Intro to Delay

Welcome to our quick guide to delay. This video will build off concepts we learned about in the reverb video, so please check that one out first if you haven’t yet. Let’s dive in!

In its simplest form, Delay is a time-based effect, which takes a sound and delays it by a set length of time. As with reverb, this is typically set up in parallel, meaning that our unaffected sound will come through the main track in our DAW while also being sent through a parallel auxiliary track which contains our delay plugin.

Because we are using our delay in parallel, we’ll start by setting our wet/dry balance to 100% wet.

The primary control of a delay plugin is delay time. This determines how long your initial sound will be delayed, whether it be a few milliseconds [pause] or much longer [pause]. Most plugins will also let you set a delay that is based on a musical note length. These are typically separated into notes [pause], dotted notes [pause], and triplet notes [pause] The plugin will then set the Delay time accordingly based on the tempo you have set in your DAW.

Next up is the feedback parameter, which is typically expressed as a percentage. This takes your delayed sound and feeds it back into the input of the delay at the percentage you have specified. For example, If you have set your feedback to 50%, the plugin will take your delayed signal and send it back into the plugin to be delayed again, this time at 50% volume. This effect is additive, meaning that it will be continuously re-sent back to the input. In this example, our first delay will be at 100% volume, followed by our second delay at 50% volume, our third delay at 25% volume, and so forth. Unless you are going for a very specific effect, you should always keep your feedback set to 99% or below, as setting it to 100% will create a feedback loop, similar to what you hear when a singer accidentally points their microphone at a speaker [microphone screech sfx].

Setting your feedback knob lower is often used to add space to a sound without creating the same level of complexity as a reverb, while setting your feedback knob higher can be used to create complex and cascading textures that can help create an other-worldly environment.

Many delays also have a ping-pong setting, which will bounce alternating delays between the left and right stereo channels.

When applying Delay effects, especially with high feedback values, it can be easy to overcrowd your mix, so it may be necessary to use EQ, automation, the amount of signal that you’re sending to your delay aux track, or the Feedback level in to compensate.

In future videos we will explore more creative and practical applications of Delay for both composition and mixing.

Thanks for watching, and happy composing!