"Block diagram of the signal-flow for a typical simple delay-line," tied to an electric guitar, for example. Dotted line indicates variable component. Delay is an audio signal processing technique that records an input signal to a storage medium and then plays it back after a period of time.Lehman, Scott. "Effects Explained: Delay". 1996. Retrieved on June 30, 2006.  The delayed signal may be played back multiple times, or fed back into the recording, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo. Delay effects range from a subtle echo effect to a pronounced blending of previous sounds with new sounds. Delay effects can be created using tape loops, an approach developed in the 1940s and 1950s ; analog  effects units, which were introduced in the 1970s; digital effects pedals, introduced in 1984; and audio software plugins,  developed in the 2000s. Early systems The first delay effects were achieved using tape loops improvised on reel-to-reel audio tape recording systems. By shortening or lengthening the loop of tape and adjusting the read-and-write heads, the nature of the delayed echo could be controlled. This technique was most common among early composers of Musique concrète (Pierre Schaeffer), and composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, who had sometimes devised elaborate systems involving long tapes and multiple recorders and playback systems, collectively processing the input of a live performer or ensemble. Audio engineers working in popular music quickly adapted similar techniques, to augment their use of reverberation and other studio technologies designed to simulate natural echo. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, several sound engineers began making devices for use in recording studios and later more compact machines for live purposes.  Guitarist and instrument designer Les Paul was an early pioneer in delay devices. A landmark device was the EchoSonic made by American Ray Butts. It is a portable guitar amplifier with a built-in tape echo , which became used widely in country music (Chet Atkins) and especially in rock and roll (Scotty Moore).  Tape echoes became commercially available in the 1950s. An echo machine is the early name for a sound processing device used with electronic instruments to repeat the sound and produce a simulated echo. One example is the Echoplex which used a tape loop. The length of delay was adjusted by changing the distance between the tape record and playback heads. Another example is the Roland Space Echo with a record and multiple playback tape heads and a variable tape speed. The time between echo repeats was adjusted by varying the tape speed. The length or intensity of the echo effect was adjusted by changing the amount of echo signal was fed back into the pre-echo signal. Different effects could be created by combining the different playback heads.    Analog delay Echoplex EP-2 Digital delay   systems function by sampling the input signal through an analog-to-digital converter, after which the signal is passed through a digital signal processor that records it into a storage buffer, and then plays back the stored audio based on parameters set by the user. The delayed ("wet") output may be mixed with the unmodified ("dry") signal after, or before, it is sent to a digital-to-analog converter for output. Applications and variants       Doubling echo Doubling echo is produced by adding short delay to a recorded sound. Delays of thirty to fifty milliseconds are the most common; longer delay times become slapback echo. Mixing the original and delayed sounds creates an effect similar to doubletracking, or unison performance. Slapback echo Slapback echo uses a longer delay time ( 75 to 250 milliseconds), with little or no feedback.  The effect is characteristic of vocals on 1950s rock-n-roll records. In July 1954, Sam Phillips produced the first of five 78s and 45s that Elvis Presley would release on Sun over the next year and a half, all of which featured a novel production technique that Phillips termed "slapback echo" .Rob Bowman. "Phillips, Sam." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Jul. 2016. The effect was produced by re-feeding the output signal from the playback head tape recorder to its record head. The physical space between heads, the speed of the tape, and the chosen volume being the main controlling factors. Analog and later digital delay machines also easily produced the effect. It is also sometimes used on instruments, particularly drums and percussion.
 Delay is an audio signal processing technique that records an input signal to a storage medium and then plays it back after a period of time.Lehman, Scott. "Effects Explained: Delay". 1996. Retrieved on June 30, 2006. When the wet (processed) audio is blended with the dry (unprocessed) audio, it creates an echo-like effect, whereby the original audio is heard followed by the delayed audio. The delayed signal may be played back multiple times, or fed back into the recording, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo. Delay effects range from a subtle echo effect to a pronounced blending of previous sounds with new sounds. Delay effects can be created using tape loops, an approach developed in the 1940s and 1950s and was used by artists including Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. Analog effects units, were introduced in the 1970s; digital effects pedals, in 1984; and audio software plugins, were developed in the 2000s. History The first delay effects were achieved using tape loops improvised on reel-to-reel audio tape recording systems. By shortening or lengthening the loop of tape and adjusting the read-and-write heads, the nature of the delayed echo could be controlled. This technique was most common among early composers of Musique concrète (Pierre Schaeffer), and composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, who had sometimes devised elaborate systems involving long tapes and multiple recorders and playback systems, collectively processing the input of a live performer or ensemble. Audio engineers working in popular music quickly adapted similar techniques, to augment their use of reverberation and other studio technologies designed to simulate natural echo. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, several sound engineers began making devices for use in recording studios and later more compact machines for live purposes. American producer Sam Phillips discovered the effect while experimenting with two Ampex 350 tape recorders in 1954. The effect was used by artists including Elvis Presley (such as on his track "Blue Moon of Kentucky") and Buddy Holly, and became one of Phillips' signatures. Guitarist and instrument designer Les Paul was an early pioneer in delay devices. According to Sound on Sound, "The character and depth of sound that was produced from tape echo on these old records is extremely lush, warm and wide." The tape mechanism of a Roland RE-201 delay unit Tape echoes became commercially available in the 1950s. An echo machine is the early name for a sound processing device used with electronic instruments to repeat the sound and produce a simulated echo. One example is the Echoplex which used a tape loop. The length of delay was adjusted by changing the distance between the tape record and playback heads. Another example is the Roland Space Echo with a record and multiple playback tape heads and a variable tape speed. The time between echo repeats was adjusted by varying the tape speed. The length or intensity of the echo effect was adjusted by changing the amount of echo signal was fed back into the pre-echo signal. Different effects could be created by combining the different playback heads. A landmark device was the EchoSonic made by American Ray Butts. It is a portable guitar amplifier with a built-in tape echo, which became used widely in country music (Chet Atkins) and especially in rock and roll (Scotty Moore). Dedicated machines for creating tape loops were introduced, such as the Ace Tone EC-1 Echo Chamber. Tape echo machines contain loops of tape that pass over a record head and then a playback head. With the Roland RE-201, introduced in 1973, Japanese engineer Ikutaro Kakehashi refined the tape delay to make it more reliable and robust, with reduced tape wear and noise, wow, and flutter, additional controls, and additional tape heads for more delays. By adjusting the controls and tape speed, musicians could create pitch-shifting and oscillated effects. The RE-201 was a success, used by acts including Brian Setzer, Bob Marley, Portishead and Radiohead. In the 1970s, Jamaican dub reggae producers used delay effects extensively; Lee Scratch Perry created "lo-fi sci-fi" effects by using delay and reverb on a mixing console test tone. Dub techno producers such as Basic Channel introduced delay to electronic music. Digital delay effects were developed with the arrival digital recording. Analog delay Echoplex EP-2 Digital delay Sound example of a plugin simulation of an analog delay (EHX Memory Man) with modulation and pitch shift Digital delay systems function by sampling the input signal through an analog-to-digital converter, after which the signal is passed through a digital signal processor that records it into a storage buffer, and then plays back the stored audio based on parameters set by the user. The delayed ("wet") output may be mixed with the unmodified ("dry") signal after, or before, it is sent to a digital-to-analog converter for output. Function and variants "Block diagram of the signal-flow for a typical simple delay-line," tied to an electric guitar, for example. Dotted line indicates variable component. Delay effects add a time delay to an audio signal. When the wet (processed) audio is blended with the dry (unprocessed) audio, it creates an echo-like effect, whereby the original audio is heard followed by the delayed audio. Delay effects typically allow users to adjust the amount of feedback. By feeding some of the delayed audio back into the buffer, multiple repeats of the audio play back (feedback). At low feedback settings, each repeat fades in volume. High levels of feedback can cause the level of the output to rapidly increase (self-oscillation), becoming louder and louder; this may be managed with limiters. The delayed signal may be treated separately from the input audio - for example, with an equalizer. Most delay effects also allow users to set the delay time, or the amount of time between each audio playback. The may be synchronized to a BPM, allowing users to set time values as beat divisions. Delay is used to create other effects, including reverb, chorus and flanging. Digital delay effects record a sample of audio and play it back. Software versions record the audio to a buffer. Digital delay may also modify the recorded sound, by reversing it, altering its pitch, or other manipulations. Some digital delays emulate the "gritty, grainy" sound of earlier delay effects. Haas effect Short delays (50ms or less) create a sense of "broadening" the sound without creating a perceptible echo, and can be used to add stereo width or simulate double-tracking (layering two performances). The effect is known as the Haas effect after the German mathematician Helmut Haas. Ping-pong delay In a ping-pong delay, the delayed signal alternates between two stereo channels. Multi-tap In a multi-tap delay, multiple "taps" (outputs) are taken from a delay buffer, each with independent times and levels, and summed with the original signal. Multi-tap delays be used to create rhythmic patterns or dense, reverb-like effects. Doubling echo Doubling echo is produced by adding short delay to a recorded sound. Delays of thirty to fifty milliseconds are the most common; longer delay times become slapback echo. Mixing the original and delayed sounds creates an effect similar to doubletracking, or unison performance. Slapback echo Slapback echo uses a longer delay time ( 60 to 250 milliseconds), with little or no feedback. A slapback delay creates a thickening effect. The effect is characteristic of vocals on 1950s rock-n-roll records. In July 1954, Sam Phillips produced the first of five 78s and 45s that Elvis Presley would release on Sun over the next year and a half, all of which featured a novel production technique that Phillips termed slapback echo .Rob Bowman. "Phillips, Sam." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Jul. 2016. The effect was produced by re-feeding the output signal from the playback head tape recorder to its record head. The physical space between heads, the speed of the tape, and the chosen volume being the main controlling factors. Analog and later digital delay machines also easily produced the effect. It is also sometimes used on instruments, particularly drums and percussion.
D
"Block diagram of the signal-flow for a typical simple delay-line," tied to an electric guitar, for example. Dotted line indicates variable component.
A
When the wet (processed) audio is blended with the dry (unprocessed) audio, it creates an echo-like effect, whereby the original audio is heard followed by the delayed audio.
R
; analog
and was used by artists including Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly.
A
Analog
D
which
D
introduced
A
were
R
Early systems
History
A
American producer Sam Phillips discovered the effect while experimenting with two Ampex 350 tape recorders in 1954. The effect was used by artists including Elvis Presley (such as on his track "Blue Moon of Kentucky") and Buddy Holly, and became one of Phillips' signatures.
R
A landmark device was the EchoSonic made by American Ray Butts. It is a portable guitar amplifier with a built-in tape echo , which became used widely in country music (Chet Atkins) and especially in rock and roll (Scotty Moore).
According to Sound on Sound, "The character and depth of sound that was produced from tape echo on these old records is extremely lush, warm and wide."
A
The tape mechanism of a Roland RE-201 delay unit
A
A landmark device was the EchoSonic made by American Ray Butts. It is a portable guitar amplifier with a built-in tape echo, which became used widely in country music (Chet Atkins) and especially in rock and roll (Scotty Moore).
A
Dedicated machines for creating tape loops were introduced, such as the Ace Tone EC-1 Echo Chamber. Tape echo machines contain loops of tape that pass over a record head and then a playback head. With the Roland RE-201, introduced in 1973, Japanese engineer Ikutaro Kakehashi refined the tape delay to make it more reliable and robust, with reduced tape wear and noise, wow, and flutter, additional controls, and additional tape heads for more delays. By adjusting the controls and tape speed, musicians could create pitch-shifting and oscillated effects. The RE-201 was a success, used by acts including Brian Setzer, Bob Marley, Portishead and Radiohead.
A
In the 1970s, Jamaican dub reggae producers used delay effects extensively; Lee Scratch Perry created "lo-fi sci-fi" effects by using delay and reverb on a mixing console test tone. Dub techno producers such as Basic Channel introduced delay to electronic music. Digital delay effects were developed with the arrival digital recording.
A
Sound example of a plugin simulation of an analog delay (EHX Memory Man) with modulation and pitch shift
A
Digital delay
R
Applications and variants
Function and variants "Block diagram of the signal-flow for a typical simple delay-line," tied to an electric guitar, for example. Dotted line indicates variable component. Delay effects add a time delay to an audio signal. When the wet (processed) audio is blended with the dry (unprocessed) audio, it creates an echo-like effect, whereby the original audio is heard followed by the delayed audio.
A
Delay effects typically allow users to adjust the amount of feedback. By feeding some of the delayed audio back into the buffer, multiple repeats of the audio play back (feedback). At low feedback settings, each repeat fades in volume. High levels of feedback can cause the level of the output to rapidly increase (self-oscillation), becoming louder and louder; this may be managed with limiters. The delayed signal may be treated separately from the input audio - for example, with an equalizer.
A
Most delay effects also allow users to set the delay time, or the amount of time between each audio playback. The may be synchronized to a BPM, allowing users to set time values as beat divisions. Delay is used to create other effects, including reverb, chorus and flanging.
A
Digital delay effects record a sample of audio and play it back. Software versions record the audio to a buffer. Digital delay may also modify the recorded sound, by reversing it, altering its pitch, or other manipulations. Some digital delays emulate the "gritty, grainy" sound of earlier delay effects.
A
Haas effect Short delays (50ms or less) create a sense of "broadening" the sound without creating a perceptible echo, and can be used to add stereo width or simulate double-tracking (layering two performances). The effect is known as the Haas effect after the German mathematician Helmut Haas.
A
Ping-pong delay In a ping-pong delay, the delayed signal alternates between two stereo channels.
A
Multi-tap In a multi-tap delay, multiple "taps" (outputs) are taken from a delay buffer, each with independent times and levels, and summed with the original signal. Multi-tap delays be used to create rhythmic patterns or dense, reverb-like effects.
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75
60
A
A slapback delay creates a thickening effect.
R
"slapback echo"
slapback echo