Delay; Digital Delay - PRESONUS StudioLive 16.4.2 User Manual

5 Tutorials
5.6 Digital Effects

Digital Delay

5.6.2
A digital delay emulates an analog tape-echo unit. A tape-echo is a special type of tape recording.
It uses one head to record a signal and up to four heads to replay it. The delay time is set by the
tape speed and the space between the heads. A digital delay essentially performs exactly the
same function as a tape-echo, but offers more refinements and adjustments than its mechanical
counterpart. A delay essentially creates an echo, although you can often use delays to create more
complex time-based effects. The source signal is delayed so that it is heard later than it actually
occurred.
Delay time. Delay time is the time between the source signal and its echo. The simplest delay
effect is a single repeat. A short delay between 30 and 100 ms can be used to create slap-back
echo, while longer delay times produce a more distant echo. Delay times that are too short to
hear distinct echoes can be used to create thickening effects. Whether these echoes are timed
with the tempo is a matter of stylistic choice.
Variable feedback. The variable feedback, or regeneration , produces multiple decaying re-
peats. Increasing the feedback value increases the number of echoes as well as the resonance
that is created as one echo disappears into another.
Note: Using the Tap button on the StudioLive, you can speed up or slow down these repeats or,
more commonly, time the repeats to occur with the tempo of the music.
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