What is a good resource to learn about using delay plugins?

[chai_all_day_long]

Hi Everyone,

New user here. I wanted to ask what resources (tutorial videos, training guides, manuals, etc) you found the most useful for learning how to use delay plugins when you were just starting out?

Here is a short list of my setup (if it helps):

DAW's: FL Studio and Ableton Live 10 Suite

Delay Plugins: W.A. SphereDelay, NI Replika, SoftTube TubeDelay, Various Synths with Delay (Sylenth1, Serum, Spire), DAW stock Delays

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[reggie1979]

Get echoboy and then be done with it. Sorry, it's the best advice I can give.............

[kgdrum]

Groove3 has great video tutorials,I haven't used this specific tutorial but this should give you a clear picture how to approach any delay.

https://www.groove3.com/tutorials/Delay-Explained

They also have an All Access yearly subscription for all of their videos (which is imo) an enormous resource for learning music software,.
*note* Groove3 has a sale on the All Access pass every November so you might want to try the delay tutorial now,see how you like it and maybe go for the All Access sub in November.

[Jafo]

Listening to any guitars recorded in the '80s, especially if Daniel Lanois was involved. You, too, can have an edge, so be aware of the police, especially if you have lots of hair.

[Unaspected]

Your hands and ears. I first encountered delay in the form of guitar stomp boxes. It was just a case of tweaking the controls and listening.

Delay effects do have an instant gratification about them. Stacking them up can be interesting - as well as combining different types. The order in the processing chain also makes a big difference. For example: An autopanner in front of a stereo delay will scatter echoes about the stereo field, which will remain echoing in place; whereas autopanning after the delay will move the echoes around.

Traditionally they have been used as both send and insert effects though a more common use might be the send method: Where the delay has its own channel and is set to 100% wet. This is especially true for dub styles, where echo devices are used like an instrument.

Using the delay as send effect is also useful for if you just want to create an echo on one word of a vocal - where automation is used to only send the vocal for the duration of the word. Of course, the same could be done by slicing the vocal, assigning it to a separate channel and applying 100% wet delay as an insert effect.

I would recommend just playing with the delay and discovering what it can do for yourself as all the above becomes obvious when you understand signal flow and automation.

[AsPeeXXXVIII]

Experimentation is the best way to learn anything, I find.

[perfumer]

The answer depends on what you want to do with delays. If you want to use them in a 'traditional' way, there's nothing much to learn, really. Make it fit to tempo, have just enough feedback, make it fit in a mix. Grab Echoboy or ValhallaDelay and go through the presets - that would teach you a lot. But if you want to get creative, or experimental - nobody can guide your hand from a distance and tell you now do this, now do that. But let's say that's advanced use. As you're just starting out, presets are a good learning resource. If Echoboy is too expensive for you, ValhallaDelay is cheap - see what's in there and what you can learn from it. Or just use the demo - it's good enough for this. Another good one is NastyDLA. One of the best actually. And 32-bit. And free.

[telecharge]

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... ay-effects

[chai_all_day_long]

Thanks everyone, this was helpful. I ended up getting Echo Boy Jr very affordably. The Daniel Lanois music was a really cool example, never knew of him before. Also the tutorials are just what I was looking for. Much appreciated.

[reggie1979]

You'll cherish it for a long time and it does most of the full version