Recording

Tape Delay

The Music Telegraph | Text 2019/08/30 [14:26]
Recording

Tape Delay

The Music Telegraph| 입력 : 2019/08/30 [14:26]

 

▲ SOAR Tape Delay (plug-in)

© Joey Sturgis Tones



 

Tape Delay

 

 

Since the early dawn of recorded music, people have been finding ways to incorporate a delayed signal into an audio production of one sort of another. In the 1940's Les Paul got a delay effect from a record by using 2 tone arms on one disc. Early radio productions used delays to create spooky otherworldly effects for radio plays. Early rock and roll and blues musicians have been using tape delay on everything from vocals, to guitars, etc. Delayed effects have become one of our more important "tricks" of the trade.

 

 

Way back in the "early analog" day, the only way to delay a signal was to record it onto a 3-head tape machine and play it back off the playback head. Because there was a space between the record and playback heads, there was a gap of time between the moment the signal went on the tape at the record head, to the time the signal traveled to the playback head and was heard. This gap in time was dependent on two things; 1) the distance between the heads and 2) the tape speed.

 

 

Most tape heads' spacing was fixed at around 1.5 inches (there is no "standard", but most manufacturers followed the lead of the early Ampex tape machines). Tape speeds have been standardized at 7.5, 15, (and later 30) ips (inches per second). This means the time it takes a signal to go from the record head and to the reproduce head would be 200, 100, and 50 msec respectively. There were some people who hooked up a varispeed motor to their tape capstans so they could vary the speed and hence the delay times for more flexibility. 

 

 

The history of early rock and blues recordings is full of examples of tape delay use. Some of the more famous artists to use delay in their work are Elvis, Buddy Holley, Muddy Waters. There are many current musicians that use something akin to tape delay, but they use modern digital circuitry to achieve the sound.

 

 

Analog tape delay was pretty cool for its day, but it suffered some the limitations. For openers  you couldn't get many different delay times because of the fixed head spacing. Also, that delayed signal was really a copy of the original and it would have 2nd generation tape hiss on it. And of course, you needed to have a second tape machine and reel of tape just to do the effect.

 

 

Today's delay machine are all DSP circuits that operate in the digital domain. They offer incredible flexibility in control over the delay times, regeneration (feedback), input and output levels, tonal changes, etc. They can be had as hardware outboard gear or plug-ins for all the popular DAW software. 

 

 

Below is a list for some common uses for delays, and how you would go about setting up the parameters to achieve those effects. The delay times listed are not to be treated as gospel. As with all the tools in our production world, you should experiment to find the sounds that work best for you.

 

 

Mono Delays Delay time (msec) Feedback (Yes/No) Comments
Slap Echo 80 or 120 No  

Tonal Change

(Haas/Comb filter)

 0.5 ~ 15 Yes

Delay as

thickener on

melodic/

harmonic

sounds
Echo 15 ~ Yes (Optional)

(Multiple

repeats)
Delay output only    

Affects how

instrument

"lay" in the

track (feel)
Rhythmic delays Use tempo chart to calculate    

 

 

Stereo Delays Delay time (msec) Feedback (Yes/No) Comments
For "Presence"

L = 8 ~ 24 msec

R = 10 ~ 35 msec

 No  
For a "Wide" space

L = 0.5 ~ 35 msec

R = within Haas of L

 Yes (slight)  
To make a "Moving Echo"

L = 40 ~ msec

R = double, triple, etc. of L

 No This is a common "stereoizer" effect

 

 

 

 

 

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