Advice on Delay Pedal - how to use

Hi there. Just got a new Boss DD6 Delay. It is cool. I just plugged it in for the first time last night and fiddled around with it. It is fairly complex.

Do any of you have any suggestions or opinions on how best to utilize a box like this? Thanks.

Ho...the big thing with pedals is not to go overboard with 'em...even though most pedals are more than capable of enticing a user to do so....delay has two basic functions....short slapback and longer ballad type repeat heads.....slapback type heads can be adjusted to fatten up a sound.....slightly longer for great rockabilly type tone.....longer delays create a texture of spaciousness....add reverb to enhance the effect...if possible (and I'm sure it is) adjust your settings for a single repeat head....even for longer delay usage...if more repeat heads are desired...adjust with extreme care....multiple heads tend to promote tonal (stiffness) especially with digital pedals....heads should be approx. half the volume of the original signal....a little more in loud band situations.....later, spyder

The one reason I wish I still had a rack delay w/ LCD display is so I could list milliseconds for different settings... but I don't, so I can't. Here are some basics I've used over the years, some more than others:

Basic ambient wash - I don't like the way reverb plays with the high end of dirtier guitar tones, so I use it sparingly or not at all. I much prefer delay for a little 'air' around the note. Low mix & repeats, delay time to taste. I need something that will work for almost anything except the most percussive passages, or stops... for this reason, the delay needs to have some high end rolled off the repeats. I use Maxon AD-900 or Dan-Echo most of the time. I have a Boss DD-3, but the repeats are too pristine & clear to accomplish this - does the DD6 have a tone control or high cut function?

Rockabilly slapback - single repeat, mix to taste. I set the tempo to the old Sun Records Scotty Moore stuff with Elvis - "That's All Right" or "Mystery Train" will cover most rockabilly needs, regarding tempo. I can deal with clear repeats from a delay for this application, as long as the basic tone is cleanish... but when things are dirtied up, I want some high end rolloff, or things can get nasty in a hurry - especially if you insert the delay into the front of an amp, as opposed to running it an effects loop. BTW, delays sound horrendous into the front of high gain amps; they really need to be in a loop in that situation, not that you'd go that route for rockabilly.

The 'dotted eighth note' thingy - a la Albert Lee (cleanish tone, ringing notes or more staccato), or, a la Eddie Van Halen; "Cathedral" (dirtier tone combined with volume swells). The trick is to get the tempo right, & match the volume of the delayed signal to that of the original, unaffected signal. Single repeat.

Doubling - as in some of the funk records from the 80's. Very low delay time, strong wet to dry mix, single repeat. Sounds nasty on chords, but really makes single note passages pop.

Super wet delay for volume swells - delay time to taste, heavy wet to dry mix, heavy on the repeats. I want each chord or note to blend into the next, but no so much that it overlaps the new note or chord for too long.

Science fiction noises - I don't know if the DD6 would have this capability or not, but I sorta doubt it... some delays, mostly analog models, will self oscillate, & you can create the sound of a flying saucer landing... lots of fun at parties, amaze your friends... my fave for this is the old Boss DM-2. Also, with most any delay, you can tweak the knobs as you're playing, for some wierd & twisted sounds...

Looping, reverse, etc. - I don't currently have the need to use looping live, but it's a great practice tool. Reverse delays are something I'd put in an appropriate place on a record, but nothing I care to fool with for live.

BTW - the new Wasabi delay is getting some pretty nice reviews so far... supposedly it gets the same warm, rolled off repeats as the purple Dan-Echo... but some users say the buffer is superior to that of the Dano, & it does have a separate tap tempo switch... about 130 bucks.

Try setting your E-level to 9:00, Feedback to 9:00, Delay time to 7:30, and Mode to 'L'. This will give you a nice reverb-like sound that will add ambience and fatten your tone.