6 Creative Ways to Use a delay effect

Delay is a wonderful effect to use in your audio production. It has the ability to make your tracks sound very diverse. You can use it to add ambience instead of resorting to reverb, but you can also get much more experimental and use it as a crazy effect. What follows is a little brainstorming session about the diverse nature of using delay in your music mixing and production.

1. Use it for rhythmic delay effect

The Edge of U2 is the master of this. If you've listened to any of the early U2 songs you may have noticed how masterful The Edge is at making rhythmic riffs with his delayed lead lines. Just listen to the video below to see how a rhythmic delay can enhance a simple  guitar line.

2. Use delay automation to make select phrases repeat

Making a last word in a chorus repeat with delay creates a sense of “importance”, since you are enhancing that exact phrase. It's a great way to add interest to an already great sounding vocal line by adding delay and echo to only certain parts.

3. Use delay to create a repeat feedback effect

Use a pre-fader send to send a specific part to a delay where it repeats indefinitely, with every repeat adding more and more feedback to the signal. Just send your instrument, add a delay to the aux send with a ton of fast feedback and then lower the original sound source so that the delay is the only thing left.

4. Pan delayed phrases around the sound spectrum

Delaying phrases around the stereo spectrum creates a sort of call and response that's coming from everywhere. A great example of this being used effectively is Dave Matthew's Band - “You Might Die Trying”. In the “If you give...” part the vocal is panned around, with various repeats coming from different directions.

5. Use Delay Designers to create random effects

Various DAWs have some pretty incredible delay plug-ins. Like Logic Pro's Delay Designer for instance. It's incredible what sort of weird soundscapes you can make out of the simplest of phrases if you just program a crazy delay effect around it.

6. Add delay to unexpected elements like snare or bass

Delay is more prominently used on vocals and guitars. You notice a delay effect more when it's used on select vocal phrases than you would on drum tracks. However, you can use delay to create different rhythms and interest by adding it to snare drums or bass guitars. Just listen to the delay bass on Pink Floyd's One of These Days for a great example of delay used on bass.

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