Music: Guide to Delay Effect and It's Uses

Delay is one of the most beloved effects around, and also the most misused and misunderstood. It's uses are numerous, and we'll go over them over the course of this guide. It's important to understand how delay works because it's often a components of other effects. Being able to manipulate it accordingly will give you a much stronger command of your sound.

Delay takes your piece of audio and plays it again after your set delay time. With the new software available, the delay parameter has an endless amount of functionality. You can set your delay to a single millisecond to hours. The possibilities are endless. Another parameter that's nearly endless is the amount of delays. A delay can go from a single echo to hundreds, depending on your software.

A single echo effect is affectionately known as ''slap back'' echo, and it's most commonly heard on old rock n' roll recordings. Another parameter you may discover is the feedback effect, which increases the length of your delay. At positive settings you can create strange ambient effects.

Having a very short delay on your piece of audio will thicken it, which is one part of the ''chorus'' effect. This is valuable in strengthening your audio in a subtle way. The reason this works is the second delay gives the illusion of the part being played by another person at the same time, thus thickening it.

Delay is often paired with reverb to create a chiming, hypnotic effect. Even still, many guitarists like Brian May have elaborate rigs that utilize multiple delay units going into multiple amplifiers. A famous song by Queen named ''Brighton Rock'' shows the power of delay, showcasing the aforementioned rig.

Higher delay times is where the effect becomes most prominent and interesting. Generally, many delay units come with a ''tap tempo'' parameter. What does this do, exactly? Well, by pressing the tap tempo button as you play, you can synchronize the delay with the tempo of your song! U2's guitarist The Edge has become quite famous for this style of delay. He also utilizes an elaborate rig, focusing on setting up his delays so his can play over himself. Playing single notes in this style often results in creating harmonies as the notes overlap!

Even further still, a new usage for delay that's become quite prominent over the past few years is ''looping''. Loops are very powerful tools, often used solely for the purpose of a musician being able to play over himself. Pedals and effects units dedicated to looping have been popping up from manufacturers all over the world in the past few years, and shows the versatility of delay as it's finest.