What delay should I get?

[The_Pac_Mule]

what delay pedal should I get? A DigiTech DigiDelay, which is around $100, or Memoryman Deluxe Delay, which is around $300?

I don't really have a whole lot of money to spend on this, so I need to know what is better for price vs. Sound quality vs. Edge sound. Thanks

 

[eventide]

Go with a korg sdd2000 mate you cant go wrong with this delay!!!!!

 

[mick3b1g]

if its a pedal you need,one of the best ones out there is the Boss DD20. It can modulate like the Korg sdd2000,has 4 savable presets and one manual,can give you far more options than a memoryman as it can give you long delay times with a ms readout. It also has all sorts of other delays like tape,analog,reverse ect.. For the price its well worth it

Mick

 

[EdgeIsTooSexy]

the memoryman i think is what edge used in the beginning now he uses a korg
i think im right lol

 

[Muad'zin]

Forget the memory man, it's a one trick pony, analog delay only. And Edge uses mostly digital delay these days. I'm not sure he even has a memory man in his setup anymore these days. Get one only if you're planning on using multiple delays units or early U2 and only early U2 is what you're after. If you wanna play Streets this thing is useless.

The Korg SDD-2000 hasn't been in production since the days of really bad hair cuts and shoulder pads. So you'll only get via Evilbay and any unit will have significant mileage. Also, it's a 19" rack unit. Useless if you're a pedal man as you'll also need a midi controler.

If 19"and midi doesn't scare you then TC Electronic has the D2 digital delay. If money is no objection then scour Evilbay for the discontinued TC Electronic 2290 and the Korg SDD-3000 which Edge uses. And who thanks to that have become worth their weight in gold. For which, many thanks, my fellow Edge wannabees!

The Digitech DigiDelay is good value for money, as it can do lots of different delays. Just like the Boss DD-6 which is a similar unit. Both units aren't true bypass though. Which can be a problem if you're planning on using a lot of pedals, as most non-true bypass pedals tend to suck a bit (or a lot) of your tone. Imagine the problem when you have a lot of pedals chained together. I once had a loop containing 5 Boss pedals. And when I switched that loop off I could hear my volume increase. That's tone suck for ya.

The Boss DD-20 is even better value for money then the Digidelay, as it can do even more as has been said. Still, no true bypass though, so still some tone suck.

Line6 has the Echo Park, which is a cool unit (not true bypass though) and the DL-4, which is akin to the Boss DD-20. This unit is true bypass, has 15 different kinds of delay, a looping mode and three programmable presets. Seems to be a love hate thing though. I've heard many people rave about it, and others who think the simpeler Echo Park is better.

Marshall also has a delay pedal and I think it is true bypass. It seems akin in capabilities to the Line6 Echo Park.

The creme of the crop pedal wise seems to be the Eventide Timefactor, which has 9 kinds of delay, a looper and up to 27 programmable presets. It can even do midi.

Of course, before you get anything, you should do first and foremost an analysis of what it is you want to do musically and which sound you're aiming for. Only when you have do that should you start looking for (and buying) anything. Once you have an idea what you're looking for, try things out. Don't buy them because we say so. Buy stuff because you need it and it sounds great.

 

[nhenshaw]

Does anyone have some advice about the quality of individual delay units like the DL-4 or the DD-20 vs. those delays that you would get if you purchase a multi-effects unit like the Pod XTLive/Pro, Boss GT8 etc.

I have read some threads where people suggest stringing together a Line 6 DL-4 with a Line 6 DM-4, and a chorus pedal to get a good Edge sound (ideally with an AC30 amp and a good strat etc).

Obviously with the multi-effects it's going to be easier to switch between song patches and those units also have amp modeling so you can simulate the VOX AC30. I also like idea of the online community of patch sharers particularly with the Line 6 POD XT Live.

I've read so many threads my head is spinning?! All I want is a good Edge sound!

 

[Muad'zin]

Well, if you want to know what people think of the various units, then Harmony Central is your friend.

Here's what they have to say about the DL-4

Ease of Use 7.8 (281 responses)
Sound Quality 8.3 (279 responses)
Reliability 6.6 (228 responses)
Customer Support 6.3 (90 responses)
Overall Rating 7.3 (274 responses)

And about the DD-20

Ease of Use 8.3 (94 responses)
Sound Quality 9.1 (92 responses)
Reliability 9.2 (74 responses)
Customer Support 7.2 (18 responses)
Overall Rating 9.3 (89 responses)

As you can see the DL-4 seems to score lower then the DD-20. But then again it has more user reviews, indicating more people use it. Over the past days I spend a lot of time lusting over pictures of pro-guitar players pedal boards and the DL-4 seems to crop up a hell of a lot more then the DD-20.

All I want is a good Edge sound!

There is no easy answer as Edge has such a complicated rig setup that it's nearly impossible to simply approximate it. I used to own a Pod XT, I'm thinking of getting an XT Live for home use. There are an awful lot of user patches out there. I used to try out a lot of them and I found that some were good, a lot were crap. Creating a patch with an XT hooked to a computer is dead easy though. The XT Live has the advantage that it has a lot of effects build into them you don't need to get separately.

Costwise an XT Live runs at around €400 new where I live. You could not get a DL-4, DM-4 and a chorus pedal for that same price. And that's excluding cables and power supplies. So on that basis alone go for the XT Live.

That being said, there is something about separate pedals that you don't have with an multi FX unit. You can turn and twist your pedals on the fly, coming up with unique spur of the moment sounds that is near impossible with an XT Live. Also you can screw open your pedals and mod them to your liking. Although the last thing is a bit hard with Line 6 gear, as its all digital modeling, not analog buckets and bolts.

 

[jpg]

Hi, if you play at home, you don´t need a lot of presets , but if you are gonna play live........... you will need at least a preset for each song.
I own two sdd-2000 and i´m very happy with them. I bought them for 120 euro and 130 euro.

Escuseme for my English evil........

 

[The_Pac_Mule]

but if I had to choose between the memoryman or the digitech, which should I get?

 

[Muad'zin]

If you can only afford a single pedal and absolutely had to choose between the Memoryman and the Digidelay, go for the Digidelay. With one delay pedal you want versatility and the Digidelay offers that. Whereas the Memoryman is a one trick pony. It's probably better at what it does but unless your audience is made up entirely of guitarists, or your gigs are superbly mixed nobody will notice. Since usually the opposite is true why bother?

I still advise getting a Line6 DL-4 though. It's even more versatile and if you can afford a Memoryman you can afford a DL-4. A DL-4 and a DM-4 can be seen on Edge's pedalboard which he used for the Cannes gig. Which means, endorsement by 'Ze Master' himself.

 

[The_Pac_Mule]

I'll think about getting a DL-4

 

[velvetjones]

For playing U2 songs with any backing, whether it's a band or track, a delay with tap tempo is essential. Also, a delay with a 3/16 note setting, which is the same as a dotted 8th note setting, is basically just as important. If you have really good rhythm you can feel what a dotted 8th note is and set any delay to do it. However, I do not know many guitarists who can do that fast enough for a live setting. That being said, I personally wouldnt waste my money on a memory man (I know Edge used it, but he he moved on when he had the chance).

I use the old Boss DD-5. It has been replaced by the DD6. I prefer the DD-5 because tapping is done on an external footswitch. On the DD-6 you first stomp to turn it on, then hold the switch for 2 or 3 seconds to enter tap mode and then tap in your tempo. You must go through this entire process to turn the delay on or off while in tap mode. The Digidelay has the same system so I run it through a bypass loop and just leave it on and in tap mode at all times. However, the external tap footswitch seems more accurate to my ears.

Anyway, Behringer has some new delay pedals comming out soon. One is a DD-5 clone the other is an Echo Park clone. They will probably cost about $50.00. Im gonna pick at least one of them up.