Vintage Digital

Digital Delay

Classic Recording Studio Equipment

Digital delay, also known as digital echo, is an audio effect used in recording studios to create a repeat of a sound source at a specific time interval. The first digital delay units were developed in the 1970s, using a combination of digital signal processing and analog-to-digital converters to create a delay effect. These early digital delay units were typically rack-mounted and used complex algorithms to create delay effects.

In the 1980s, advances in digital processing technology led to the development of more sophisticated digital delay units, which allowed for greater control over the delay time and feedback levels. These newer digital delay units often featured programmable delay times and feedback levels, making them highly versatile and capable of producing a wide range of delay effects.

Over time, digital delay technology continued to evolve, with improvements in processing power, algorithms, and user interfaces. Today, digital delay is an essential tool in the recording industry, and a wide range of software and hardware delay units are available to suit different recording needs and budgets. Digital delay is used in a wide range of musical genres, from rock and pop to electronic music, and is often used creatively to add depth, space, and movement to recordings.

The Roland SDE-1000 represented Roland’s entry into the affordable Digital Delay market and it brought quality effects for all of us. The Roland SDE-1000 Digital Delay is a high quality 12 bit digital delay machine with various attractive features including chorusing.
The Boss DE-200 offered users a very affordable entry into digital delays, even more affordable than the Roland product of that time which was already well priced. The Boss DE-200 and it’s siblings were an exercise in simplicity, with a front panel that was as clean as it was practical, making it very easy for new comers to get around.
The Dynacord PDD 14 released in 1984, is a studio-grade, programmable Digital Delay designed and manufactured in Germany. Up to eight different sounds can be programmed into the non-volatile memory and accessed directly. There is also the possibility to alter the stored programs without altering the memory contents.
The Boss RDD-10 Digital Delay released in 1985, delivered studio quality digital delay for the ultimate refinement of basic performance.
The Boss RSD-10 Digital Sampler Delay, released in 1985 offers a two octave plus range and controllable dynamics.
The Ursa Major MSP-126 is a stereo tapped delay digital delay line with a 20kHz bandwidth, eight pre-programmed processing modes and more. The Ursa Major MSP-126 is a signal processor that creates a whole range of interesting effects inlcuding great balanced stereo with flat response from any kind of program material.
The Roland SDE-2500 Digital Delay came after the Roland SDE-3000 and coincided with the release of the equally excellent Roland SRV-2000 Digital Reverb.
New creative worlds of musical adventure can be discovered through the magic of Lexicon Prime Time II, the successor to the most popular digital delay ever.
The Boss RPS-10 Digital Pitch Shiter Delay from 1986 is ideal for Ultra-High Speed Pitch Shifting and Superior Sound Quality.
When the TC Electronic TC 2290 arrived in 1986, it change the landscape for digital delays forever and it is still in use around the world today because of it’s unique abilities. The TC Electronic TC 2290 was so iconic during the mid to late eighties, and it continued to show up everywhere in both studios and on stage with some of the biggest guitarists in history.
On the back of the success of the Sony DPS-R7, Sony developed and released the next processor in the line-up, the DPS-D7 Digital Delay with audible improvements. Sony didn’t just add int he new algorithms and release it, they also chose to make the DPS-D7 use a higher sampling rate of 48kHz to improve the bandwidth even further than the DPS-R7.
The Roland SDE-330 digital delay was released at the same time as the SRV-330 and offers just as spectacular performance as it’s sibling. Roland had by now made a number of digital delays, and the SDE-330 showed they had nailed the concept.
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