Analogue delay vs digital delay

Hammeron

How do these 2 differ sound wise?

ActionArnie

Generally speaking:

Digital is a much more accurate representation of the sound its repeating, digital usually allows much longer delays - the traditional U2 / Edge sound is digital delay

Analogue gives you a more organic spacey type echo

MIKA-the-better-one

Funny how the adge from U2 wrote most of his delay riffs on a EHX memory man, which is one of the all time best analog delays....

Hammeron

This might be a silly question....but do you get the 2 versions in the other effects as well? Such as Phaser.

Bob-Dubery

Well dig out some classics. Jimi Hendrix would be a good start. There was nothing digital going on in those days. Listen to 70s Pink Floyd as well.

BUT

Some of the effects, notably the flanging, were done in the studio with tape machines. Maybe not so easy to do those outside of the studio.

I'd think you once got analog phasers - don't know if you still do. I remember a friend of mine having lots of big old Roland pedals. Space Echo and stuff like that. I should think things like the MXR Phase 90 were analog (or were originally analog).

Bob-Dubery

Before analog stomp box delay pedals there were things like the Echoplex that worked with tape loops. They had an interesting aspect to the sound because the use of tape meant that the delayed signal would deteriorate with each repeat. Some folks would argue that this was a feature.

ezietsman

ActionArnie wrote: Generally speaking:

Digital is a much more accurate representation of the sound its repeating, digital usually allows much longer delays - the traditional U2 / Edge sound is digital delay

Analogue gives you a more organic spacey type echo

organic spacey doesn't describe the difference between analog and digital.

Here's the difference:

Digital takes your analog signal from your guitar which is a continuous voltage and changes it into a series of 1s and 0s i.e. it gets digitised. So say it does so at 44KHz the pedal will 'measure' your signal from your guitar 44000 times per second and represent the voltage as a binary number. Now, because the signal has been digitised, it can be manipulated by some clever computing devices which, in the case of a delay pedal, plays the echoes for you. You can make a digital delay sound like an analog delay by letting the repeated signal decay more and more as it gets repeated. Analog pedals have a very short delay time and the repeats decay fast. CAn't get around that. With digital, the skies the limit.

Listen to lots and decide which you like. I'm going to build myself an analogue delay pedal soon, then I'll have one of each ?

AlanRatcliffe

Hammeron wrote: This might be a silly question....but do you get the 2 versions in the other effects as well? Such as Phaser.

Apart from time- and pitch-based stuff and those in multieffects, most other effects are all still analog.

Analog delays were very limited in both delay times and frequency response - most of us hated the limitations when they were all we had. Funny how what we used to call "muddy" is now regarded as "warm" and the "pristine" sounds of digital are now called "brittle" or "harsh". ? Most digital gear can emulate the analog and tape stuff quite well and some do an excellent job of it (Strymon, et. al.).

Mr-M

X-rated Bob wrote: I'd think you once got analog phasers - don't know if you still do. I remember a friend of mine having lots of big old Roland pedals. Space Echo and stuff like that. I should think things like the MXR Phase 90 were analog (or were originally analog).

Phase 90s are all analog - old or new.

FruitarGeek

Hammeron, in case you thinking of buying pedals, don't be fooled by the idea that 'analog is best'. Its truly subjective.

I for instance, specifically wanted a digital delay, so that I can manipulate as I want, and have that nice sterile delay (with the option of coping an analog delay). I was under the impression that analog is always better. Its usually more expensive, but unless you in the studio, its hardly gonna make that much of a difference.

MIKA-the-better-one

For metal I suggest a digi delay.. it will work better in high gain settings

Vick

???

Both Digital and analog have there place. But for the record, analog dose not necessarily mean short delay time, there are analog pedals with delay times of 1000ms(new deluxe memory man with tap tempo), moog also has\had(dono if there still making them) a pedal that can do 1400ms, witch is a far cry from short...but yea, these are expensive pedals, and digital still goes way longer then that, cheap alternative analog delay with "longer" delay times, is the tone rider analog delay(800ms )