Using delay pedals to get reverb

[radiocaster]

I've been trying this and I really like it. I'm guessing my pedals use a PT2399. Simply setting the time pretty low, although not quite minimum, and the feedback quite high.

It's not the same as a spring reverb, but it does sound old school and it's very boingy because of the feedback.

It's different from slapback, as that only uses 1-4 repeats. Also compared it to a real tube spring reverb unit, which to me sounds more ambient and even modern in a sense.

 

[985plowboy]

Sounds like a cool concept.
Go for it.

 

[Telecastoff1]

There are times I prefer slight delay instead of reverb, depending on the amp and the environment (gig).

 

[RetroTeleRod]

I really like the sound I get from my DM-2w with the rate and intensity both at one o’clock and the echo knob at noon. Tiled bathroom reverb

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I tend to use either reverb or delay, but usually not both. I tend to keep slap back echo going and don’t use reverb when doing so.

Most of my amps don’t have built in reverb. Lately I have been using my Boss FRV-1 reverb pedal instead of the echo, but will likely switch back.

 

[telemnemonics]

I switched from spring reverb to AD for ambience around the turn of the Century but it was surprisingly hard for me to learn to dial it in.
Partly because I was so addicted to Fender amp reverb as an effect, where now I don't want it to really be an effect as much as just to add a little space and make the sound less dry, but not actually wet.
Most AD pedals need to have the mix or effect level knob set very low, almost off.
Some pedals that setting is so close to off that I almost can't use that pedal, like my very old original (not one of the many reissues) Maxon AD80 that takes two 9v batteries for 18v.
On my board I have an AD900 and added a piece of aluminum angle stock as a guard over the mix/ level knob so the cable won't accidentally bump the setting.

The other thing I found was a problem is that clean sounds can handle a higher mix setting than dirty sounds.
Dirty sounds may seem fine until I hear a recording and realize the mix was too high and the recording was ruined by too much delay.
Now I adapted to the lower setting that works with dirt and live with that for cleans too.
At one point I used two AD pedals so one was set higher for cleans.

Through this process I also discovered I can live with my totally dry sound in a pinch!

 

[D_Malone]

I have a preset on my Strymon Volante that I use for ambience in much the same way. I like it because the initial attack is unaffected, kinda like a reverb with pre-delay. Maintains note/chord clarity.

 

[JL_LI]

I use a Fender Mirror Image Delay in place of the tank reverb in my Mesa Boogie amp. Why? I don't lose attack or clarity with the delay like I do with reverb. But there's more. Repeats are laid on top of the signal coming into the pedal creating a subtle interference that brings a note alive giving it movement. The interference comes from the unevenness in fretting pressure creating interference between the slightly mismatched frequencies. High frequencies also decay a bit faster than low frequencies, controlling ice pick from the unwound strings and also bringing the timbre between wound and unwound strings closer together. I play finger style and used a compressor to do that before I got the Mirror Image Delay. A perfectly good Keeley 4 knob compressor now sits in a drawer. I have no need for it now.

 

[bluesholyman]

I tried long and hard to like traditional reverb and could never get there - always prefer some form of vintage (sounding) delay to get my fix and that has worked, although difficult at times to get right.

I recently added a slapback to cop the Vince Gill sound and am finding the right setting for that - I'm almost there. That slapback into the front with a Flighttime in the loop is a great sound - easy for it to become "too much" but still sounds great regardless.

I have a Digitech Supernatural in the pedal locker if I think I need a reverb pedal - no verb has ever sounded as good to me as that pedal, as far as pedals go. Studio verb is a totally different animal and I like it for what it is/does.

 

[Killing Floor]

I get it. You can get some nice shimmer from some delays. Why not?

 

[oregomike]

I've been trying this and I really like it. I'm guessing my pedals use a PT2399. Simply setting the time pretty low, although not quite minimum, and the feedback quite high.

It's not the same as a spring reverb, but it does sound old school and it's very boingy because of the feedback.

It's different from slapback, as that only uses 1-4 repeats. Also compared it to a real tube spring reverb unit, which to me sounds more ambient and even modern in a sense.

One of the surprises I'd found with my Belle Epoch Deluxe was setting the echo delay and sustain in a way to where I got a good slapback type thing. Really cool.

 

[Lawdawg]

I've also moved away from reverbs towards using delays as my primary ambience effect, especially since getting a Volante. It does take a little extra tweaking to get a subtle delay to sound right as a background ambience effect, but once you get it dialed in it sounds great.

 

[ndcaster]

Claustrophobic sounds sound modern, being timely.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

I switched from spring reverb to AD for ambience around the turn of the Century but it was surprisingly hard for me to learn to dial it in.
Partly because I was so addicted to Fender amp reverb as an effect, where now I don't want it to really be an effect as much as just to add a little space and make the sound less dry, but not actually wet.
Most AD pedals need to have the mix or effect level knob set very low, almost off.
Some pedals that setting is so close to off that I almost can't use that pedal, like my very old original (not one of the many reissues) Maxon AD80 that takes two 9v batteries for 18v.
On my board I have an AD900 and added a piece of aluminum angle stock as a guard over the mix/ level knob so the cable won't accidentally bump the setting.

The other thing I found was a problem is that clean sounds can handle a higher mix setting than dirty sounds.
Dirty sounds may seem fine until I hear a recording and realize the mix was too high and the recording was ruined by too much delay.
Now I adapted to the lower setting that works with dirt and live with that for cleans too.
At one point I used two AD pedals so one was set higher for cleans.

Through this process I also discovered I can live with my totally dry sound in a pinch!

It’s a good idea (when possible) to record a clean, dry track that can be used later in post production. Splitting the signal before adding effects, sending the effected signal to your monitor for inspiration, and both to the DAW.

If your effected signal is fine, great. If not you have a backup. I like to blend them much like blending multiple amp mics.

 

[radiocaster]

I get it. You can get some nice shimmer from some delays. Why not?

Because I wrote the opposite?

 

[cousinpaul]

My pedals are a FRV-1 and a DM-2w. In general, I like delay with gain and reverb with cleaner tones. At home, I'll sometimes combine them to create a virtual room; reverb to taste and using delay to add the reflection off the "back wall".

I've used AD with non-reverb amps since MXR came out with the big green box and have learned the mix knob is my friend. Actually, a lot of parts, like crunch, sound better dry to me. YMMV.

 

[BorderRadio]

Volante, CB Echorec, Deluxe Memory Man, El Cap, Boss DM-3, Mystery Brain...used them all, sometimes stacked, to smear out a reverb-y/ambient sound. I feel I have better control and/or definition with an analog style delay than with normal digital reverb algorithms. The Surfy Bear is definitely an all on or off effect, not about 'realism' or 'classy', just trash can tone.

 

[lefty73]

Slapback delay to create a reverb-like ambiance has been around since 1950s, and super-duper short delay (less than 50ms) is great for making a single track sound a lot bigger than it is.

Longer delays are my favorite atmospheric effects. I love having one set for 350ms and another set for 500ms, and occasionally linking up another "stunt" delay. There's some really interesting things that happen as the delay trails crash into each other that reverb just can't achieve.

Plus, when you're gigging live, reverb can be hit or miss. For me, using delays to create a sense of space has been far more consistent.

 

[8bitlooper]

Daniel Lanois has often used a dark delay pedal as a reverb-y type effect. I hadn’t considered using delay that way until I read an article about it - a quick google search just failed me, but I’m certain that I read that as I was really intrigued by some of his live sounds a few years ago…

 

[Tim S]

Thanks for all the posts. I’m one of the oddballs who can’t seem to make delays work for them. I guess I’m just a reverb guy. But after reading all of your successes, I’ll give it another try.