into ambient delay washes and otherworldly how long in-between playing the input source program a custom softkey with the function. If
psychedelic extreme audio again. The slapback effect uses a very the guitarist or engineer taps the button on two
feedback settings in a worship environment short delay time (50-80ms) and lush delays in a successive eighth notes on a song at 100 beats
is not common and can quickly get you into vocal ballad may use 800ms or more. per minute (bpm), the pedal or mixing console
soundscapes.
Using
mix trouble if not monitored closely. It is best
will set the delay time to about 300ms. A tap of
to scope out a few go-to delay presets as a In the studio, the delay time is often synced two quarter notes at 120bpm will set the delay
starting point before the service rather than to the overall song tempo in the DAW so that time around 500ms. Rather than having to
freely twisting feedback knobs while the band echoes from the delay fall nicely on the beat know the actual tempo and do the math in your
is playing. Just as you likely have a sense for and create the desired effect without adding head, you simply need a couple in-tempo taps.
how much you can push the mix volume overall muddy bits and pieces that fall out of tempo. or how much gain the pastor’s mic can handle Since a live house of worship environment isn’t I recommend really getting your head around
before feedback, it is good to have a sense for generally locked to a timecode, this is where the interplay of these three core aspects of
how much is too much in your delay feedback the handy ‘tap tempo’ function comes in. delay settings first. Once you are comfortable
settings.
with the basics, then move on to experimenting
Just as live guitarists have tap tempo buttons on with additional refinement in your delays
The last major delay parameter to get their pedalboard to sync up their delay repeats like high or low frequency cutoffs and filters,
comfortable with is DELAY TIME. This is akin to to the song, most digital mixing consoles have modulation and feedback slope, etc.
how long the strip of tape is in your tape loop — a dedicated tap tempo button or an option to
Delay is one of many effects in the arsenal available to both guitarists and live sound engineers.
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March 2020
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