Analog delays vs. digital imitations

[ASATClassic]

Nowadays lots of digital delays have an "analog" sound. For example, DL-4, DLS Echotap, Digidelay, Analogman DD-X, BYOC Delay, Rocktron short timer, SIB Mr. Echo etc. etc. etc. etc.

With all the advantages of digital (features, longer delay time, versatility, usually lower price) does it still make sense to buy analog? Or is digital close enough?

[Jono]

This is a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type question.

I find that for myself, digital delay is fine. The audience would never come up to me and tell me the difference, because they are ignorant. I am playing live every week, and I seek functionality - namely, tap tempo, and lots of different delay times. The DD5 and DD20 combo do it for me, for versatility, and for price. Echoczars and TTE's are going to cost you your CHILDREN.

If I was going to make a record though? Studio sessions? That's when you would want to be gunning for some nice analog delays to borrow off of people.

Thats just me. Analog junkies are bound to be typing furiously as I speak, so I'm just a-gonna pip 'em at the post now...

[Moe45673]

+1! For live use, the analog sim on my DD-20 is good enough for anyone. Sure, it won't oscillate, but aside from that (and how many people actually oscillate their delays, practically?), noone will know nor care. Heck they wouldn't care if I used a standard digital delay.

[scottywompas]

I think delay is sooooo subjective. I mean, digital came about because we all wanted looooong delay times without the degridation of the reapats as well as a clean signal. Now we all want that warm, analog sound because digital sounds sterile to some people.

I don't know. I've used all types. Tape echo, analog pedal, cheap rackmount, good rackmount. I guess it all depends on how much you are relying on the delay. I use mine for a little echo on a solo here or there so It doesn't really matter to me. Convenience and eas of use are where it's at for me.

Scott

[Fifthstone]

I have a Boss DD3 but mostly use my cheap Rocktron Short Timer because it does a very good tape echo emulation. My only concerns with digital delay is that it might be easier to overload the input when running a high signal (like from a maxed out OD) into it. Digital clipping can be ugly. I think analog (think recording gear for instance) is more forgiving of level mismatch. Fortunately, I've never had this problem as I don't run that hot into the delay.

I think lots of boutique gear junkies have a preference for analog, for whatever reason. I myself would love to have a Moog or Maxon, but just can't see spending that much (~$600+ and ~$300+ respectively) on pedals anytime soon.

As others have said, it all boils down to whatever works for you. This can vary from song to song as well.

[Big Bob]

Its true Digital delay "imitated" Analog but don't forget Analog delay "imitated" Tape. It so happens that Analog also had something of its own that CREATIVE musicians used and abused. Digital has its own mojo that CREATIVE musiscians use and abuse. My point is...its all good. :angel


Bob

[JohnLutz]

I ended up with both. For rhythmic delays that add extra notes to what you're playing, you want a nice clear digital delay. I'm using an Echo Park. For ambient soundscapes where you don't necessarily hear distinct repeats analog is way better to my ear. Especially with mod. The memory lane works great for this. You can get a beautiful singing or string-like sounds.

John

[G'OlPeachPhan]

There's a place for both... different applications. One does not replace the other, though the lines are clearly blurring in both directions with digital delays such as the ones you mentioned being designed to sound and feel a bit warmer and more analog, and true analog delays being designed to have digital-like delay times in excess of 1 second, such as the Echoczar.

That said, digital still doesn't have the sound and feel of analog, and analog doesn't have the pristine clarity on longer repeat times that digital is capable of.

There are also a variety of other factors in design a delay that can make one sound drastically different from another... filtering, voltage, and other component choices, so it's not just a question of digital vs. analog in my mind.

The short of it all is that there ARE clearly differences with both platforms and all the different designs in each category, and you have the pleasure and pain of deciding which design is most beneficial to YOUR tone, or just buy a few of each like the rest of the true delay junkies in the world! ;D

[Stressfest]

For myself...i love the warmth of analog, but hate the limitations in terms of delay times. I found the BYOC DD-80 and nice combination of 'acceptable' delay time and warmth with a nice tone on the repeats...pristine enough. Having said that though...i have better luck with rack delays for gigs. I find that high end rack mount delays tend to be more prominent in the mix than a swampy analog box...unless you crank the mix in favour of the delay. Does tend to mush out a bit too much to my ears though.
Guess it's whatever works best for your style, ears and application at the end of the day.

[stratovarius]

Actually I prefer a large cathedral to analog imitations. :rotflmao

[theanalogfuture]

Troy Nan Leeuwen from Queens of the Stone Age, in my opinion, said it best:

"Lexicon Vortex, which is the easiest tap delay to use. Analog delay sounds better, but I think that it’s better for me to tap out a tempo on that thing live...I like to have stuff in the studio that’s vintage and I like to keep things as pure as possible. But when it comes to the road, I like to use stuff that works consistently. I don’t like stuff that’s vintage and cool, but breaks down. So that’s why I’ll use a switching system and new pedals. I don’t care about using vintage pedals over new pedals. The difference live is so minute. First of all, you’re in a hall or a theater which changes the sound. Then it’s going through a mic, then through a PA. And live, it’s not as much under the microscope as in the studio. Unless you’re bootlegging the performance, it’s not going to make that much of a difference to the listener. Your fingers are more important."

[DonneR]

Its true Digital delay "imitated" Analog but don't forget Analog delay "imitated" Tape. It so happens that Analog also had something of its own that CREATIVE musicians used and abused. Digital has its own mojo that CREATIVE musiscians use and abuse. My point is...its all good. :angel


Bob

right, and Tape imitated the mountains and canyons , but added its warble and modulation from its limitations ....yupper allgood:AOK

[markom89]

I have a digital, analogue, and tape echo...I like them all. The DL4 has some cool features like the swell feature, and it has a looper. The Memory lane has amazing modulation, and is really nice and lush sounding. And, the TTE just sounds sooo damn nice and warm that its basically always on now. I use delay alot, so I have to have a good delay.

[BillyK]

Totally subjective topic.

Have used analog for years. Even had a Howard Davis-modded DMM, which was very nice. Got a DLS EchoTap and sold-off everything else.

For me, the warm repeats of the EchoTap, the ability to bring a hot signal to it without overloading (a big deal for me), longer delay times, tap temp, two delay presets available and bullet-proof construction made this decision a no-brainer. Again, that's for me!!

[cameron]

I prefer analog. I've got one of the analog-sounding digital ones (the SPF I-5) but I've found that any boost (OD, compressor, etc) in front of it will overdrive the A2D converter and produce truly awful sounding distortion.

[Big Bob]

right, and Tape imitated the mountains and canyons , but added its warble and modulation from its limitations ....yupper allgood:AOK

Yeah but mountains can't self oscillate.....without help....


:rotflmao :roll :angel :YinYang :crazy :Devil :crazy :YinYang :angel :roll :rotflmao

[Guitar Dave T]

I have an old Boss AD analalog delay pedal I've had since it was new. I've tried a bunch of digitals over the years, and have always felt they either competed with the guitar tone or sucked the tone right out of it. Some did not do well when fed an overdriven signal from a Tubescreamer.

The Boss analog unit I use won't do long delays, and it's got a muted tone, but it adds just the right ambience to what I play and it makes the guitar tone itself realy stand out without drawing attention to the delay.

In the meantime, I'm always on the prowl for something that can truly copy all the "analog" nuances of a tube Echoplex without the hassles of tape.

[ASATClassic]

Have used analog for years. Even had a Howard Davis-modded DMM, which was very nice. Got a DLS EchoTap and sold-off everything else.

For me, the warm repeats of the EchoTap, the ability to bring a hot signal to it without overloading (a big deal for me), longer delay times, tap temp, two delay presets available and bullet-proof construction made this decision a no-brainer. Again, that's for me!!

Yup, I'm with you. For me, the echo tap is the best compromise out there. All the benefits of digital, and it sounds almost analog. Tap tempo, uses 9volt power, built well, and can easily be found used for around $200.

That being said, I did a session the other day. A certain song called for a delay, and I asked the engineer if he had any interesting analog pedals (I had my own delays, but wanted to see if he had something better). He found me an old DMM and that thing sounded amazing! Right away, the tone seemed so much nicer than my best digital units, though I didn't compare them directly.

However, in the real world (live gigs), I think it's hard to justify a $300-500 analog box when a cheaper digital will do so much more and sound close to analog.

[drolling]

I need both! Like John said, if you're playing against yourself w/the delay set to dotted eighths, a crisp, clean repeat that sounds as close as possible to the original note works best for me - I can get that out of the cheapest digital gear and currently use a DigiTech pedal for that app.

But it's hard to beat the warmth & ambience of a good analogue delay. I like the way it sits in the mix, the way the tails trail off much better than any digital sim I've heard. They are more sensitive to input impedance, and can be prone to ugly clipping compared to digital delay, but the tradeoff in tone's worthwhile to me.

The Diamond delay provides the best of both worlds - it's all analogue, true-bypass, w/plenty of clean headroom AND it's got tap-tempo, too. Only 550 milleseconds, tho'. If you need more than a second, or so - you're pretty much stuck w/digital..

[albuht813]

I use both as well. A DL4 for all my digital needs and a TTE for my analog needs. Works great for me.

[kgmessier]

bump for more

[XKnight]

I play at home and can hear a major difference between analog and digital delays. So, it's analog for me.

[enocaster]

Going back to the OP's question (digital simulating analog) I owned a DD-20 for 3 years, and when playing in the analog mode the sober, logical part of my mind said "this sounds really good". When I plug into my old MXR analog delay (the green monster) my mind says "oh yeah" and I get a big smile on my face. My opinion: digital simulations are satisfying (and definitely more convenient) when the real thing isn't around, but the "feel" is never there.

Same goes for analog modeling synthesizers. I've got several keyboards routed to a mixer, going to the same amp. Going between a carefully tweaked patch on an Alesis Ion to a preset sound on a rickety old low-end ARP is laughable - the ARP destroys it! (I know ARP made some great stuff, but I have a Soloist - not a highly regarded model with preset sounds only)

Use digital stuff in situations it works well in, when you want the sound of analog - get analog.

[yellowecho]

it's the decay quality of the trails.
even some of the best analog 'voiced' delays i've heard just do not have the sound quality in the decay of their trails.
depending on the sound system and volume, it can be hard to hear live but it's pretty easy to notice in recordings and playing alone.

[Sniper-V]

I have examples of both.

I think someone will realize how good a "real" analog delay unit is once they play through a very good one.

For example, I've owned the DD-20 for quite a while now and have always loved the versatility of the unit and I think its once of the best multi delay units out there. I didn't own an analog pedal at the time and I really didn't' have much experience with it but I knew what it was and what it did. I found myself using the analog model a lot on the DD-20 because I loved the characteristics of it for certain things, mainly for an always on effect.

So,

I finally invested in a real analog pedal and I researched to the Memory Lane. Once I got use to the controls and settings I was just blown away how good it sounded. So tonefull and musical! I A/B it to my DD-20 model and there was no comparison. It didn't cut through as much and wasn't as musical. Even with the so slight inherent nature of the analog background hiss. You really don't hear it once you stand back. Bottom line, the DD-20 analog model sounds great but it sounds like a great "model" and the ML sounded more "real".

I use both on my board right now. The ML does all the analog work and the Dd-20 does everything else, which is its specialty.

[teleus52]

For me the Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay is the perfect "compromise"! It's one of the best delay IMHO. The pedal is analog but the delay effect is digital, so this one is so warm and spacey like an analog. It replace my Maxon AD-9 analog delay on my board cause the tone is better and I need at most 600 ms.:AOK

I compare it among a Maxon AD999 and a T-Rex Replica during an hour at a music store (isolated room) and the DBD win my heart!

Good luck,

[drbob1]

I use both. At church I'm using an original DD2 for a little slapback ambience. It's definitely warm enough for that, although I've also used a lot of smaller analog delays in its place. For ambient/wierd/ducking stuff you've got to go digital, so there's also an echo park. At home, my keys are plugged into a combination-analog for the straight forward knobs and digital for presets and multimodulation wierdness, but guitars get analog, digital and tape depending on the sound I want...

[DC1]

A lot of this is the design of the box rather than digital vs. analog.

My favorite delay of all time is the Yamaha UD Stomp. What a sound!

Digital. I'd buy an analog too. It's all about the sound

DC