Different types of guitar delay

Guitar delays are categorized into three main hardware-based types: Tape (warm, unpredictable, degrading), Analog (uses Bucket Brigade Devices, darkens with each repeat), and Digital (clean, precise repeats with no degradation). Beyond these core types, other delay styles like slapback, ping-pong, and modulated delay describe specific applications or characteristics that can be found across different delay hardware.

Core Delay Types (Hardware-Based)

These types are defined by the technology used to create the repeating signal:

Tape Delay:

• How it works: Employs magnetic tape to record and play back the signal.
• Sound: Offers a warm, vintage sound with natural, sometimes unpredictable, degradation and flutter in the repeats.
• Characteristics: Each repeat can sound different and brighter or darker than the last. 

Analog Delay:

• How it works: Uses Bucket Brigade Devices (BBDs) to create the delay effect.
• Sound: Known for a warm, smooth sound and natural decay.
• Characteristics: The repeats become progressively darker with each pass, a gradual degradation that is a key feature. 

Digital Delay:

• How it works: Utilizes digital signal processing (DSP) to create the delays.
• Sound: Produces precise, clean repeats that are faithful to the original signal.
• Characteristics: The repeats sound identical to the original, with no alteration or degradation. 
   

Other Delay Styles (Techniques/Applications)

These are not hardware types but rather ways to use or characterize delay effects: 

Slapback Delay:
A quick, single repeat with a short delay time, often used for a "slap" effect or to thicken a sound. 

Ping Pong Delay:
A stereo effect where repeats bounce between the left and right speakers for an immersive, expansive sound. 

Modulated Delay:
Introduces modulation (like chorus or vibrato) to the repeats, creating a more organic or ethereal sound. 

Multitap Delay:
Creates multiple repeats in a single rhythmic pattern, often replicating the sound of vintage multi-head tape delays. 

Looping Delay:
Records and loops phrases of guitar playing to build up complex layers of sound.