Hi everyone!
I have several delay pedals; Oto BIM, Meris Polymoon, Strymon Volante, Meet Maude, Microcosm and Zen Delay.
What I like about the Zen Delay is the bandpass filter, it enables you to do some nice sweeps of the delay signal. My other delay pedals don’t have this feature.
What I dislike, its noisy (easily get crackles when sending hot signals to it), and its big.
Anyone know any alternatives that enable filter sweeps?
Couple spring to mind:
Source Audio Nemesis has a pretty nice filter sweep delay.
The Boss DD-500 has a really customizable one as well…I can’t recall but I think it may have internal LFO possibilites too for filter parameters… The RV-500 does for sure, so I think the delay might as well.
benidub (mono)
You could look into delay pedals with an effect loop. It won’t solve the size issue, but you can have more control over the processing of the delays.
thanks guys. I believe my meet maude actuallly has an fx loop, but I don’t see how this can help recreate the filter sweeps from the zen delay?
beginning to think I should’ve kept mine based on how often I recommend it but worth looking into the Jomox T-Resonator. Stereo Filter Delay with independent cut-offs, LFOs, envelope follower and so on.
The Meet Maude has a feedback loop, not an fx loop. A delay with an effects loop opens up all kinds of fun for your delay signal. I think the memory lads by EHX have them, as well as the Strymon Timeline. I got a DOD Rubberneck that also has an effects loop. Put a bandpass filter in there and you’re off!
I’m not sure why a feedback loop would be different from an fx loop? If you stick a filter in the feedback loop of meet maude you will have the same topology as the zen delay. But analog delays are much more sensitive to any kind of gain in the feedback path so turning up the resonance is also turning up the feedback. Digital delays are a lot friendlier to more severe frequency manipulation.
Also you can make your own feedback loop with any analog mixer with an fx send.
mixer fx send > delay 100% wet, 0% feedback > filter > mixer channel
Now fx send on the channel you’re returning it to is your feedback control (plus you can use channel eq’s and gain for extra fun)
Thanks! I have a model-1 mixer,
didnt think of this possibility!
you mean dedicate a mixer channel to the delay signal only?
instead of using a return channel?
Yes, the channel needs to have an fx send so you can feed it back into itself.
As the zen delay has the filter after the delay, it will sound different than a delay with an eq in the loop. The zen delay can get brighter (as the delay signal is effected after the repeats) while the delay with a filter in the loop will sound darker (as soon as you close the filter).
What about the MOD Dwarf, you could design your own delay without any programming knowledge.
Well that’s more of a question of what filter you put in the loop. If you use a highpass or a bandpass each repeat will be brighter as well.
The real fun is in putting other things in the feedback loop … bitcrushers, reverbs or pitch shifters if you have a dirty mind…
That´s true. But what I meant is, if you change the tone in the feedback loop, it´s not possible to get back to the original sound (which is possible, if the eq is after the delay). If you use a highpass filter in the loop, the lowend is lost, even if you turn the filter up again.