An audio delay effect is a time-based effect which works by holding an incoming audio signal into a temporary memory buffer, and releasing that sound at a time set by the delay time.
Audio delay effects also have what’s called a feedback loop. What this does is to take an already delayed audio signal and, feeding it back to the input hence amplifying the overall effect.
Common Audio Delay Parameters
Almost every audio delay effect will have these following parameters. It’s always a good idea that you get yourself familiarized with them.
- Dry/Wet Mix – This controls the amount of dry (unprocessed) vs. wet (processed) signal.
- Delay Time – Controls the amount of time between each repeat or the “speed” for one single delay to happen. Delay times are usually in ms or in beat divisions (e.g 1/8, 1/4 and so forth)
- Feedback – Controls the amount of wet signal that you’d like to be combined again into the input of your delay signal path to create more repetitions or echoes.
- Sync – Determines whether delay time is set according to the tempo of your DAW or manually.
- Width – Determines whether the overall stereo width of the delayed signal should be narrow or wide in terms of spatial space.
