Tape Delay

Tape Delay simulates the warm sound of vintage tape echo machines, with the convenience of easy delay time synchronization to your project tempo. The effect is equipped with a highpass and lowpass filter in the feedback loop, simplifying the creation of authentic dub echo effects. Tape Delay also includes an LFO for delay time modulation, which can be used to produce pleasant or unusual chorus effects, even on long delays.

Figure. Tape Delay window.
  • Feedback slider: Determines the amount of delayed and filtered signal that is routed back to the input of the Tape Delay. Set the Feedback slider to the lowest possible value to generate a single echo. Turn Feedback all the way up to endlessly repeat the signal. The levels of the original signal and its taps (echo repeats) tend to accumulate, and may cause distortion. You can use the internal tape saturation circuit to ensure that these overdriven signals continue to sound good.
  • Freeze button: Captures the current delay repeats and sustains them until the Freeze button is turned off.
  • Delay field: Sets the current delay time in milliseconds (this parameter is dimmed when you synchronize the delay time to the project tempo).
  • Sync button: Synchronizes delay repeats to the project tempo (including tempo changes).
  • Tempo field: Sets the current delay time in beats per minute (this parameter is dimmed when you synchronize the delay time to the project tempo).
  • Groove slider and field: Determines the proximity of every second delay repeat to the absolute grid position—in other words, how close every second delay repeat is. A Groove setting of 50% means that every delay has the same delay time. Settings below 50% result in every second delay being played earlier in time. Settings above 50% result in every second delay being played later in time. When you want to create dotted note values, move the Groove slider all the way to the right (to 75%). For triplets, select the 33.33% setting.
  • Note buttons: Set the grid resolution for the delay time. These are shown as note durations.
  • Low Cut and High Cut sliders and fields: Frequencies below the Low Cut value and above the High Cut value are filtered out of the source signal. You can shape the sound of the echoes with the highpass and lowpass filters. The filters are located in the feedback circuit, which means that the filtering effect increases in intensity with each delay repeat. If you want an increasingly muddy and confused tone, move the High Cut slider towards the left. For ever thinner echoes, move the Low Cut slider towards the right. If you’re unable to hear the effect even though you seem to have a suitable configuration, be sure to check out both the Dry and Wet controls and the filter settings—move the High Cut slider to the far right, and the Low Cut slider to the far left.
  • Smooth slider and field: Evens out the LFO and flutter effect.
  • LFO Rate knob and field: Sets the frequency of the LFO.
  • LFO Depth knob and field: Sets the amount of LFO modulation. A value of 0 turns delay modulation off.
  • Flutter Rate and Intensity sliders and fields: Simulate the speed irregularities of the tape transports used in analog tape delay units.
    • Flutter Rate: Sets the speed variation.
    • Flutter Intensity: Determines how pronounced the effect is.
  • Dry and Wet sliders and fields: Independently control the amount of original and effect signal.
  • Distortion Level slider and field (Extended Parameters area): Determines the level of the distorted (tape saturation) signal.