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Tone Zone articles.
Line 6 POD XT
Variax 700
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By Andy Z - May 2004
So you've got yourself a nice tone dialed up, but you want to give it a bit of its own personality. Well, using delay can do that without really changing the tone. You can use delay to fatten the sound, double it up, make it sound retro, use it as an effect or just make it sound huge. If your not sure how a sound relates to milliseconds, feedback and mix levels, then hopefully these few settings will help you understand how to dial up the effect without overusing it. It also can enhance other effects such as chorus or reverb.
Some of the delay types are:
- MONO DELAY – produces one or several repetitions of the sound in Mono.
- STEREO DELAY – produces one or several repetitions of the sound in Stereo. Most of the time, Time and/or Feedback parameters can be set independently for left and right channels.
- PING-PONG DELAY – produces repetitions panned from left to right and vice versa.
- MULTI-TAP DELAY – uses multiple delay lines to allow more complex patterns of rhythm and/or stereo image.
Some of the common parameters are:
- TIME - sets the delay time. Values are usually set in milliseconds (ms) or BPM, which is very useful to set the delay on a given tempo.
- FEEDBACK - with this parameter you can set the number of repetitions.
- TAP - Line 6 and other devices provide a TAP button; pushing it a couple times in sync with the best of your music sets you delay (or other effects) to match your music's tempo.
- MIX or LEVEL: mixes the initial sound (dry) with the delay (wet).
For the purposes of this example, I'll be using a PODxt displaying the settings using the GuitarPort software. I've also included MP3's, so you can hear the differences explained below. The audio samples were played on a Line 6 Variax 500 guitar.
Fattening The Tone: By using very short delay times from 20 milliseconds to 60 milliseconds, you can actually thicken a thin sound (also called a doubling), without affecting its overall tone. In this example, we'll keep it fairly clean so you can hear the effect. I played the same four chord progression three times on the Variax set to the T-Model (Telecaster) bridge position. The first pass is completely dry. On the second pass, the stereo delay was turned on using a 60 millisecond delay time, feedback set to 32% and mix level at 36%. You can hear the effect of the double at this point, but it's not always a pleasing effect. On the third pass I added a bit of reverb, using the vintage plate model, to smooth out the sharpness the double effect leaves. It is subtle, but can be very useful for a single guitar part being recorded.
Click here for the Doubling Delay MP3 sample
Fattening or Doubling Delay Setting...
Slap-Back Delay: By using shorter delay times from 60 milliseconds to 130 milliseconds, you can give the tone a quick sharp repeat. This type of delay is usually associated with Rockabilly, but can be used quite well for any style of music you want to give a quick sharp echo sound. In this example, I played the same riff two times on the Variax set to the R-Billy (Gretsch) bridge position. The first pass is completely dry. On the second pass, the delay was turned on using a 120 millisecond delay time, feedback set to 37% and mix level at 32%. You can hear the slap effect at this point.
Click here for the Slap-Back Delay MP3 sample
Slap-Back Delay Setting...
Long Delays: By using longer delay times from 300 milliseconds up, you can give the tone some depth and give it the illusion that it's bigger than it is. This type of delay is usually associated more with leads or soloing. In this example, I played the same riff three times on the Variax set to the Semi (335) bridge position. The first pass is completely dry. On the second pass, the delay was turned on using a 440 millisecond delay time, feedback set to 30% and mix level at 14%. The third pass I've added the vintage plate reverb model to help in creating depth and spaciousness of the tone.
Click here for the Long Delay MP3 sample
Long Delay Setting...
Ping-Pong Delay: By using very long delay times along with a ping-pong type of delay, you can take advantage of panning the sound back and forth in the stereo image that it creates more of an effect. One of the more famous users of this type of delay is The Edge from U2. It has been said that he favors using a delay tap temp of dotted eight notes. In this example, I played the same riff three times on the Variax set to the Spank (Strat) neck-bridge position. The first pass is completely dry. On the second pass, the delay was turned on using a 800 millisecond delay time, offset at 50%, stereo spread at 100%, feedback set to 39% and mix level at 37%. The third pass I've added the cavernous reverb model to help in creating a huge spaciousness of the tone.
Click here for the Ping-Pong Delay MP3 sample
Ping-Pong Delay Setting...
One thing to remember about delay (like all effects) is that they generally work best when enhancing an already great tone, rather than overwhelming or replacing good tone with flash. Using too much delay for a given musical situation can make the best tone into something distant, cheap, distorted, unpleasant or simply out of place. A good way to avoid applying the wrong kind of delay, or too much, is to setup your delay while listening at the volume and in the context the delay is intended for. What sounds great when playing by yourself on headphones might turn into a mushy, undefined mess when played with your band at performance levels at your gig, or when put into the content of a recording you're making. Keep your ears open as you apply these delay setting tips, and be ready to rethink your tone as you use it in different situations, and you'll find that delay can be a powerful tool in your personal quest for great tone.
Go to the Line 6 CustomTone page.
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