensive, and youll never run out of options when playing around with the Nova. This produces a double track effect, which is commonly used on vocals to iron out any blemishes in pitch or strengthen the overall tone. Lets put it another way; players from The Edge, to Tom Morello, to Matt Bellamy, and Johnny Greenwood would not have been able to create the music they did without delay effects. Ambient delay pedals should come with a disclaimer you may lose many hours of your life sitting in a trance experimenting with the psychedelic sounds they create. Who is this best suited for: Guitarists with a soft spot for natural, vintage delay sounds will love this pedal. The pedal is also able to convert a mono signal to stereo, with optional ping-ponging between channels. Im just as hooked as everybody else, and I have been since I was 5 or 6, Unrivalled access to the artists and gear you love, Exclusive lessons that will make you a better player, Organize your effects with our pick of the. As you can see, Electro Harmonix has packed this pedal full of every variation of delay imaginable. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). A word of warning however, multi-effects pedals dont usually provide you with the detailed controls that you would find on a pedal that is exclusively for delay. If you're unsure where to start, then don't worry - we've rounded-up some of the best options in this guide for you to check out. On the right-hand side, you have all of the reverb controls, and the footswitch is dedicated to creating a shimmer effect when you hold it down. Consequently, you get great sounding chorus and delay effects which can be transformed with the addition of distortion. + Presets save you time on stage With its gorgeous built-in modulation, the MXR Carbon Copy is a superbly distinctive- sounding pedal. The Space Delay has everything from 'tape' warble and analog style saturation to heavily oscillating atmospheric delay and even more - all from a limited control panel which features time, feedback, level, pattern and modulation controls. Please refresh the page and try again. As you can see from our comprehensive list, delay pedals vary greatly in terms of their aesthetics, capabilities, and features. Without tweaking the stock sounds, we think the Strymon patches are a little better voiced, and offer more instant gratification. Delay B features a reverb knob and a max delay time of 300ms. I hope it brings you many hours of satisfaction and helps you improve your songwriting and performing! Bath And all of this for less than $50, whats not to love about this delay pedal? Each of these is written out on the Grand Canyons ample enclosure, so theres no need to consult the manual here. While it may be celebrating turning 22 this year, the Line 6 DL4 remains a staple of pro and amateur pedalboards the world over. With these, it goes from a unit offering two switchable patches and a user-assignable switch to one capable of having either three switchable patches at once, or two serial, parallel or stereo parallel patches at once - a complete revelation in power. Both of these types of delay pedals have their respective strengths and limitations, so its important to establish what it is that youre looking for before making a purchase. It looks the part and does an incredible job of reproducing the exact delay sounds associated with primitive tape machines. They usually feature a mixture of emulations of the classic delay sound I previously mentioned, but the advantage of a digital pedal is this you get complete control over the characteristics of the delay. Technically speaking, analog delay pedals are usually reliant on a device known as a bucket-brigade. 
The DD-3 has been a staple for three decades for a reason, and the addition of tap-tempo just makes it that much better. My Review: The Koogo Analog Delay is quite similar to the Donner Yellow Fall pedal I previously reviewed, with a simplistic and compact design. This primitive stompbox doesnt have a large selection of controls, but theres still room for experimentation. By tweaking the echo, feedback, and time you can create tight slapback delays or long, spacey effects and basically everything in between. Whether you want to add clear, studio quality tape echo to your guitar or recreate the sound of a vintage, worn out tape, the El Capistan has the capabilities to do both. Whether its your first delay or youre already a seasoned collector, the sheer abundance of echo and delay effects on the market could make it hard to decide the right one for you. Others allow for much more extreme affectations of your sound, from adding reverb to delay trails, reversing them entirely or ping-ponging them across stereo channels. My Review: The Boss DD-7 is one of the most popular delay pedals among guitarists, and for good reason.
However, this Donner pedal only has three, two of which are a form of delay.
MXR-M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay (Best Under $150). A pedal with two outputs allows you to split the signal and have a dry version playing through one amp and the manipulated signal playing through another. Basically, the more effects you can combine with the delay, the more ambient sounds you will come across. Its similar to the echo you get in a large room and was made famous by artists like Elvis Presley. Finally, there exists a somewhat hazier group of digital delays that aren't trying to emulate other sounds, but instead do something radically new. Description: Simple analogue delay pedal with optional modulation
By Mono or stereo: Mono The majority of delay pedals run off 9 volt DC power, with some able to be powered by a battery. The sounds themselves range from clean digital delays all the way to wilder sounds like reverse, multi-tap and FilterPong sounds, the latter making use of the fact that all the TimeFactors delays contain an LFO, Filter and a unique Xnob control, which varies its operation depending on the preset. The original Deluxe Memory Man is one of the most sought-after analogue delay pedals of all time one of the first bucket-brigade delays, and certainly one of the widest-used. Or a two piece with just a drummer and guitarist. Thank you for reading 5 articles this month*, US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year, UK pricing 2.99 per month or 29.00 per year, Europe pricing 3.49 per month or 34.00 per year, *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription. That said, the expression, or mash functionality, can be a bit tricky to use in practice. Building on their best-selling range of delays, the DD-7 has all of the popular features from previous pedals with some useful additions including analog delay mode, modulation delay mode, and external pedal control options. But on the options side, the DD-500 has comparable sound quality once dialed in, delivers a great UI with lots of options, and some market-leading stereo and parallel settings once you've updated the firmware. This pedal can give you modern sounding delays, but its best suited to the retro worn-out tape sound which is popular in garage rock. If you turn up the feedback, you'll find that these can be easily coerced into infinite feedback and auto-oscillation. Theres a discrete tap tempo footswitch, too, as well as a selector switch to divide delay times into quarter, eighth and dotted eighth notes. So when it announced that it would be bringing a range of guitar effects to the world of physical stompboxes, expectations were high, and UA delivered. Expensive. Read more about how how we test products and services and how we make our recommendations. The Boss unit's are endlessly tweakable, both on the pedal itself or via software on a computer, but the real gamechanger for it was its post-release firmware updates. Who is this best suited for: Guitarists who want to use multiple delay settings during a show will find the Empress Tape Delay to be very useful. Controls: Knobs for mode select, delta time, repeats, tweak, tweez, mix Who is this best suited for: Pysch-rock guitarists who want to create soundscapes. All of the pedals I listed earlier in this article are, in my opinion, solid and reliable choices. Of course, this is just one example of how to use one control on a very in-depth pedal. The easy to use nature of this pedal combined with its wide array of delay creating potential makes it a worthy addition to any guitarists pedalboard. Compact controls are a little fiddly. With my engineering experience, Ive developed as a designer of guitar amplifiers and effects. My Review: Im a big fan of NUX pedals, which have improved dramatically in recent years. Finally, on the top right corner of the pedal is a modulation switch. Bottom Line: Its rare that such a detailed number of controls can be fitted onto a small delay pedal without it becoming confusing and overcrowded. One of the common questions regarding any effects pedals is where should you position them in the chain? Bypass: True bypass If you want a no-frills analog delay pedal that doesn't cost the earth, the TC Electronic Echobrain (opens in new tab) is a good place to start. There are so many high quality delay pedals with differing attributes that it can be difficult to know where to start. Description: Fully analogue vintage-inspired delay pedal The delays produced have a rich vintage quality to them, and although the 620 milliseconds of maximum delay time isnt as long as some digital options, in my opinion, its a worthy tradeoff for the analog warmth. Modern ears might be used to higher-fidelity digital delay. An effective way to cut through the mix when soloing is by adding a touch of delay with a short sustain, as this creates a doubling effect and beefs up your tone. If price isnt a huge factor for you, this is hands down of the best delay pedals out there. All rights reserved. Digital delay pedals come very close to reproducing analog tape delay, but there is an undeniable charm associated with the original method which still sounds great decades after its discovery. Commonly, guitarists will position dirt before delay. Learn more about types of audio delay here. Some might want more tweakability. Firstly, it includes ten different effects all based around delay. Price: 149 / $153.99
Trails: Switchable, + Highly-tweakable dual delay The fact that this pedal has three era-defining settings makes it easy to choose your preferred sound. Theres a secondary footswitch for tap tempo, as well as a jack for an external footswitch. The delay pedal produces a range of natural sounding vintage delays, with a particularly impressive tape delay. Next to the era selection switch, there is a delay time selector, with tap, slow and fast options. Controls: Delay time, feedback and mix, modulation depth and speed With three individual flavors of tape eras, you can quickly jump between sounds by using the top layer of toggle switches. The recordings would be played back on the tape strips which resulted in a naturally occurring delay. The October 2021 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! Bottom Line: Extremely durable, authentic analog sound, capable of creating positive feedback loops and it takes up hardly any space on your board. Controls: Delay time, feedback and mix My Review: Known for their range of top-quality effects pedals, Dunlop has created a wonderful delay option with their EP103 Echoplex. The November 2021 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! Controls are kept simple, with knobs for delay time, feedback and mix. It's not as immediately recognizable as the Boss or MXR analog delays, but the combination of value for money, extra options and excellent core tone make it a winner. Price: $149
Expensive. Bottom Line: The Wampler Ethereal gives you many complex options, but the design is pretty straightforward and easy to familiarize yourself with. With multiple additions in terms of sounds and control options, this pedal leaves nothing to the imagination. By turning up the feedback and echo controls, you can create a loop of delay which is useful for creating pad sounds or building suspense. The original was beloved for its sound but somewhat bemoaned for its plastic enclosure and fragile audio jacks. This pedal is capable of all the standard effects youd expect from a top-end delay pedal, but what makes it really unique is its ability to produce loops of sound that can be gradually faded in and out of the overall mix. Delay pedals come in two varieties: analog and digital. This creates a variety of delay tones, ranging from sparkling clarity to dark and chaotic. However, if you need flexibility, precision, and more extreme forms of delay, then digital will likely suffice. Included in the Cruncher Multi Effects pedal are delay, chorus, and distortion. Donner Yellow Fall Vintage Analog (Best Value), 3. With so many options on the market and new manufacturers popping up all over the place, its important to choose one with a history of producing high quality pedals. If you play psychedelic music, the Canyon is a must have pedal. Who is this best suited for:Guitarists searching for that elusive Gilmour inspired delay sound will love the MXR Carbon Copy. Whether analog or digital delay pedals are the better choice is a subjective matter. Theres the classic analog delay that Boss is renowned for, along with vintage tape, warm digital delay, reverse, shimmering pitch-shifted delay, and a newly developed glitch delay. Trails: Switchable, + Extremely customisable approach to tape delay emulation This is easily one of the best analog delay pedals for the money. Many multi-effects pedals have delay built-in, as you will have seen on the list at the top of this article. These are; spring, plate, and hall. Lets start with analog pedals. Now that youve learned the basics about delay pedals, you might be wondering which particular ones will produce the sounds youre looking for. Doubling echo is another popularly featured variety on delay pedals. If you come across a cool sound, simply save your edited sound to one of the 9 presets so you can go back to it later.
On release, the DD-500 even pipped the Strymon Timeline to the post in terms of raw audio quality - although it's debatable which has the better patches. 8 David Gilmour techniques that will change the way you play, David Lee Roth gets nostalgic for Van Halen high-jinks on new single, Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway, Dunlop partners with Korns James Munky Shaffer and Brian Head Welch for new signature 7-string set, Orianthi announces new album Rock Candy and drops riff-loaded single Light It Up, David Ellefson and Jeff Young to play classic Megadeth albums in their entirety on tour this fall, Johnny Marr: If theres a room full of guitar players, Im the last to leave, man. After spending long periods in the Strymon sound design labs trying to capture the saturated, distinctive details of classic tape echo machines, they finally settled on the SHARC DSP processing power.
Mono or stereo: Stereo + Chaotic self-oscillation and modulation is an option If you'd like to read more about the best delay pedals, we've included some expert buying advice at the end of this guide. Simply choose the length of your loop, then record in whatever you like. Bottom Line: Multi-effects pedals can sometimes lack quality when it comes to individual effects. Bottom Line: Probably the pedal with the most functions out of all of the options on this list, the DD-8 is akin to having Ableton or Logic on your pedalboard. The second is layered over the top and can be reproduced either as triplets, dotted 8th notes, or a self-oscillating dotted 8th pattern which is ideal for psychedelic music. So what are the various delays that this pedal can produce? The majority of these pedals have effects like chorus, reverb, phase, flange, modulation, and others installed. All images on our website are the property of their respective owners. Tap tempo: No Arguably the most powerful delay pedal on the market today, this stompbox delay offers you a selection of 12 delay modes which are all of the highest audio quality. Some pedals will also offer the modulation on repeats. Still to this day many musicians and producers prefer to use tape delays in their recordings due to their authentic, vintage sound. + Excellent sounds right out of the box Besides reviewing countless pedals for Total Guitar, he's written guides on how to build your first pedal, how to build a tube amp from a kit, and briefly went viral when he released a glitch delay pedal, the Atom Smasher. Mono input but stereo output. If you use overdrive, distortion, or fuzz, these pedals should be placed before your delay pedal in the chain as this means that the distorted signal is affected by the delay so there no risk of the sound becoming muddy. Controls: Rate, Repeats, Tone, Depth, Time, Mix If you feel abject terror when you look upon a behemothic multi-footswitch delay pedal with a thousand onboard presets, full MIDI connectivity and knobs for wash, spin, rinse and dry, the simple-to-use MXR Carbon Copy could be for you. If you intend to use your delay pedal for recording via a D.I, this is an awesome option for the studio due to its low noise output. This idiosyncratic combo is a great blend of limitations and excess, and can be tweaked to achieve everything from the most bog-standard analogue delay tones to completely wild, pitch-bent, reverb-soaked shoegaze bliss. You see, there's nothing quite as exciting, expressive or dynamic as a delay pedal. Guitar Lobby is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program. Despite the limited number of things to turn and press, the pedal isnt limited in its variety of sounds, with up to 600ms delay time allowing for psychedelic swirls or funky slapback. Pristine delays, a pleasant overall timbre, and an EQ profile that works equally well in a band context or studio mix, make this a no-brainer for everybody from bedroom musicians to pros. Tap tempo: Yes The variety of different sounds, and the depth to which you can customise them, mean this could be the only delay you need and thats before considering the editable presets, programmable expression pedal settings, multi-function buttons and footswitches, and a hidden secondary mode that only applies to the pitch and drum delays. Luckily, this reissue fixes that by offering the same swirling, psychedelic reverse delay of the original in a sturdy metal enclosure thats far more pedalboard-friendly. My Review: Canadian pedal producers Empress Effects have created a detailed pedal with their tape delay offering. If you want a simplistic, straight forward delay pedal that packs a punch, the Koogo Analog Delay may well be the perfect option. Each of these effects has its own separate footswitch, and three control knobs to manipulate the sounds. The advantage of having these switch presets along with the separate knob controls is that you can create numerous variations within each delay type. If you would like more information on these pedals before reading reviews, you can check out our delay pedal information guide at the bottom of the page here. + Custom mode gives more modern voicing in the same enclosure
Description: Reissue of a legendary Boss analogue delay with added custom mode Bypass: True bypass The built-in looper is particularly useful, as it allows you to reproduce what youve just played back through your amplifier. Youll find that many delay pedals have a function known as tap tempo. The true bypass nature of this pedal ensures that there is no tone coloration. Many multi-effects pedals are large in dimensions, but somehow despite the variety of options, this pedal wont take up much space on your board. My name is Chris and Ive had a passion for music and guitars for as long as I can remember. Price: 149 / $159 Controls: Regen (feedback), mix, and delay time and a push-button to engage modulation Not many delay pedals have to come with a flow chart to explain their internal signal routing, but the Earthquaker Disaster Transport Sr is not your average delay pedal. A true passion of mine, Ive designed, built, and repaired a wide range of guitar amps and electronics.