MODULATED DELAY FX

Modulated Delay FX

These effects all rely on the periodic modulation of the delay time.

An LFO is used to control how much the wet signal is delayed by, and this changes over time.

• Rate - Speed at which modulation takes place - can be synced to note value or absolute value in Hertz

• Depth - Greater the depth, the wider the range of values for the delay time

• Feedback - Used to add a percentage or a part of the output from an effect back into the input

Modulated Delay FX - Types

• Chorus

• Flanger

• Comb Filtering

• Phaser

Modulated Delay FX - Chorus

• Originally took its name from the way it made one voice / instrument sound like a chorus

• This effect delays a copy of the original signal, playing the delayed version alongside the clean signal to give the effect of more than one instrument

• When LFO is used to delay a signal by a small and varying amount of time, this affects the pitch. Could say that it adds vibrato to the wet signal.

• Simulates the subtle pitch and timing differences when a number of musicians perform together.

• For a subtle effect, the depth control is generally set quite low. If the rate control is also low the effect will just give a sense of life or movement to a signal, imbuing it with a subtle detuning effect.

• If the death and rate values are high, a dramatic ‘bubbling’ and ‘underwater’ effect can be produced

• Chorus is often used on clean electric guitar, fretless bass and synth pad tracks.

Modulated Delay FX - Flanger

• Gives a ‘swirling’, ‘whooshing’ or ‘jet plane’ effect, depending on the rate setting

• Some of the effected signal is fed back into the unit using the feedback control which, when set high, generates a sweeping, pitched sound in time with the LFO

• An extreme setting gives a ‘jet plane’ effect and is often used on distorted guitar

• When it is applied to just the reverb or delay of an affected signal rather than the signal itself, it can produce a subtler ‘shimmering’ effect.

Modulated Delay FX - Comb Filtering

• Created when a slight delayed version of a signal combines with the direct sound, causing destructive interference.

• Can result in an audibly thin sound whereby some frequencies will be reduced in volume and is particularly audible in low and low-mid frequencies

• Can be used creatively to create a flange effect, but can also be an undesirable side effect of the way a system is set up, where speakers are placed at different distances from a listener.

Modulated Delay FX - Phaser

• Gives a similar effect to flanging, but it is generally subtler

• Effect is created as two signals combine in varying ways

• Can make a sound ‘shimmer’ at subtle settings - sounding a little similar to chorus, but more like a filter with an LFO applied sweeping through the frequency range, rather than two instruments playing at once

• Can be used to add movement to distorted guitar parts.