I Just Learned Something Really Cool About Using Delay...

[TSJMajesty]

...that I'm sure many of you already know, and I feel kinda dumb that I'd never put this together myself.

I saw John Petrucci live last year from right up close, and during his solos, his delay would at times just cascade over his notes. It was probably the most amazing thing I'd ever heard, even though I'm sure I've actually been listening to this type of use of delay for decades.

So I'm watching an old video of a workshop he gave right after the recording of Falling Into Infinity, and the cameraman was zooming on him using an expression pedal to raise and lower the delay mix, and he later talked about how & when he uses that technique.

It was like a light-bulb moment for me!

 

[jellodog]

Andy Timmons uses a similar technique with his Halo effect + expression pedal.

The Halo is a cool effect, but it's way too much at times if you just leave it on full. But if you dial back the volume with an expression pedal (as he does), it sounds like a touch of reverb. But then of course you can swell the volume and get delicious cascading blooms (halos) around the notes.

I didn't know that Petrucci was doing it too . Thanks for sharing!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Yeah, it was the first time I'd ever seen a video that shows the guitarist's feet (I wish more would!) It was really interesting to see how he used his pedal board in general. He basically swelled in the delay volume just like guys sometimes do with their volume knob, i.e., he'd swell a note in, then back it off, but keep his foot on the pedal, then maybe bring it back just a touch more, as in you could tell he was listening to see if the spot he had it was right or not. Then he'd just step off it.

And as he was playing a solo with a wah, he'd go between the wah pedal, the volume pedal, and the delay pedal. Definitely made me realize none of those effects were just 'set it and forget it.' Of course a wah never is, but anyway..., just really cool watching him work!

 

[FuzzyAce]

It's a great technique. There's certainly an art to getting it right in a live performance too. Other notable players I've seen do it well were Morse, Garsed and Herring -- and probably many more that I can't remember right now.

 

[the-trooper]

I saw John Petrucci live last year from right up close, and during his solos, his delay would at times just cascade over his notes.

Are you talking about dotted 8th delay?

 

[DrewJD82]

I remember him citing Steve Morse as the guy he got the idea from, if I remember right, Morse used to have a pedalboard with just EB volume pedals on it he was using for expression pedals.

It’s how I program all my lead presets and a big reason why I prefer tracking with the effects on, so I won’t have to go in and automate the delays. I usually attach a Reverb to it as well, doing the exact same thing.

 

[mbenigni]

I used to map the tone knob on my GK-equipped guitars to Delay Mix and Feedback (season min/max for each to taste) so I could roll delay in and out through the course of a song. Worked really well (until I stopped using Roland gear.)

 

[Whizzinby]

This was my go to move on every QC preset I had. Expression pedal controlling my reverb and delay’s mix and decay. Allows you to control the amount of ambience at any moment and do some cool swells.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I remember him citing Steve Morse as the guy he got the idea from, if I remember right, Morse used to have a pedalboard with just EB volume pedals on it he was using for expression pedals.

It’s how I program all my lead presets and a big reason why I prefer tracking with the effects on, so I won’t have to go in and automate the delays. I usually attach a Reverb to it as well, doing the exact same thing.

Yeah, Steve Morse -- though it was way more complicated than just expression pedals. They were functioning as actual volume pedals to control the volume of the wet side of a wet-dry rig:



Jimmy Herring also runs his reverb this way...what reverb are you using Jimmy? Oh, just an AxeFx Ultra...halfstack:

 

[sleewell]

i use the exp pedal for delay time to make noise in our set.

the delay mix seems like it would be a much more useable thing to have on the expression pedal, i'll try it!!!!

 

[TSJMajesty]

Are you talking about dotted 8th delay?

No

 

[DrewJD82]

Morse’s board from a few years back-

 

[fretworn]

4 on the floor

Volume:
Wah:
Delay: mix and repeats
Mod: chorus/flange/phaser/roto mix

 

[la szum]

You have EXP Pedals, Tom?

Those are cool moves to make. I used to like to set the EXP to work the
Feedback/Repeats and push down on the Treadle to go into self-oscillation.

Too damn lazy to be bothered with using EXP Pedals these days, though.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Here's that clinic, cued from when the solo from Lines In The Sand starts:

 

[TSJMajesty]

You have EXP Pedals, Tom?

I have 1.

Too damn lazy to be bothered with using EXP Pedals these days, though.

So far, me too!

 

[fretworn]

I have 1.

So far, me too!

I have a couple of boss HD 500s laying around I was going to send you some… But if you’re too lazy lol

 

[DrewJD82]

Here's that clinic, cued from when the solo from Lines In The Sand starts:

This feels like watching Petrucci as a teenager due to the lack of beard and burly man.

It’s funny, I can’t hear that solo without the syncopated part Portnoy ended up adding in you can hear on Once In A Livetime or whatever the live album was for that DVD. This and the solo in “Spirit Carries On” are the last two Petrucci solos I really, really love. “Misunderstood” has an awesome solo but more because how he did it rather than the solo itself.

I’ll definitely throw this on tonight while I vegetate on the couch and think about how cool it’d be to want to play guitar again.

 

[la szum]

I took a Mission EXP Pedal to practice to use with the FM3 a few times. Used it
set to Global Output Volume, and then I am like, using my guitar volume is easier.

I want a couple of Roadies in my next life.

 

[Bob Zaod]

I took a Mission EXP Pedal to practice to use with the FM3 a few times. Used it
set to Global Output Volume, and then I am like, using my guitar volume is easier.

I want a couple of Roadies in my next life.

Yep I have never bothered with a volume pedal. Tried it once and came to the same conclusion. Much better with guitar volume knob.