How important is "ducking" in digital reverb?

[brads]

Anyone with experience with the "ducking" control on digital reverb pedals? (I think Verbzilla and Nova have it).

Is it important for cleaning up a solo passage, and/or are there downsides to it?

[StompBoxBlues]

My first experience with it is with the Nova...and it was like "OH MY GOD...where has THIS feature been all my life?????!!!"

Seriously. It is fantastic. On the Nova you need to calibrate (not a big deal at all...one button, hit some notes at highest real volume, hit again) to best use it, but it solved the biggest problem I have had with delays of any kind....that it easily gets too cluttered while playing.

It is SO nice to have it (I still can't tell if it disappears or simply is reduced a lot while playing) out of the way when playing a lot, and then hear it suddenly come to the forefront in the moments in between.

I have a lot of delays, but I don't play U2 kinds of things...use delays mostly subtly and on solos...but with the "dynamic" (or ducking) delay I can actually have it higher in the mix than I otherwise would without ruining everything.

[brads]

Thanks!

[Lolaviola]

I find the dynamic setting on my new nova delay particularly annoying. I would not say it was important if you want ambient, vintage-style echo and delay...

[StompBoxBlues]

Just curious, "annoying" in what way exactly?
I could see not finding it useful (well...I couldn't cause I do, but I could see others doing it) but annoying?

[Uma Floresta]

I had a delay that did ducking once - it was useful for some kinds of sounds, but I've done fine without ducking in both reverbs and delays.