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I'm on the verge on buying a delay pedal (don't know which one) and was wondering how important tap tempo is. It sounds crucial to me but there are so many delay pedals available which don't offer this as a standard function of the pedal.
Would anyone who uses a delay pedal in their setup please give any thoughts on this.
Does your pedal have a tap tempo function? Did you add one after buying the pedal?
If you do have one, how much do you use/rely on it?
Why is it that so many manufacturers don't offer this on their stock pedals?
Thanks for any help,
-Benja
I just sold my line 6 delay modeler which had tap tempo. I used it sometimes and sometimes I just used the knobs to control it. Its not that big of a deal for me personally to have a tap tempo.
I have a DL-4 with tap tempo and I never use it. It's a cool idea, though. Personally, I've never noticed whether the repeats were in rhythm with the tune or not. Maybe it's a big deal to other guys, just not to me.
This really depends on your personal requirements. This is how I would summarise it:
If you want to use the delay in a quot;musicalquot; sense and you want the repeats in time with the music you are playing then you need tap tempo.
If you want to use the delay in an quot;ambientquot; sense, to create the illusion of distance and depth, or you want very short quot;slapbackquot; delay, you may not care whether the repeats are in time with the music. In this case you don't need tap tempo.
The reason there are so many delays without tap tempo (IMO) is that it is a relatively new innovation. There were echo/delay units long before there was tap tempo. I started in the 70s with a WEM Copicat tape echo - it just had three preset delay times. Many players developed their use of echo/delay before tap tempo was available. Some will have welcomed tap tempo like a long-awaited gift from the gods. Others just don't see it as a requirement.
I have never owned a delay with tap tempo and it isn't something I feel I need. For some players a delay is useless without tap tempo. It's really up to you!
DD-5, DD-6, line6 DL-4 have TT...
simon has it bang on - if you're using the delay to compliment the rhythm of the song, as a backbone, you'll probably need it, unless everything else relies on the delay sound!
tom
i have a dl-4 and use the tap tempo all the time. plus, i like it wen the delays trail off, in time, after i turn the delay off on the last note of the solo- it is a studio-like effect that sounds great live.
I have the DL4 and I use the tap tempo religiously. I set up 3 delay sounds that are my favorites and switch between according to the song. All I do is set the time by the tap and I'm off. So for me....tap tempo rocks.
I'm glad this came up - I've been wondering the same thing.
My concern has also been, regarding the tap tempo - if you set it, and the tempo changes, wouldn't a slightly off tempo sound worse than some randomly different tempo? Or how easy is it to change on the fly? Is it usually a foot switch tap?
it is super easy to change on the fly, just tap the switch...but if your tempo switches that much that the echos sound 'bad', it might be time for another drummer.
I use the tap tempo on my DD6 a lot! The reason I feel it's important with matching the tempo of the song is it really makes the delay effect MORE subtle in terms of pinpointing the effect in the overall tone. I like quot;effectedquot; guitar tones to be treated as quot;a tonequot; rather than here's some delay and some reverb and some phaser. That's truly how you create the quot;Hey, how are you getting that tone?quot; stuff! There's one particular song of mine where it's not obvious there's a delay going on until the entire band pauses and you hear the delay fade off into the sunset in perfect time. The drummer actually counts the number of quot;delaysquot; and comes back in perfect every time!
All the bands I know who've recorded with a producer never use their stage delays in the studio, instead they used some sort of a post-recorded delay function (within ProTools for instance) that allows you to dial in the exact times. Having a Tap Tempo feature at your feet just makes it that much easier to do live.
It's absolutely necessary if you want the delay to sync up with the music instead of it doing it randomly. You won't hear any studio recordings I don't think where the tempo of the delay isn't in sync with the meter of the song.
of course, if you start out the song by yourself and set the tempo, a tap tempo isn't really necessary as long as the rest of your band can follow a beat
Now that I've gotten spoiled by the Line 6's tap tempo, I'd never own a delay that didn't have it. I wish other 'real time' pedals had it, like Tremolo, phase, chorus etc.
I have my L6 on a loop, using my loopbox, so the unit is out of the signal when it's off.
That way, I can tap out the tempo before I even bring the effect into the signal, so my delay is always in sync with the drummer.
Also, for recording it's a nice luxury. If you want delay on a part straight to tape, you can tap the tempo before you're punched in, and then the delay is right on beat with the drums.
I'm not a big delay freak, but it is nice in certain spots when it's appropriate.
i just got the new Boss GT-Pro, and it allows you to tap mostly any effect to tempo: delay, trem, vibrato, flange, chorus, phaser, auto-wah, 'slicer', etc..it is very cool...
Seems like alot of work, and things to remember- I don't have time to do all that. I plug and play, and set the delay for a kind of slapback/short delay, which seems to work for my needs. Remember that when you are playing live, maybe-maybe 1 out of 10 people have any clue as to what is really going on, the other 9 don't care, they are just there to party and have a good time, and could care less if the delay is in tempo, and besides, if everything is going thru the PA, your tap tempo delay will most likely get lost in the mix.
actually, tapping your foot in time with the song isn't that hard to do.
the audience also can't tell the difference between a vox and a twin, but we still obsess over tiny parts of our tone..and I am betting no one in the audience can tell one pickup from another.
The tap tempo idea is less subtle than it sounds- especially with longer delay times. The Edge invented a whole style of playing around it.
Originally Posted by Minceractually, tapping your foot in time with the song isn't that hard to do.
the audience also can't tell the difference between a vox and a twin, but we still obsess over tiny parts of our tone..and I am betting no one in the audience can tell one pickup from another.
The tap tempo idea is less subtle than it sounds- especially with longer delay times. The Edge invented a whole style of playing around it.
I agree, but it still doesn't change the fact that some of us don't care about it while some of us do. I like the thought of having it if I need it, but I've never felt the need. I also agree that the ability to let the repeats trail off is way cool. Now that, to me, is useable.
Would anyone who uses a delay pedal in their setup please give any thoughts on this.
Does your pedal have a tap tempo function? Did you add one after buying the pedal?
If you do have one, how much do you use/rely on it?
Why is it that so many manufacturers don't offer this on their stock pedals?
Thanks for any help,
-Benja
I just sold my line 6 delay modeler which had tap tempo. I used it sometimes and sometimes I just used the knobs to control it. Its not that big of a deal for me personally to have a tap tempo.
I have a DL-4 with tap tempo and I never use it. It's a cool idea, though. Personally, I've never noticed whether the repeats were in rhythm with the tune or not. Maybe it's a big deal to other guys, just not to me.
This really depends on your personal requirements. This is how I would summarise it:
If you want to use the delay in a quot;musicalquot; sense and you want the repeats in time with the music you are playing then you need tap tempo.
If you want to use the delay in an quot;ambientquot; sense, to create the illusion of distance and depth, or you want very short quot;slapbackquot; delay, you may not care whether the repeats are in time with the music. In this case you don't need tap tempo.
The reason there are so many delays without tap tempo (IMO) is that it is a relatively new innovation. There were echo/delay units long before there was tap tempo. I started in the 70s with a WEM Copicat tape echo - it just had three preset delay times. Many players developed their use of echo/delay before tap tempo was available. Some will have welcomed tap tempo like a long-awaited gift from the gods. Others just don't see it as a requirement.
I have never owned a delay with tap tempo and it isn't something I feel I need. For some players a delay is useless without tap tempo. It's really up to you!
DD-5, DD-6, line6 DL-4 have TT...
simon has it bang on - if you're using the delay to compliment the rhythm of the song, as a backbone, you'll probably need it, unless everything else relies on the delay sound!
tom
i have a dl-4 and use the tap tempo all the time. plus, i like it wen the delays trail off, in time, after i turn the delay off on the last note of the solo- it is a studio-like effect that sounds great live.
I have the DL4 and I use the tap tempo religiously. I set up 3 delay sounds that are my favorites and switch between according to the song. All I do is set the time by the tap and I'm off. So for me....tap tempo rocks.
I'm glad this came up - I've been wondering the same thing.
My concern has also been, regarding the tap tempo - if you set it, and the tempo changes, wouldn't a slightly off tempo sound worse than some randomly different tempo? Or how easy is it to change on the fly? Is it usually a foot switch tap?
it is super easy to change on the fly, just tap the switch...but if your tempo switches that much that the echos sound 'bad', it might be time for another drummer.
I use the tap tempo on my DD6 a lot! The reason I feel it's important with matching the tempo of the song is it really makes the delay effect MORE subtle in terms of pinpointing the effect in the overall tone. I like quot;effectedquot; guitar tones to be treated as quot;a tonequot; rather than here's some delay and some reverb and some phaser. That's truly how you create the quot;Hey, how are you getting that tone?quot; stuff! There's one particular song of mine where it's not obvious there's a delay going on until the entire band pauses and you hear the delay fade off into the sunset in perfect time. The drummer actually counts the number of quot;delaysquot; and comes back in perfect every time!
All the bands I know who've recorded with a producer never use their stage delays in the studio, instead they used some sort of a post-recorded delay function (within ProTools for instance) that allows you to dial in the exact times. Having a Tap Tempo feature at your feet just makes it that much easier to do live.
It's absolutely necessary if you want the delay to sync up with the music instead of it doing it randomly. You won't hear any studio recordings I don't think where the tempo of the delay isn't in sync with the meter of the song.
of course, if you start out the song by yourself and set the tempo, a tap tempo isn't really necessary as long as the rest of your band can follow a beat
Now that I've gotten spoiled by the Line 6's tap tempo, I'd never own a delay that didn't have it. I wish other 'real time' pedals had it, like Tremolo, phase, chorus etc.
I have my L6 on a loop, using my loopbox, so the unit is out of the signal when it's off.
That way, I can tap out the tempo before I even bring the effect into the signal, so my delay is always in sync with the drummer.
Also, for recording it's a nice luxury. If you want delay on a part straight to tape, you can tap the tempo before you're punched in, and then the delay is right on beat with the drums.
I'm not a big delay freak, but it is nice in certain spots when it's appropriate.
i just got the new Boss GT-Pro, and it allows you to tap mostly any effect to tempo: delay, trem, vibrato, flange, chorus, phaser, auto-wah, 'slicer', etc..it is very cool...
Seems like alot of work, and things to remember- I don't have time to do all that. I plug and play, and set the delay for a kind of slapback/short delay, which seems to work for my needs. Remember that when you are playing live, maybe-maybe 1 out of 10 people have any clue as to what is really going on, the other 9 don't care, they are just there to party and have a good time, and could care less if the delay is in tempo, and besides, if everything is going thru the PA, your tap tempo delay will most likely get lost in the mix.
actually, tapping your foot in time with the song isn't that hard to do.
the audience also can't tell the difference between a vox and a twin, but we still obsess over tiny parts of our tone..and I am betting no one in the audience can tell one pickup from another.
The tap tempo idea is less subtle than it sounds- especially with longer delay times. The Edge invented a whole style of playing around it.
Originally Posted by Minceractually, tapping your foot in time with the song isn't that hard to do.
the audience also can't tell the difference between a vox and a twin, but we still obsess over tiny parts of our tone..and I am betting no one in the audience can tell one pickup from another.
The tap tempo idea is less subtle than it sounds- especially with longer delay times. The Edge invented a whole style of playing around it.
I agree, but it still doesn't change the fact that some of us don't care about it while some of us do. I like the thought of having it if I need it, but I've never felt the need. I also agree that the ability to let the repeats trail off is way cool. Now that, to me, is useable.
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