Advanced Delay Techniques for Guitarists

Delay pedals are one of the most common pedals included in a guitarists pedal board. Even if you don’t own those expensive fancy pedals, you are likely to own a basic version of delay pedals. There is a reason why most of us are so fascinated by the otherworldly, distinct sound created by these simple, authentic pedals.
But owning a delay pedal is only one third of the actual work. There’s no point in owning a delay pedal if you cannot utilize its full potential. To be perfectly honest, owning a pedal but not using it properly is a sort of disgrace to the world of music. So in this article, we will be providing you with a few simple, subtle techniques which will help you improve your playing styles and of course, help you create those utterly beautiful effect we all crave for.
But before we go down on that road, we need to know about the most frequent settings for using delays.

Mixing:

The function of mix is to take the direct, raw guitar signal, while blending it with the concerned effect. You can simply twist and turn the associated knob and get your desired sound.

Feedback:

As the name suggests, this setting helps you determine the actual number of times it repeats. Setting the feedback at zero means your signal will be repeated only once.

Time:

Setting the time control is very important factor as well. This setting controls the delay speed. By controlling this setting, you are determining the speed of delay effect on your original signal.

Type:

A delay effect is not simply a delay effect, rather it is much more than that. There are tons of variations to this particular effect, and among them, a few of these pedals let you choose your desired one from a vast range. Some common types of this effect are ping pong delay, the dual delay and the quad delays, reverse and tape delay etc.

Rate:

This setting is also an important one to remember. It lets you create a distinct sound. And how does that happen, actually just by applying a little bit of the effect called “chorus” to your signal.

LPF:

If you want to blur the sound or tone between dry and wet effects, this setting is made for you.
Now that we have covered on the basics, here we have some awesomely mind blowing tricks you can try out with your delay pedal if you want to take your level to the next level.
1. Use one singular delay with zero feedback. Set the time right to the dotted 8th. Make sure the tempo is set at one hundred and eighty five beats per single minute. Keep the mix at 50/50. Now that you’re all set, rock away!

2. If you’re one of those people who absolutely adore the tone of their amp’s overdrive, try putting the delay pedal in the effects loop. Be careful! You will not get your desired result if you put the delay before your drive. So make sure the delay is placed after the drive.

3. Set a half a note delay @ 120 beats per minute. Set the feedback to zero. Like the previous exercise, keep the mix at 50/50. It will sound like two guitarists are playing simultaneously. This trick will work wonders if you have a small band but want to create bigger and better sound at a live gig.

4. You need 02 delay pedals for this trick. On the other hand, you may use the effect of a dual delay as well. Set the following setting in the pedals:

First pedal: Mix it to the level of 60/40, 15%-20% feedback, time 1/ 8T at 120bpm.
Second pedal: Mix it to 60/40, 20% feedback, time 1/ 4 at 120bpm.

Don’t forget to use a metronome. This trick is a little bit difficult, because the signal will get overburdened with repeats. So you can try the following setup to make sure it works:

Guitar > Overdrive > AB/Y> Delay 1> Clean Amp 1> Delay 2 > Clean Amp 2

Now, this trick will let you enjoy the magical and dreamy sound, creating a peaceful and in other words, quite an out of the world type soundscape.

5. Set the mix right to the level of 70/30. Set the time to 125 to 200 milliseconds and keep the feedback at 20%. This is something that some guitarists won’t do in most cases, but the result itself is worth the hard work. Remember our words – it will be fantastic!
Playing around with effects is fun. Even for an old and very experienced guitarist, the thrill of creating your own effect cannot be compared to any other. There are people who dedicate their lives to this small instrument simply because they love the experiment they get to do with sound and music. And for newbies, this thrill is all it takes to keep them motivated. Because let’s be honest here, playing the guitar is hardly a piece of cake. It takes time, dedication and extreme effort. Not many people can keep at it without a bit of push. These tricks can provide you with that push, if you really love the guitar, that is.
So try out these advanced tricks for delay pedals. Maybe this will motivate you to write your next masterpiece, and the world will get the next Jimi Hendrix!

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