What Is a Delay?

A delay takes an audio signal, waits a set amount of time, and then plays it back. That’s the basic idea — but it’s wildly versatile. Delay can add depth, rhythm, texture, or total chaos depending on how it’s used.

There are many types of delay — some clean, some gritty, some weird — but all of them give your sounds a sense of space and motion.

Common Delay Types

• Digital Delay: Clean, crisp, often syncable to clock or tempo. Great for clean repeats.
• Analog/BBD (Bucket Brigade Device): Warm, dark, often a little noisy. Classic vibe.
• Tape Delay: Emulates reel-to-reel tape machines. Warbly, saturated, nostalgic.
• Karplus-Strong: A delay-based technique that generates plucky string-like tones.

Parameters to Play With

• Time: How long between repeats. Can be short (flanger/chorus) or long (echoes).
• Feedback: How much of the delayed signal gets sent back into the delay — controls number of repeats or how wild it gets.
• Mix: Blend of dry (original) and wet (delayed) signal.
• Modulation: Some delays can modulate the delay time or pitch, creating chorus or vibrato-like effects.

Creative Uses

• Add stereo width and depth
• Create rhythmic echoes in sync with a clock
• Use feedback loops for evolving textures
• Karplus-Strong for percussive tones and weird string sounds

Delay isn’t just an effect — it’s a composition tool. You can fill space, create groove, or get straight-up weird with it. And in modular? Feeding delay into itself is where the fun really starts.