If you’re putting together an array of effects, chances are you’ve been trying out different delay pedals. Delay pedals create that echo effect you’ve heard on countless songs, and are useful in many different ways.

From creating extra texture, to giving the illusion of a whole other guitarist, delay can expand your playing and add new dimensions to your sound.

But with so many choices, it can be hard to find the right effect.

Some players swear by analog delay, while others require the precision of digital. And maybe you’ve even seen those lunchbox sized tape delay units that often come with a huge price tag. As manufacturers offer more and more effects options it can be hard to know what to use.

In this article, we discuss what exactly sets these effects apart so that you can find the effect that suits you best. But keep in mind, there really is no best kind. It’s all a matter of preference…

The Tape Delay

To give a little historical perspective, we start with tape delay which was developed in the early 1950s with the help of a very familiar name: Les Paul. Tape delay is exactly what it sounds like.

A tape records your guitar signal for a certain period of time and then automatically plays it back creating the echo. Because tape delay units rely on moving parts and a (often difficult to find) tape cartridge, this is not the most efficient type of delay effect. Generally these are used in studios to achieve a more “vintage” tone.

Analog vs. Digital Delay Effects

The two most common types of delay these days are analog and digital. Both are typically built as compact stompboxes, but there are some fundamental differences that set them apart.

Analog

Analog delay pedals have been popular since the mid 1970s and rely on a microchip that was pioneered by Panasonic. The famed “Bucket Brigade” chip works by feeding the original sound from the guitar back into the signal chain at timed intervals. Since there is nothing in the circuitry of the effect to preserve the fidelity of the echoes, they will degrade with each repeat.

The result is a very natural sound that mimics the effect of a real echo, which degrades in sound quality as it reaches your ears.

Many players feel that the warm tone produced by analog delay is superior to that of digital delay, but it’s not without its limitations. Because of the simplicity of the circuitry, analog delay generally has a much shorter delay time than digital units, and far less flexibility in terms of creating different delay patterns.

Digital

Digital delay, on the other hand, takes your guitar’s signal and converts it to zeros and ones, creating a perfect replica of each note.

The echoes sound very clean and precise, but without further processing, tend not to have a natural echo tone.

That’s not to say that digital is without it’s advantages. If you prefer long delay times, (echoes longer than a couple of seconds) digital is probably the way to go, as it offers delay times sometimes longer than a minute. This can allow you to use delay to create long loops.

Another advantage of digital is the ability to create rhythmic patterns with the echo. Some delay units like the TC Electronics Nova Delay allow you to structure your echoes like notes so you can achieve a rhythm to the echo that fits the song you’re playing.

Delay Pedals Explained

JHS Pedals break down the six main different types of delay pedals, where they came from, and what they sound like.

TC Electronics Nova – Digital Delay Pedal

A great example of this is the intro to U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name”. That rhythmic effect would not have been possible with the limitations of analog delay.

Digital Delay Effects in U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name”

Digital units also tend to be a bit cheaper, but with the rise in popularity of analog delay, manufacturers are finding ways to produce cheaper analog delay pedals that still sound very impressive. The MXR Carbon Copy, for example, is a great place to start without spending all your rent money.

MXR Carbon Copy – Demo Video

Because of the huge differences in delay pedals, I’ve been fond of keeping one analog and one digital pedal on my board at all times.

I’m a fan of the Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man for analog and the TC Electronics Nova Delay for digital. Because they serve such different purposes, I think of them as two entirely separate effects. One gives me a warm, vintage sound, and the other, a clean, precise echo.

Electro Harmonix Delux Memory Man – Demo Video

As with any effect though, there is no “best” product. It’s all a matter of what creates your perfect tone. Hopefully, knowing the difference between these types of effects will make to process of finding the perfect one that much easier.

Delay pedals can work across many genres and are an essential tool to many sounds and tones. If you’re unsure how best to start using a delay pedal, then our free articles here on our blog can help. Some of our most recently published articles include our intro to guitar scales chords, our guitar zen techniques, and our app that listens to music and tells you the chords. 

The post Guitar Delay Pedals in 2021: Which Effect is Right for Beginners? appeared first on Uberchord App.

Choosing the Right Pedalboard Order

Last week we talked about choosing the right “Guitar Effects to Expand Your Sound” with sub-topics of “Guitar Effects Used By Your Favorite Pro Guitarists” and “Guitar Effects To Use For Each Music Genre”. Now that you’ve hopefully acquired some pedals of your own, there is another important topic that greatly influences the outcome of your tone – your pedalboard order.

At first this may seem trivial, but a little experimentation reveals that each effect reacts very differently depending on how the original signal has been altered by previous effects in the signal chain. Initially, this can seem rather frustrating; a pedal that sounds awesome on its own can turn your sound into a real mess when combined thoughtlessly with other effects. I’m going to go into the basics of signal flow and cover the fundamentals of setting up a great sounding pedal board. As you would expect, there isn’t any one “correct” way of doing things. You may find that changing the order gives you a completely unique sound, and that’s great. However, if you’re sorting it all out for the first time, this is a good way to start ordering your pedalboard.

1. Most Guitarists Put Their Drive Pedals First

Overdrive, Distortion, Fuzz & Boost Pedals

Generally, guitarists with an array of pedals like to put their drive pedals first. This includes your overdrive, distortion, fuzz, or boost pedals. Some guitarists have more than one of these, and they usually go at the beginning of your chain. The reason for putting them first in your pedalboard order is because you will be distorting or boosting the purest version of your guitar tone. Putting a delay pedal before distortion means that the echoes from the delay pedal would themselves become distorted, resulting in an unnatural and messy sound. If you’re using an overdrive and a boost, it’s wise to put the boost first – that sends a stronger signal into the overdrive to get the most out of it.

2. Wah & Equalizer (EQ) Pedals

Second in your chain are usually wah or EQ pedals. These tend to do well when directly affecting a distorted signal, and without much else in the mix. If you plan on using a compressor you have a choice: for a more natural rock tone, the compressor works best right after the distortion or wah/EQ effects. If you’re going for that thick classic country sound however, try putting your compressor right at the end of the chain so that it squashes everything.

3. Modulation Effects

Phasers, Flangers, Chorus & Vibrato Effects

After the wah or EQ, try throwing in your phasers, flangers, chorus or vibrato effects. Because they’re following overdrive/distortion, wah and EQ, you will find that modulation effects gain a richer and more complex sound than they would have on their own or toward the front of your chain. But annoyingly, putting them right at the end of your chain can also be somewhat limiting because these types of effects tend to overpower others that go before it. Modulation effects work best right in the middle of the effects sequence.

4. Time Related Effects

Delay & Reverb

If you’re using temporal effects such as delay and reverb, these generally work best at the end of the chain. Putting a delay at the end allows the effect to give a more natural echo to everything that comes before it; the echo itself will not be altered by other effects. The same applies for reverb. Most guitarists leave reverb as the very last effect, occasionally using the amp’s in-built reverb over a pedal. Amps that have onboard reverb usually use a spring unit which produces a shimmery twang that works well for many types of music. However, if you’re looking for a roomier type of reverb that emulates a giant concert hall, a pedal based reverb is probably what you’re looking for. Either way, putting reverb at the end of the chain provides a spacious, natural tone that simulates a cavernous echo.

5. Experimentation is Strongly Encouraged

As always, experimenting with your pedalboard order is strongly encouraged. Given the countless effects pedals that are currently available, it can take quite a long time to figure out what works best, and in which combination. But this effect order should provide a great jump-off point for getting your effects to play well with one another.

I get a lot of questions from concerned effects enthusiast about “true bypass” effects and how important that feature is to your sound. In the next column I’ll spend some time discussing the pros and cons of “true bypass”, and why you should or shouldn’t care about it.

Still confused about pedal boards? Here is your best lesson and some words of wisdom from the God of guitar himself – Steve Vai.

If you are a DIY kind of guitar player and like to build stuff on your own, then check out this fantastic video from Guitar World on – How to Build Your Own Pedal Board at Home.

Learning how to use pedals and arrange your zoom pedal board order can help immensely when learning areas of the guitar. Some riffs, like “Voodoo Child,” are not the same without a wah pedal! However you need the technique and the music theory knowledge, sometimes, to play these riffs correctly. So please look over our free blog for any topics you’re still shaky on. We have articles on topics as varied as the key of dm for guitar, angus young’s gibson sg special marshall amp, as well as discussions on the best youtube guitar lessons for rock.

The post Guitar Effects 101: Choosing the Right Pedalboard Order appeared first on Uberchord App.

Depending on what type of music you’re intending to play, you may find yourself wondering which guitar pedals and effects are used for that genre of music or even by a specific guitarist. Sometimes it’s fairly obvious: You’re probably not going to be using a death metal distortion pedal if you’re planning to play your favorite John Mayer tune. But hey, maybe you should try that. It might sound awesome. This post will detail the types of effects that are used by nine guitarists of differing styles including the specific guitar pedals that they are using. Being that they are rich and famous (or deceased in cases), some of the effects and pedals are discontinued. Usually you can find them on Ebay for a small fortune, but in either case, I’ll give a less expensive alternative to get a similar tone. If you’re interested in learning which guitar effects are used by music genre, that’s covered in a separate post.

1. Jack White: Thick Fuzz

Jack is a huge fan of big thick sounding fuzz. From the White Stripes and Raconteurs to his solo work, Jack loves the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi with the dials set around midnight. Another huge component of his sound is the Electro-Harmonix P.O.G. or Polyphonic Octave Generator, which creates multiple different octaves very smoothly at once. A less expensive, yet extremely high quality Micro POG is also available.

2. Jimi Hendrix: The Pioneer

Jimi was a pioneer in effects use at a time when few guitarists bothered to try anything. He made the Wah effect famous on songs like “Voodoo Child” with the Vox Wah which is still available in its original form today for a reasonable price. He was also a big fan of fuzz, and at Woodstock he used a Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face, which has been reissued to Jimi’s specs by Dunlop. 

3. The Edge: Major Delayer

The guitarist for U2 has one of the largest effects arrays ever assembled at over fifty different effects. But the ones that give him his signature tone are delays. The Electro-Harmonix Memory Man for the older songs, and digital delay for most of the newer songs. His choice for digital delay is the discontinued TC Electronics 2290 rack-mounted delay unit which will set you back a couple of thousand dollars on Ebay. But if you’re looking for something similar and less pricey, the TC Electronics Nova Delay or Boss DD-6 will do an excellent job. 

4. David Gilmour of Pink Floyd: The King of Psychedelic

For the king of psychedelic guitarists, David Gilmour used surprisingly few guitar pedals. For distortion and fuzz he is also a big fan of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi as well as the Fuzz Face. For delay, his choice for many years was the Binson Echorec which is a tape type delay. These are tough to come by these days and quite a challenge to maintain. Portland, Oregon based effects company Catalinbread has recently introduced their Echorec pedal which does an absolutely stunning job of recreating the original vintage sound in a more convenient pedal design. 

5. John Mayer: Modern Day Blues Man

A fan of classic blues for the most part, John gets a lot of his tone from three different Ibanez Tube Screamers. The classic TS-808 (which has been reissued), the standard TS-9 and the, unfortunately, discontinued TS-10. Though these guitar pedals all accomplish the same basic goal of adding light overdrive and boost, they all have a slightly different tone, and John often likes using them in combination with each other to achieve different levels of overdrive. 

6. Slash: Master of Distortion

While the former Guns ’n’ Roses guitarist likes to add little accents of effects like chorus to certain songs, Slash is known for huge distortion and solos that are full of Wah. The majority of his distortion comes from his amps, which are classic Marshall JCM-800s turned all the way up. For his Wah effect, Slash started out with the Dunlop Crybaby 535Q which is an upgraded version of their classic Crybaby. Once he became a household name, however, Dunlop created a Slash signature Wah that is based
on the 535Q, but with an extra boost control to add even more punch. 

7. Stevie Ray Vaughn: Blues on Overdrive

The late great bluesman wasn’t a fan of big effects rigs, and he didn’t really need them. The one trick that Stevie consistently had up his sleeve was his overdrive. He loved the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-808 and figured that the only thing better than one was two. He often ran one TS-808 directly into the other to add layers of drive to his sound. It was also a great way to boost his volume when switching from rhythm playing to solos. 

8. Kurt Cobain: The Minimalist Grunge Rocker

The quintessential grunge rocker was a fan of a dirty stripped down sound that changed music forever, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have a couple of stompboxes on stage. Always one to keep it simple, Kurt favored the Boss DS-1 distortion pedal that retails for an absurdly low forty dollars. It may be an entry level pedal, but it still has excellent tone for a heavy distortion. Another of his signature effects was the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus which can be heard, most notably, on the song “Come As You Are”. 

9. Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead: Out of this World

Not just a guitarist, but also an accomplished pianist and classical composer, Jonny Greenwood serves many functions in Radiohead. Sometimes he’s creating otherworldly sounds via envelop filters like the DOD440 or the Roland Space Echo RE201, but he’s also known for heavy distorted guitar tones. On many Radiohead songs from ‘The Bends’ and ‘OK Computer’ Jonny uses either the ProCo Rat or a Marshall Shredmaster pedal. The Rat can be found at many music shops for under $100. For the record, Jonny has much more gear so check out sites like The King of Gear for an alarming amount of detail on his gear while on tour throughout the years. 

A lot of Jonny’s music focuses on his use of delay pedals, which is a signature aspect of many guitar player’s setup. A delay pedal can add atmosphere to your jangly chord parts, create a cool reverb effect, or just become a part of your songwriting in the way that U2’s Edge uses it. It’s definitely worth your time to learn more about delay pedals so we recommend that you check out this article here at Uberchord about the best delay pedals for beginner guitar players.

The post Which Guitar Pedals & Effects Do Pros Use To Get Their Tone? appeared first on Uberchord App.

Let’s find the best way to elevate your sound

The first time I ever purchased a guitar effect was in the mid-90s. It was a multi-effect unit made by Zoom, containing about thirty different effects that ranged from distortion and delay to modulation effects like phase shifting and flanger. Oh, and they all sounded terrible. I didn’t know it at the time, but looking back I still get a chuckle when I remember the terrible noises I subjected my family to. As I got older, I started spending time in music shops testing out pretty much all of the different effects they had. It didn’t take too long for me to realize that if you wanted your effects to sound really good, you had to spend some time (and money) to find just the right piece of equipment. After experimenting with as many pedals as I could find, one thing became abundantly clear: Something that does one job well is better than something that does a dozen jobs poorly.

I understand the allure of the multi-effect: It has every type of effect you can imagine in one box. But here’s the thing, most guitarists don’t actually use that many effects at any given time. There are numerous websites that have diagrams of pedalboards used by famous guitarists, and most of them don’t contain nearly the number of effects you are likely to find in your average multi-effect system. The multi-effect does offer one brilliant advantage, which is the possibility to test out different types of effects for the first time, and combine them. The ease of experimentation is probably the multi-effect’s greatest asset.

There is no best pedal. It’s all a matter of taste. Kurt Cobain used a $30 distortion pedal and he redefined Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Going the Stompbox Route?

If you’ve decided to go the stompbox route, the first thing to consider is what you’re actually going to use. Browsing the pedal counter at your local guitar shop can be daunting to say the least, but the vast majority of these pedals are producing a variation on the same handful of effects. So, perhaps you’ve decided that your sound needs distortion. How do you choose the right pedal? Some distortion effects are designed to produce a more subtle overdrive that emulates the natural sound of a tube amp played at high volumes. Other distortion pedals are designed to do nothing but brutal heavy metal, so your individual style will most likely determine which one is right for you. And as we’ve discussed before, there is no best pedal. It’s all a matter of taste. Kurt Cobain used a $30 distortion pedal and he redefined Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Identify the guitar effects of your favorite music

The key is to identify what effects suit the music you want to play. If you’re trying to recreate the sound of your greatest guitar influences, go online and find out what kind of effects they use. If you’re creating original music, spend some time in a guitar shop testing out different kinds of effects while playing your own music. You might stumble upon a pedal that takes your guitar part to a whole new level, or you may know what kind of effect you want, but you haven’t found the right pedal yet.

Not sure where to start?

I’ve created two guides to get your feet on the ground. The first one helps you find effects based on your favorite music genres and the second one based on popular guitarists of varying styles.

1. Discover Which Guitar Effects to Use Based on Music Genres

2. Discover Which Guitar Effects to Use Based on Your Favorite Guitarists

Your effects board is a constantly evolving beast

It’s also important to keep in mind that most guitarists don’t just buy a bunch of pedals they like and use those for the rest of their lives. Your effects board is a constantly evolving beast. Your sound may change over time, and that will necessitate different effects. Luckily the effects industry is constantly evolving and creating as well. Every year, manufacturers are debuting new effects, some designed to emulate classic effects that are no longer available, and others are diving into new sounds that no one has heard before.

Start simple: Decide on one or two effects to explore

Given the vast landscape of options, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. The best course of action is to start simple and decide on one or two guitar effects to explore. Spend some time testing out what they can do, and how they impact your playing. Over time you will get a better idea of what you want and what you need. And remember, these tools are there to make you a better, more interesting player, and the more you know about your tools, the more they will end up helping you.

A closer look at my pedal board

As far as the effects I use, my pedal board currently has eight units. I’ve been putting this combination together for years, switching in and out pedals as I find better equipment. They all suit my somewhat alternative/psychedelic rock style, but I’m always looking at new effects as well.

1. Chromatic Tuner

Boss TU-3 tuner pedal which is the industry standard.

2. Analog Delay & Vibrato

A vintage Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man which is an analog delay coupled with vibrato. It’s a very classic delay effect that was used heavily on early U2 records.

3. Digital Delay

I also use a TC Electronics Nova Delay, which is a digital delay. I like this because it’s much more customizable than the analog delay and it’s very precise.

4. Overdrive

For overdrive I use an Ibanez Tube Screamer which despite the name, is actually a fairly mild overdrive pedal that has a smooth bluesy tone.

5. Distortion

For heavier distortion and fuzz I use a Catalinbread Teaser Stallion, which is super heavy and thick sounding.

6. Phaser

I have an MXR Phase 90 which is a fairly simple phaser and doesn’t get used very much honestly. It has a nice psychedelic tone.

7. Reverb

For reverb, I use an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail which is simple, but has a very natural sounding reverb.

8. Compressor

Finally, I use a Boss CS-3 compressor on a very light setting just to even things out a bit, and an Ernie Ball volume pedal so I don’t have to bother with the volume knobs on my guitar.

Next Up: How to optimize your setup

In the next post we’ll discuss what to do once you have several effects and you want to optimize the best way to set them up. Does the delay go before or after the overdrive? Where does reverb go? The order of your pedals makes a huge difference in terms of what comes out of the speakers, and we’ll go into the science of getting your sound just right.

The post Guitar Effects: Deciding Between Stomp Boxes Vs. Multi-Effects Units appeared first on Uberchord App.

Depending on what type of music you’re intending to play, you may find yourself wondering which effects are generally used for that genre of music. Sometimes it’s fairly obvious: You’re probably not going to be using a death metal distortion pedal if you’re planning to play country music. But hey, maybe you should try that. It might be awesome. As always, there are no hard and fast rules, but I’m going to break down different genres of music and the types of guitar effects that are generally used. I’m also going to give some recommendations for specific pedals to try. My next post goes a little further down the rabbit hole exploring “Which Guitar Pedals & Effects Do Pros Use to Get Their Tone?”.

ROCK

I’m going to start with the most difficult genre because rock uses pretty much every effect. Distortion and overdrive are probably the most notable effects because it’s a tone we usually associate with rock music. But there’s a huge range here, from light overdrive to heavy metal type distortion. You’re also going to find delay, reverb, phaser/flanger, chorus, compression, and more unusual effects like envelop filters and octave effects.

BLUES

This one’s a little easier because blues players tend to keep things simple. The most common effect you’ll see in blues is overdrive, and the Boss Blues Driver is an excellent entry into blues overdrive. Guitar World wrote a nice piece on Stevie Ray Vaughan’s preferred equipment, which revealed that SRV was a fan of the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9.

JAZZ

Unlike the blues and rock players, Jazz guitarists often like a smoother, cleaner sound. Many jazz players favor amps that stay clean at higher volumes like the Fender Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb. And one of the most common effect pedals for jazz isn’t really an effect at all. Compression is more of a filter than an effect, but it certainly influences your tone. By squashing the highs and lows, a compressor gives you an even tone that allows each note to flow very smoothly.

Country

Like jazz, a lot of country players favor a clean tone, and it’s not just modern country. If you listen to Johnny Cash’s band, you’ll notice that the electric guitar has a clean punch that cuts right through the songs. Again, this is achieved with a compressor. Back in Johnny’s day this was done with huge rack mounted boxes in the studio, but now we have stompboxes that do it just as well. By turning the compression up, you get that thick country tone that we all associate with Nashville.

Metal

While metal gods of the past got their tone by turning Marshall amps up to eleven, things have evolved a bit since then. There’s a good chance that your neighbors won’t appreciate you blowing out their windows with a hundred watts of pure harmonic distortion, so pedals have found a way to fill the sonic void. The Boss Metal Zone is probably the most popular example of high gain distortion that won’t burst your eardrums.

As promised, here is a list of guitar effects pedals that will do a great job of achieving the tone you’re looking for without breaking the bank. These pedals also shouldn’t be too hard to find and try out.

Now that you’re armed with many of the secrets to playing these genres…..You should explore some more of the songs in them! Many articles here on Uberchord’s blog can help you break down the chords and scales used to create these songs, as well as gain more insights into how these tones were made. A few topics we suggest you start on include our guide to the superstrat, next to me chords, and this guitar chords and lyrics app we made. 

The post Guitar Effects To Use For Each Music Genre appeared first on Uberchord App.