Guitar FX basics: What is digital delay?

Delay pedals have several controls and are extremely versatile
Delay pedals have several controls and are extremely versatile

Click here for all Guitar FX basics videos.

Getting to grips with guitar effects can be a complicated business and there are so many different types that it can be difficult to know where to start. This Guitar FX basics series of video lessons is a brief introduction to the most common effects.

This video lesson focuses on digital delay. Delay works by adding a copy of the guitar signal to the original, unaffected ‘dry´ signal after pausing for a certain amount of time. The resulting effect sounds like a sort of echo. Delay pedals also allow you ‘repeat´ the copy of the signal so that more than one echo is heard. To hear how this sounds, check out this video below.

A typical digital delay pedal has a different sound to its historical predecessor, the Tape Echo; check out our Guitar FX basics video on Tape Echo to hear the difference.

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