bayswater wrote:What Joe Walsh used on Asshton Park. Maybe you know what it was. Google can't seem to agree. I've tried to emulate it with various other devices, but never really capture it.
Listening to the decay it sounds like a BBD delay. BBD = Bucket Brigade Device. It was solid state chip that by its nature would deteriorate the audio with every repeat, and usually the longer the delay the worse the fidelity. Common in older delay pedals. Like many things, what was once undesirable is now being emulated/recreated for our audio amusement.
stubbsonic wrote:It used to baffle me why some delays were given so much more love than others. After all, there doesn't seem to be anything especially baffling going on. Repeated signal, delay time, feedback, LPF.
With MOTU's built in delay, my only complaint was that the wet/dry mix didn't have enough resolution, so I can't set it where I want it as an insert; requiring me to use it as an aux effect (which is fine).
With peoples' favorites, I'd be curious to know what obvious engine features are included (e.g., pitch mod/modulate-able delay time, cross feedback, etc.) and what about the interface/workflow is appreciated.
Well I would liken the comparison to MOTU's dynamics plug vs a good Fairchild emulation. They are going for two different things entirely. One utilitarian, one all about vibe and character.
Using Echoboy as an example they are emulating a lot of things besides a delayed audio signal, e.g. tape emulation, including wow and flutter, tape age, placement of tape heads etc, BBD emulation (as above), digital delay emulation and even stranger technologies like UA's Cooper Time Cube (google it- its fascinating). They each have a different vibe just like compressors, EQ's, mic pre's etc. As in a lot of the audio world the non-linearities and quirks add charm/character vs a pristeen perfect delayed signal.
For modulation you can go downright crazy with PSP 42 and 85- WAY beyond a simple delay. Download a demo from PSP and just try the presets- I think you'll instantly see what I mean. Echoboy also will do sequenced rhythmic delays, ping-pong and more. UA's emulations like the Roland Space Echo and Echoplex try to emulate the whole unit including the audio circuit's contribution to the sound, but in the interest of exact emulation of the original hardware, both in sound and GUI, they tend to lack modern features like tap tempo or the ability to enter exact millisecond times.
