Delay. Do you like digital or analog?

[joff]

Analogue.

JAM Pedals lo-fi Delay Llama.

 

[ARandall]

I usually set mine to an analogue version if I have the choice.

After my old one died just recently I saw this:

 

[freefrog]

I usually set mine to an analogue version if I have the choice.

After my old one died just recently I saw this:

FWIW, I've recently bought a Nux Tape Core Deluxe and I like it. It's not perfect but for the price, it's a bargain - and it sounds great: much better Roland Tape echo emulation than in a Line 6 M5, for example, albeit the M5 already includes pretty good delays.

To reply more generally to this topic: I have and use both (sometimes altogether, in the same time).

IME and IMHO, the advantage of an analog delay is that it can even be used before the drive stage of a tube amp. Digital delays, conversely, do wonders in FX loops...

That's why I've a small collection of analog and digital ones.

 

[Barnaby]

I do a fair bit of looping and am a big digital fan. I have the Flashback x4 and the Fender Reflecting Pool. They're both great at everything from subtle tone enhancement to full ambient wall of sound stuff. The Flashback might be a more versatile standalone delay, but, as the Reflecting Pool is also an excellent reverb (it has a particularly nice shimmer for the stuff I do), it's not about to be kicked off the board anytime soon.

All that being said, there's a Roland RE-201 for sale locally in need of some TLC. The mad scientist in the back of my brain keeps reminding me about it...

 

[Freddy G]

I would wager most couldn't tell an analogue delay from a good DDL if blindfolded. OK, sure....a simple DDL maybe because of it's pristine feedback. But a modern DDL with modulation, grit, feedback generation tone shaping?
I'm a fan of mostly anything analogue, especially mixing gear....EQ, compression, tape....but delay? Gimme a strymon pedal any day over a bucket brigade chip or even tape delay/

 

[Freddy G]

All that being said, there's a Roland RE-201 for sale locally in need of some TLC.

Of course it's in need of TLC. I just had one of those on my bench yesterday. In for service. Cleaned all pots, switches and connections. Replaced some caps, cleaned the transport and finally installed new tape.
End result? Meh....sounds like saturated delay with high end rolled off....blah....I wouldn't give you a nickel for it.

 

[Gtarzan81]

Belle Epoch

 

[Phil W]

I like my Strymon Timeline which will convincingly do or emulate both.

 

[NJDevil]

I'm on the pedal hunt right now and many sound different, with different options and many coming with reverb. I'm about to pull the trigger on the copy of the 4 head drum pedal David Gilmour used throughout the '70s. He used the Binson Echorec but Catalinbread makes a great copy of it with warmth and tons of tone and mojo.....the Catalinbread Echorec.

It's unique to its own place.....same as the Adineko by Catalinbread. Both are highlighted by the atmospheric tone with a type of analog warmth. Their Belle Epoch mentioned in 2 posts above is also a great option.

 

[gibsonguitar1988]

Given your ideas, I must say "I still haven't found what I'm looking for"

Oh absolutely. That's the theme song for my relationship with effects and pedals...

 

[jbylake]

Oh absolutely. That's the theme song for my relationship with effects and pedals...

Yeah, me too.

 

[Burst Boy]

As someone said above digital delay can be more versatile. An extreme but awesomely cool example is the Red Panda Particle. Trippy delays of all-sorts that could never be done using bucket brigade circuits. And it is a quality sounding pedal, no digital harshness.

 

[Wuuthrad]

We used to have the Roland tape echo in the jam room back in the day. It was fun and all, but when the digital stuff came out, I was a convert. I prefer the versatility and sampling of digital delays. They’re both good delays .

I mean all sound is analog when it comes out of a speaker anyway, no matter what path it takes on the way.

 

[MaxBoogie]

carbon copy.....i had a top of the line do everything high dollar digital and my sound was wack...stuck the carbon copy back in the line and had my tone back.....analog is darker and "syrupy" ...

In my experience, the Carbon Copy is the absolute muddiest delay I’ve ever used. It just destroys my tone completely. It’s a digital delay doing a terrible impersonation of an Analog delay.

 

[MaxBoogie]

I own over a dozen delays, some genuine bucket brigade analog, but most Digital. I like them both and both have their place. Never heard a Digital precisely duplicate an Analog sound, though they can get close enough to make them quite usable. Conversely, an Analog delay can never duplicate the crystal clean digital sound. But that’s not why people buy Digital delays to begin with. In my book, nobody does a better Digital imitation of Analog better than TC... or maybe Diamond. Digital also has an advantage because it’s much more versatile with the types of delays it can do, plus a greater variation of tones.
if I had unlimited pedalboard space, I’d have both types on there, but I only use a very small board, so I find the Flashback does everything I need... except presets. My Boss DD-20 has superb delay tones, but it’s a bigASS pedal. I like (and own) some of the Diamond stuff... they used to make an awesome Analog delay, but the really good bucket brigade chips aren’t available anymore, so they’ve mostly gone digital, with great success. I really like the flexibility of the new Boss DD-200, but their terrible implementation of a Ducking delay makes it a deal-breaker... but it does have presets.

 

[OBX351]

I'll take this one step farther. I used vintage tube Echoplexs for years, so analog plus tube and tape. I stopped using them about 10 years ago because I thought they added too much color to the sound. I've switched to a Maxon analog delay,on the occasions that i use delay.

 

[patricef]

Digital for me, I like the Eventide H9.

 

[mdubya]

ALL of my delays, echoes, and reverbs are digital sims of the real thing. I prefer the sims of analog, but do I really?

I even own a tube reverb tank that never gets used. It is super cool and sounds great, but I never use it.

Now, with the Fractal AX8, I use reverb and delay on everything. Mostly because I have dozens of choices in one box and I can scroll through and pick and choose. I find it funny, too, I like the tape delays but the analog pedal sims are easier to use and dial in. I never use the digital pedal models. Only the digital models of the analog delays.

 

[leofender55]

I never needed or wanted anything other than the vintage Boss DM-2 I bought in the 80's.

 

[moosie]

Both. I currently only have a couple analog pedals (Boss DM2w and my favorite, a 'vintage' Maxon AD900).

Boss DD3 is a good, cheap digital.