#h-delay

Echo

Echo

Echo

Echo

Delay is an important part of music. Whether you are using it on vocals, synths or to create a sound effect. Delay can be the difference between a track that is bland and a track that stands out. Here are 10 ways to use H-Delay to take your song to the next level.

  wide synths

have you ever pick a preset from a synth and it sounded narrow? Sometimes you need to throw some extra sauce on that synth and the way to do that is using the H-Delay with a very short delay time and a Hi-Pass cut (Depending on the sound your going for).

Example

For this effect, I chose the fastest delay time so that it would sound in unison with the original synth. This gives the effect of being much wider than it is. I also chose to cut all frequencies below 333 Hz to clean up the muddiness. One can experiment with different delay times as it suits the sound. I find anything past 1/32 makes the delay too noticeable. What do you guys think?

Dancing PLUCKS

There are some pluck sounds that can sound very boring without a delay. Spice it up! Adding a delay can make it feel like it's dancing with the pluck. Depending on which delay time you choose can make it "dance" differently. 

Example

Trying this technique with other times like the regular 1/8 and 1/16 make it feel more so like its falling away from the sound instead of dancing with it. The true trick with this one is using the dotted (D) delay times. even the 1/32D and 1/64D sound pretty good depending on the context of the music. Although I think getting the most out of the effect are with the 1/8D and 1/16D delay times.

Metallic Bass

There are times when I can't make a sound dirty enough, have you ever felt this way? THROW SOME DIRT ON IT. This effect gives a metallic dirty feel to a sound. I find it find it most useful for creating a dirty bass. Can you guys think of other uses?

Example

I emphasize that this is more for the creative approach to a sound. Dirty and filthy are some words I would attach to it. This would be good to use in dubstep; one could automate the Dry/Wet knob to have it only come in on certain parts of the sound!

The goal here is to have the feedback high enough to get the stretch of the sound, but low enough to were it doesn't feedback on itself. Note that I am not using Ping Pong on this one so that it blends in better with the sound.

Stutter Pluck

Creating your own pad can be fun. In this trick, I am using a combo of filtering, delay, and reverb. I think this sound is good without the reverb, but a little reverb never hurts to smoothed things out a bit. This would be good to use as a track in the background rather than a lead.

Example

I start off by filtering a synth mainly because I felt that the high end was too strong for this trick. It would have made it too messy in my opinion. One should note that the depth and rate are all the way up for these settings. This gives it a sort of crunch to the audio. One that will also be used in our next example as well.

vintage sound

Now I have to admit I first came across this idea from pro-tools-expert.com when they posted a video talking about H-delay. Check it out here: Video with that being said, I decided to add a twist to my version. Let me explain the difference.

Example

First thing to note is that I have enabled MS (Milliseconds) so that I can have the shortest delay times and it is set at 2ms. The main difference is that I am setting the MS at 2 with the feedback up. I find that this gives it more width. Almost like a subtle stereo effect. Also, like all of my examples, I chose not to use analog mode and instead used the LoFi button in combination with the modulation to create the vintage sound.

  Delay riser

this one entails routing the delay aux channel to an audio channel and recording the delay to be pitch shifted. This is a great technique to use in electronic dance music for a riser. I also use this in my beat vlog video which you can see here: Beat Vlog 1: Truth

example

The goal for this to work is the make H-Delay feedback on itself just enough to where you can keep the sound clean and consistent. The delay time can be anything you want, but the feedback is key in this trick. After you record the delay to its own track, one can manipulate it in any way. In this case, I automated a pitch shift.  

Delay Flanger

This is a neat trick to make your delay sound like a flanger! The goal is to delay the sound just enough and modulate them between each other to create a sweeping comb filter effect AKA a flanger!

example

The main focus for this trick is in the modulation, delay time, and feedback combination. I found that it works well with anything 5ms and below after that it starts to sound wonky. Also, pushing the feedback too far will bring back that wonky sound but not having enough feedback will not create the effect. It's all about balance with this trick.

Side note: You can have the depth all the way up for this to work and use the rate to control the "flange rate"

  wonky riser

Where an effect fails in one context, it thrives in another. That wonky sound may have been too much for a flanger effect, but when put on a riser it can transform even the simplest of sound.

example

As balance was the key for the flanger, it is also the key for this effect. I found that anywhere between 20ms and 10ms is pretty consistent to keep the wonky effect. The main difference from the flanger is in the depth and rate.

Lopass auto rise

This is a flip of the filter automation trick. It's fairly simple but can be very effective. It could be used in combination with the Wonky Riser to give added depth.

example

This trick is straight forward. you can have your delay time at any increment as needed. The main idea is to automate the LoPass filter to your liking. In this case, I chose to automate it up.

ghost reflection

Just in time for Halloween, it wouldn't be right if I didn't add a spooky effect! I think this effect works with a certain type of sound. It might sound strange with others, but it's definitely worth a try!

example

The modulation combined with the feedback is the key to this trick. It makes it feel like the sound is slowly falling away while ever so slightly pitch shifting up and down. This gives kind of a spooky feel to it. One can experiment with the delay time; I felt 50ms was good for this particular sound.

Controls

For those that are unfamiliar, its best to start with the basic controls. I referenced terms straight from the manual for accuracy

Tap Pad - Controls the delay time by clicking

LoFi - Adds a low quality effect to the delay

Delay - Controls delay time

[Modulation] Depth - Uses an LFO to modulate the delay time

[Modulation| Rate - Sets LFO cycle

ØL & ØR -Sets the phase of each delay

Ping Pong - Activates ping pong effect

Host - (syncs to your DAW BPM)

BPM - (syncs to a manual user setting)

MS - (manual setting in milliseconds)

Feedback - controls the amount of delay feedback

LP Filter - controls the frequency range of the low pass filter.

HP Filter - controls the frequency range of the high pass filter.

Filter Link - moves both HP and LP Filters by the same value (Band pass filter)

Dry/Wet Mix - controls the amount of dry (unprocessed) vs. wet (processed) signal.

Output - Controls output level

Output meter - displays output level