Delay

• What technology did early forms of analogue delay evolve from?

  Tape recording
• How did sound get captured onto the tape loop in early analogue delay?

  Via a record head
• What happens to the sound when it is played back across a playback head?


  It creates a repeat of the sound
• What is the effect of combining tape delay with the original audio?


  It creates a repeat of the sound
• What characteristic does tape delay have due to the analogue material?


  The sound degrades each time it is played back
• What is a notable sound characteristic of tape delay?


  It has a very warm sound
• How do the echoes differ in tape delay?


  They have different characteristics on each repeat
• When was bucket-brigade delay developed?


  In the 1970s
• What is the mechanism behind bucket-brigade delay?


  A series of capacitors moves an analogue signal step by step
• How does the signal move in a bucket-brigade delay?


  It is synchronised to a clock
• How does the degradation of sound in bucket-brigade delay differ from tape delay?


  It degrades in a different way, resulting in distinct sounds
• Why are bucket-brigade delays smaller than tape delays?


  They use smaller electrical components and chips
• How did the size of bucket-brigade delays impact their use by musicians?


  They could be installed into foot pedals for wider accessibility
• When were digital delays developed?


  In the early 1980s
• What does an ADC do in a digital delay unit?


  It converts the incoming audio signal to digital information
• How is the delayed signal played back in a digital delay unit?


  It is converted back to audio via a DAC
• What type of data is used to store information in a digital delay?

  Binary data
• What was the frequency response of the Boss DD-2 pedal released in 1983?


  Between 40Hz and 7kHz
• How did the frequency response of the Boss DD-2 pedal affect the delayed signal?


  It resulted in a lack of high frequency content
• What improvements did modern digital delays feature compared to earlier models?


  Higher bit depth and sample rate
• Why has delay technology evolved parallel to recording technology?


  Because it uses many of the same technologies
• Why are all forms of delay still used regularly?


  For their different tonal characteristics
• How do modern DAWs and amp modelling software relate to delay technology?


  They emulate all forms of delay