Some of the greatest songs and guitarists in history have used a delay pedal to give them their iconic sounds. The likes of David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, Brian May of Queen, and The Edge of U2 can all credit delay with some of their success. But what is the best delay pedal if you want to achieve those sounds?
IN THIS REVIEW
The Best Delay Pedal
Our Favorite Delay Pedal
The Top 10 Delay Pedals
Best Delay Pedal Review
Best Budget Pedals
1. Donner Delay
2. JOYO D-SEED Dual Channel
3. Mooer Reecho
Best Mid-Range Pedals
4. MXR Carbon Copy
5. TC Electronic Flashback 2
6. Electro Harmonix Canyon
7. Boss DD-7
Best Premium Pedals
8. TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay Guitar Pedal
9. Boss DD-500 Digital Delay
10. Strymon TimeLine
How Do I Choose A Delay Pedal?
What Is Delay?
How Does It Work?
The Analog Vs Digital Debate
What Does A Delay Pedal Sound Like?
How To Use A Delay Pedal
Overall Top Delay Pedal
Common Questions
Conclusion
Delay is one of the most fun effects you can add to your instrument. It opens up rhythmic styles of playing that you may not otherwise explore. The issue lies in the sheer number of delay pedals available. Boss alone has at least five.
To throw another wrench into the problem, you have to think about whether or not you want an analog or digital pedal. Something as simple as picking out a guitar pedal becomes a huge research project and, quite frankly, a headache.
Fortunately, we have done the hard part for you. We have our 11 favorite delay pedals, in both analog and digital, laid out and reviewed for you to choose from. It doesn't matter what your budget level is, we have something on this list that you will love!
The Best Delay Pedal
If you're impatient like we are, you can skip the rest of the list and just get straight to our top pick.
Our Favorite Delay Pedal
If you are looking for a delay pedal that can do it all, the Strymon TimeLine is the best choice for that. It includes "12 delay machines", pitch modulation, 30-second looper, and even overdrive. This pedal is at a premium price but will satisfy all of your delay needs.
The Top 10 Delay Pedals
Best Budget Pedal
1. Donner Delay
2. JOYO D-SEED Dual Channel
3. Mooer Reecho
Best Mid-Range Pedal
4. MXR Carbon Copy
5. TC Electronic Flashback 2
6. Electro Harmonix Canyon
7. Boss DD-7
Best Premium Pedal
8. TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay Guitar Pedal
9. Boss DD-500 Digital Delay
10. Strymon TimeLine
Best Delay Pedal Review
As you can see, we've split this list into three categories; Best Budget Pedal, Best Mid-Range Pedal, and Best Premium Pedal.
Best Budget Pedal
1. Donner Delay
Description:
Donner is a fantastic guitar effects company for those wanting to keep to a tight budget but are afraid of a drop in quality. The tonal quality of their effects pedals could easily cost two or three times what you pay.
Pure Analog
The Donner Yellow Fall Delay Effects pedal features a pure analog circuitry system. You can expect to get some of the classic, warm, tape-like delay tones that you would expect from a vintage pedal.
Simple Controls
You get 3 simple rotary knobs to control your sound. Echo controls the mix of dry signal with delayed signal. F.Back is a feedback control but really controls how many time the signal will repeat. And the big knob in the center is Time; which allows you to adjust the time of the delay from 20ms all the way to 620ms.
Pros
- true bypass
- solid build
- simple controls
Cons
- reports that it can color tone
2. JOYO D-SEED Dual Channel
Description:
JOYO is another budget oriented effects pedal company that always sounds surprisingly good.
4 Modes
The JOYO D-SEED features four different, distinct delay modes to choose from. The first is "Copy", which is a direct replication of your dry signal. "Analog" is the second choice and it gives you a warm, processed, vintage delay style sound.
Follow those up with "Modulation" has a chorus effect kind of vibe to it. Finally, you have "Reverse" which is exactly what it sounds like.
A/B Channel Saves
You can set up your delay effects to your liking and save them as a "B" copy. For example, choose "Reverse" mode with everything set at 2 o'clock.
Then choose another group of settings. Like "Analog" mode and everything set at high noon. Simply tap the "Channel" footswitch and you can swap between both effect settings.
Pros
- true bypass
- tap tempo
- max delay of 6 seconds
Cons
- no battery compartment
3. Mooer Reecho
3 Mode Settings
The Mooer Reecho is very similar to the Donner Yellow Fall in both size and function. However, the Mooer edges the Donner out with it's 3 different delay modes.; Analog, Real Echo(natural echo sound), and Tape Echo. (sims vintage tape echo machines)
The Analog mode gives you a warm, vintage analog delay sound. Real Echo has a more natural tone in a real environment. Finally, Tape Echo, sounds just like old-school tape loop delay machines.
Built To Last
This pedal is built from an all metal, heavy duty aluminum shell. It can take the abuse of constant stomping.
Long Delay Time
The delay, in all modes, can be adjusted from 5ms all the way up to 780ms!
Pros
- small footprint
- easy control scheme
Cons
- 9v adapter only
Best Mid-Range Pedal
4. MXR Carbon Copy
Dual Purpose Delay
The MXR Carbon Copy is everything you could want or expect from an analog delay pedal. You get warm, vintage tones like you wouldn't believe.
A quick press of the MOD button will switch this pedal from standard analog to the Tape Echo mode where you can get that sweet tape delay machine sound.
Simple Controls
Aside from the MOD button, this pedal only has three control knobs; Regen, Mix, and Delay. Regen will determine how long the delay lasts. Mix is the ratio of dry signal to delay signal. Delay controls the timing of the delay, starting from 1ms up to 600ms.
Pros
- 2 types of delay
- bucket-brigade technology
- tape echo simulation
Cons
- can be noisy with distortion
5. TC Electronic Flashback 2
Description:
EarthquakerDevices is based out of Akron, Ohio. They are a boutique guitar effects company that is known for putting out high quality, hand crafted effects pedals.
MASH Technology
This may be one of the coolest features for any time based effect. MASH technology, when engaged, transitions the footswitch to an expression-style pressure based controller.
Toneprint
Utilizing TC Electronics Toneprint technology, you have access to a full library of delay presets. Some of these presets are created by world-renowned guitarists.
This pedal is provided with 3 Toneprint slots for your choice of presets as well as the ability to beam new tones directly from your phone via the free Toneprint app.
Pros
- beam Toneprint presets from your phone
- improves on original Flashback with user feedback and requests
Cons
- no traditional tap tempo (MASH instead)
6. Electro Harmonix Canyon
10 Delay Modes
You will never run out of inspiration or riff ideas with this pedal. You get 10 different modes of delay to choose from ranging from a Echoey digital delay to warbly tape delay to a pleasant shimmer style delay.
Built-In Looper
On top of having a wide variety of delay options, the EHX Canyon also features a pretty decent built-in looper. With 62 seconds of loop recording space, it is perfect for at home songwriting and on-stage live performance. It even saves your loop after the pedal has been powered down.
Pros
- built-in looper
- tap tempo
- tap/dive button turns fx level & delay into secondary controls
Cons
7. Boss DD-7
So Many Options
At first glance, this pedal has four simple rotary knobs. At closer examination, you realize the Mode knob is packed to the gills with amazing features.
The delay options include a chorusy sounding modulate function, a trippy reverse mode, and an analog emulator that is modeled after the sound of the classic Boss DM2.
On the same Mode knob, you can also select delay times starting at 50ms all the way up to 3200ms!
Looper
In addition to the delay options, there is a final selection on the Mode knob labeled "Hold". The Hold function acts as a 40 second looper which is awesome for on the fly jams or working on a new riff at home. The only drawback is the looper and delay can't be used at the same time.
Pros
- a ton of settings with Boss quality
- looper option
- built like a tank
Cons
- small text is hard to read on dark stage
- no true bypass
- can't use delay and looper simultaneously
Best Premium Pedal
8. TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay Guitar Pedal
6 Delay Types & 9 User Presets
The TC Electronics ND-1 Nova Delay processor is a beast of a machine. It comes packed with 6 pre-programmed delay modes; delay line, dynamic, reverse, ping pong, pan, and slapback.
Additionally, there are another 9 slots available for user programmed presets. Just be warned that preset slots 1, 3, 5, & 7 all operate on a global tap tempo setting so they are not fully customizable on factory settings. You can change this with a little digging, however.
Audio Tapping
One cool function is something called audio tapping. Similar to tap tempo, where you can tap the footswitch to create your own delay timing (which this pedal also has), you can strum the tempo on your guitar to set the timing.
Pros
- tap tempo + audio tapping
- 9 slots for your own delay presets
- bright display
Cons
- buffered bypass can color your tone
- preset slots 1,3,5, & 7 operate on a global tap tempo out of the box
9. Boss DD-500 Digital Delay
The Delay Dozen
The Boss DD-500 features a dozen different delay options; standard, analog, tape, vintage digital, dual, pattern, reverse, SFX, shimmer, filter, slow-attack, and tera echo.
Each of these modes are fully editable with a four-band equalizer, modulation, ducking controls and more. This model also features patch memory for your creations.
Phrase Looper
This is the perfect digital delay pedal for the stage and the studio. With full MIDI integration, you can
Pros
- clear display
- MIDI integration
- phrase looper
Cons
- robust editing options can be intimidating
- doesn't include power supply
10. Strymon TimeLine
Description:
Strymon pedals are considered to be some of the best, top-of-the-line pedals available today.
12 Delay Machines
These 12 delay machines are all modeled after highly sought after individual delay effects. You can select a classic analog delay sound, tape machine, build/save your own, or use one of the 200 presets.
30-Second Looper
This pedal features a 30-second looper option. What's really cool is you can lay down a rhythm loop and then experiment with some of the delay effects over your loop.
Overdrive
Not only do you get your choice of delay types and pitch modulation, but you also get overdrive too! That is exactly what the "Grit" knob does. Crank it up to get a really nice overdrive sound and push your amp to it's limits.
Pros
- Expression pedal
- stereo I/O
- MIDI I/O
Cons
- price
How Do I Choose A Delay Pedal?
You've seen all the great choices above but you still aren't sure how to pick which one is right for you. Let's go over a couple things about delay pedals that may make it easier to decide.
What Is Delay?
Delay is one of the easier effects to describe. Delay is simply when your guitar signal and a duplication of that signal are played a few milliseconds apart.
How Does It Work?
You play your guitar while hooked to the pedal. The pedal takes in your signal, replicates it, passes the original signal through the output, then passes the replicated signal a preset amount of milliseconds later.
Delay pedals are split into two categories based on how they process the original signal. These categories are analog and digital.
The Analog Vs Digital Debate
The biggest difference between the two is their circuitry and how they process the sound signal. Digital delay works much like a modern day computer. It gets a signal, processes it using a coded algorithm and emits the altered sound.
Analog delay works through a system called Bucket Brigade Device. This is present in many analog time based effects. Essentially, the signal is passed through a series of capacitors, each one adding a slight bit of delay. Because of the imperfections in an analog system, the original signal would come out with both a delay and a slight distorted tone.
It is the presence of the distorted tone that endears many guitarists to an analog pedal and is the primary cause of the analog vs digital delay debate. Digital delay pedals are getting really good at emulating analog sound, but they're quite there yet.
Which is better?
That is a question whose answer will change depending on who you ask. Some people swear by the analog tone and hate digital. Others prefer the modern conveniences and options available in many digital delay pedals.
The truth is, neither is better than the other. The are just different. If you prefer one over the other, then that is your answer for which is better.
Which Should I Pick?
This is similar to asking which one is better. If you are striving for a certain sound or tone, you will want to figure out if it is an analog or digital pedal that can get you that tone.
If you just prefer the sound of one over the other, then choose that one. Unfortunately, there's no definitive answer to what effect is the best. Maybe we should say fortunately. If there was a definitive answer, music would probably get pretty boring really quickly.
What Does A Delay Pedal Sound Like?
Like the phaser or flanger pedals, the delay pedal is a time delay effect. Unlike those pedals, however, the delay pedal, whether analog or digital, is not so much about a sound as it is about a style of playing.
True, as we mentioned above, some pedals will give you a bit of distortion and a warm tone, but it is the time delay effect to the audio signal that is what people really love about delay pedals.
You may be able to guess by it's name, but it sounds like your original guitar signal slightly delayed. The amount of the delay, which is usually measure in milliseconds, is generally adjustable through a rotary knob, switch, or some other peripheral.
Typically, if you want another effect along with the delay, like distortion, overdrive, etc, you can include those effects into your pedal chain to achieve those sounds.
How To Use A Delay Pedal
This is a very basic tutorial since each pedal is different and will have features and quirks specific to that pedal. However, just about every delay pedal will include some variation of the following controls; Time (or rate), Delay (sometimes mix or depth), and Repeat (regeneration, feedback, etc).
Each of these knobs control a different aspect of your total delay effect. Time sets the amount of time between when you hear your clean audio signal and the repeated signal. Depending on how large that gap is, emulates the size and shape of a specific playing environment.
The Delay control dictates how much of a delay is present. It essentially acts as a mix control between the dry signal and the effected signal. Crank this all the way up for a very dramatic delayed sound.
Finally, you have repeat. This may be regeneration or decay. It is how many times the delayed signal is repeated back. Usually when it repeats, it gets quieter with each repition until it fades out completely.
Using each of these controls, you will just dial in whatever sound you like best or that suits the song you're playing. Next step is just have fun.
Common Questions
Here are some interesting questions we found while researching delay pedals.
Do I Need A Delay Pedal?
Yes.
Seriously, though. If you love how it sounds or are inspired by other artists that use delay, you should probably pick one up.
What Boss Digital Delay Is The Best?
That really depends on what you are looking for in a delay pedal. The Boss DD-7 is their flagship digital delay pedal. They also carry some effects processors that include delay in them. But you can't go wrong with a DD-7. In fact, it's our pick for best digital delay pedal.
What Delay Pedal Does The Edge Use?
The Edge has an iconic delay sounds. The delay is not just an effect for him, it also influences his style of playing. The specific delay he uses is often the Korg SDD 3000. Amnesta.net has a more comprehensive dive into how The Edge uses his delay when playing.
Where Does Delay Go In The Signal Chain?
Delay is going to be one of the last effects you want in your signal chain. Since it is replicating your sound, you want it to have any tonal processing done before the delay takes place.
Overall Top Delay Pedal
Again, our favorite pedal from this list is the Strymon TimeLine. You have so many delay options plus some. They all sound fantastic, too. You will not be disappointed with this pedal.
Best Digital Delay Pedal
The Boss DD-7 is an awesome digital delay pedal. You can't go wrong with a Boss pedal.
Best Analog Delay Pedal
For a classic analog sound and a pretty palatable price, pickup the MXR Carbon Copy.
Conclusion
There are so many great delay pedals out there to choose from. We'd love to know which one you picked out. Let us know in the comments below.
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