Re: [Harp-L] Delay for harp?

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One more comment on the delay question: just about any analog delay, real or modeled, can be made to produce a decent slapback, which is the most commonly used delay in any blues idiom.  Set the delay time between 50-180 milliseconds (toward the higher end of the range if you want the slap to be more audible), set repeats to 0 or 1, set the delay mix to where you want it--for me that's usually in the 10-20% range.    

Analog delays, modeled or not, tend to be the preferred delays for slapback because they degrade the sound in interesting ways (i.e. they lose high frequencies with every repetition, and they have inherent noise that's not present in a digital delay unless it's purposely inserted).  Humans like noise, which is why there's so much of it in modern pop music as well as a number of other styles (including Chicago blues). An echoplex (a real one, anyway) uses a tape loop to produce an echo, which means that there's noise from the tape as well as from the analog circuity.   

Fortunately, analog noise can be modeled convincingly in a digital device, which simply means that between analog and digital devices, there are lots and lots of good-sounding delays out there now.  It's not coincidental that most of the posts in response to this thread named different devices as favorites.  Whatever delay you've got, it probably sounds pretty good with harp, assuming that it's suited to your style, e.g. a real or modeled analog delay of some sort for blues and rock, or a digital delay with tempo sync for electronica.

I used to use an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man that I acquired used in the 1980s.  It was a terrific-sounding piece, and it worked very well with a range of amps.  I sold it a while ago, because I didn't think it sounded any better than the Digitech RPs, and the RPs had a wider range of delay models (including a Boss DM2, two varieties of EchoPlex, analog delay, tape delay, digital, and pong delays), meaning more variety in the sound of the delay.  

Delay (and reverb) adds a lot of character to a sound, and not all characters work in every style.  I play a lot of different styles, and for that reason, I'm fond of delays (and reverbs) that come with a few different flavors in the box. 


Regards, Richard Hunter

   

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