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In my youth, every time I heard the clean sound of an electric guitar producing a deep and full sound, wrapped in this reverberating effect that spectacularly doubled every note, I was convinced that it was the pure magic of the guitarist himself who created something very magical and mysterious in the sound. The thought that it was some kind of effect, let alone a delay, did not occur to me.
Only when I started learning the instrument and listening to masterful solo pieces did I realize that a whole world of effects was waiting for me to discover. I was kind of primitive when it came to effects until I started listening more and more to songs containing interesting solo parts and asking my teacher to learn them.
My teacher recognized the effect of the songs I brought to class and explained to me that it was a delay effect. I insisted on believing I was right, but he proved the opposite.
It took me a while to figure out how to use this pedal and combine it with the guitar, and I chose to believe that only a few guitarists use this effect. As the years passed and I was exposed to many songs in a wide variety of genres, I came to discover his dominant presence in a variety of songs in different styles, and I realized a second time that I was wrong.
I know anonymous and famous guitarists who can’t play a note without this effect in the background. There is something very addictive and captivating about the sound that makes you want to use it repeatedly in different ways.
Those of you who are not among the guitarists in the group and do not understand the meaning of the effect say that it is a pedal that adds thickness to solos, creates repetitive riffs, adds atmosphere, or creates lead lines with a doubling effect.
Before I continue, watch the video to identify the sound of this effect“:
The question arises: which songs or genres use this effect?
When it comes to playing the guitar, there are no rules about when to use a delay pedal; it depends on the type of sound the guitarist wants to produce and the style of music he wants to create.
In this article, I will review the pedal in depth and breadth to clarify even for those of you who do not understand the essence and sound quality of the effect, the meaning and quality it adds to songs as a necessary spice, in addition, I will present to you the differences between a digital delay and an analog delay, I will discuss other uses of the pedal in instruments after and finally I will introduce guitarists And famous bands that use this effect and of course famous songs that most of you probably know that used this effect.
Let’s start with the main question – what is the delay effect?
In fact, a delay is an effect that takes part of your instrument’s audio signals, splits the sound, plays it again after a short time, and plays it again after a fixed period of time. This creates an echo-like effect, where the delayed sound is usually weaker than the original sound and gradually loses its intensity.
Controlling this pedal allows you, as a guitarist, to shape the delayed sound in various ways. You can set the number of times that the delayed sound will repeat, the period that will pass before it is activated, and the balance between the original sound and the delayed sound and change the time between the repercussions, the number of repetitions, and their intensity, which enables the creation of varied and interesting sounds that always add depth and dimension to the guitar tone.
It can be tuned to produce anything from a repetitive echo that gives a creepy feeling to long repeats that enrich the sonic space and add a layer of depth and richness to a guitar solo, allowing each note to stand out with increased emotional impact, depending on the type of pedal brand and the functions it contains and of course the creativity of the guitarist, which will be able to amplify the standard effect present in the pedal.
This is an important effect in modern music creation, for which there are two separate models: analog and digital, although some pedals offer both functions for the user’s choice and convenience.
Many guitarists and bands use delay as an integral part of their sound, and the examples show how it can change the atmosphere of the entire song.
Analog delay
Analog delay tends to produce warmer and softer sounds, with each repetition of the sound becoming murkier and slightly distorted, giving it a unique and very “musical” quality. This effect is created with old technology, such as BBD (Bucket Brigade Device) chips, which create the reverberation.
Watch a video demonstrating what an analog delay sounds like
Examples of songs that used analog delay:
“Echoes” – Pink Floyd: In this song, you can hear the analog delay used by the band’s guitarist, Mr. David Gilmour, which creates a psychedelic and mysterious atmosphere.
“Where the Streets Have No Name” – U2: The analog delay here, used by guitarist The Edge, gives the song the epic and spatial feeling that characterizes the band’s sound.
Digital delay
Digital delay, on the other hand, uses digital technology to record and reproduce the sound more accurately. Unlike analog delay, digital delay allows more precise control over parameters such as the reverberation time, the number of repetitions, and the sound quality. The sound remains clear and clean even after many repetitions, allowing modern and more complex effects to be created.
Watch a video demonstrating what a digital delay sounds like
Examples of songs that use digital delay:
“Run Like Hell”—Pink Floyd: David Gilmour uses a digital delay to create a strong and precise rhythm that leads the whole song.
“Message in a Bottle”—The Police: Guitarist Andy Summers uses digital delay in this song, which adds depth and width to the lead guitar sounds.
Other famous guitarists and bands that use delays as an integral part of their guitar’s sound are:
Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) – Page used delays on songs like “Dazed and Confused” to create reverb and doubling effects.
Steve Way – a virtuoso guitarist who uses delays to enrich his sound and create impressive effects in live performances and recorded songs.
Of course, the list is long, and hundreds of thousands of guitarists around the world, famous or anonymous, make considerable use of this pedal.
It is worth noting that this pedal, mostly intended for guitarists, can also be used for other instruments, such as keyboards, wind instruments, and bowed instruments.
The effect on these instruments is similar to that on the guitar, as it adds depth, space, and resonance to the sounds.
Examples of songs with delay in other instruments:
“Baba O’Riley”—The Who: This song uses delay on keyboards, which adds to its unique electronic feel.
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond”—Pink Floyd: The synthesizer’s delay adds to the song’s spatial and deep atmosphere.
If you think about it deeply, you will discover that listening to a song with a quality delay effect with a skilled guitarist who knows the craft can sound like a journey through deep inner spaces where time is warped.
The sounds envelop the soul in layers of emotion and depth, like a wave gently breaking on the shore of the soul, expanding the musical experience beyond the notes themselves.
When I think about it, I tend to sail in my imagination and recognize a hidden spiritual message. If the delay multiplies and enriches the sound, so too in life; sometimes, we have to repeat things to deepen our understanding and rediscover their beauty.
So the next time you listen to music with Delay, let yourself sink into the waves of sound and discover the magic of repetitions.
You might also discover something new about yourself.
