tom ball wrote:
<"Obviously everyone has their own opinions on this matter, but I'm
<rather surprised to see that more folks here on the L seem to prefer
<digital delay to 'verb. Maybe I'm just a dinosaur, but personally I
<have never heard any sort of digital delay that didn't sound
<electronic, artificial, cheesy or tinny. Granted, I'm also no fan of
<chorus, flange or other digital effects -- too sanitized and
<formulaic for my tastes.
<
<On the other hand I wouldn't be caught dead playing (or singing)
<without some sort of reverb -- ideally plate 'verb but I'll settle
<for a Fender outboard tank. Even in live 'acoustic' settings (albeit
<with mics,) I find a touch of reverb to be downright essential for
<both vocal and harp."
Tom plays mostly acoustic harp, and I agree that reverb is the best
choice for an acoustic player. I suspect that most electric players,
given a one-or-the-other choice, would find that delay suited their
needs best. In general, delay is the single most important effect for
any kind of electric music. The first effects device any electric
player on any instrument buys should be a delay.
Short "slapback" delay on an amplified harp thickens the tone and gives
it bounce. Longer delays provide that dreamy, on-the-stage-in-a-stadium
sound that electric guitarists use so effectively (check out any Pink
Floyd record with Roger Waters for an example or two).
Most players will find that digital delays sound just fine with harp
when the high end is rolled off. However, given the choice, analog
delay in either a pedal or rack mount is preferred.
My best-sounding delay is an analog Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
that I bought used in 1990. Very good-sounding delay pedals can be
bought new now for less than that. I am VERY fond of the delays in my
Digitech RP200, which include a very good-sounding analog delay
emulation as well as cleaner-sounding digital delays. Unfortunately,
the RP200's delays do not offer tap tempo for syncing the delay to the
beat, but I can live without tap tempo if I'm not playing techno,
industrial, or some other modern electronic style that demands precise
tempo sync.
Thanks, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com