I spent 3 years trying to like the delays in this box

james...

Experienced
And I've finally given up.

I love this unit. It does so many things so so well. Even if it didn't even have delays, I would still own it.

But there's no telling how many hours I've spent staring into the green light trying to dial in a delay sound I don't hate, wondering why it doesn't sound good.

I've finally realized why. It's the Mix control.

When I put the delay block before the amp, the first repeat is always ridiculously loud no matter how low the mix control is. It doesn't matter where I set the feedback. Makes it totally unusable. No matter where I have the mix, the first repeat always ends up being quite loud with the rest being unheard. I have tried tons of settings and nothing works.

When the delay is after the amp, it seems that I only get strong repeats on very high settings. And once I get the repeats how I want them, it turns out I have set the mix to like 70% and my repeats are louder than my signal. So this placement is even more unusable than the other one.

This isn't a "help me" thread. I've made dozens of those in the past. I guess I just hate the way this unit's delay mix is set.
 
A "real" delay before a distorted amp acts in the same way as you describe.

If you're having Mix problems (insert Jay-Z here: .... "I feel bad for you son, I've got 99 problems but the Mix ain't one"), try Delay in parallel.
That way you can set Mix to 100% and leave it there, and just play around with level to dial in the echo trails. Advantage of this approach is that your direct (dry) signal level won't be affected by Mix.
 
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I've tried parallel. Doesn't make any difference. The end effect is the same for me.

Every other delay I've tried sounds great with the axe-fx. Nova Delay. Timefactor. Carbon Copy. Strymon Bucket brigade. All sound great in the loop. It's crazy.
 
have you experimented with the multidelays? you can set the level of each tap as you like it. the quad series, ten tap delay and rhythm tap might be worth a look...especially the rhythm tap. always run the delay in parallel after the amp with mix on 100%, as well.
 
here's a patch using the quad tap. because each tap has it's own volume control, you can set the rate of decay quite easily....

edit: i didn't spot we were in the ultra forum...this patch is for the II....sorry....

easy to set this up though - i just used the quad tap and set the delay levels at 100%, 90%, 80% and 70% with each tap set to 1/4
feedback from 4 to 1
pan to taste
modulation and filters to taste
 
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I tend to agree with James on this. I tried lots and lots of different settings etc, but no wow-factor yet. I hope FW 6 or perhaps soon after, effects in general gets an overhaul/upgrade. The amps are certainly already awesome... so hope it will be effects turn next time to get a proper polish.

BUT... yes, Simeon, I have recently discover multidelay and getting over all better results with it (at least for my taste).
so OP havent tried that, I also suggest to give it a shot.
 
Amp models keep getting updated, so at some point soon there should be an effects only frimware update!
 
There is this wonderful thing on the axe fx called an effects loop, just saying........it doesn't have to be a do all end all box for everyone......
 
Hm. Delays are so simple. I'm baffled by people having problems with them. I've never had the problem you're describing. Or just haven't noticed, or I'm not discerning enough. EFX loop would be good.
 
multidelays seem to be your solution as simeon stated.

also, you might want to look into using a compressor for it - i used to have similar issues, and the compressor helped a LOT. Set a ratio kinda high, like about 2:1 or 3:1 or so, and adjust the threshold to where you get the effect you desire.
 
I believe I know what the OP is talking about. Often, when I am adjusting delay feedback, in order to achieve the number of audible repeats I want in the mix, I have to either set the feedback higher than I would like, or I have to set the delay level such that the initial repeats are too loud.

A taper control for feedback would be great, but I'm assuming that development of the Ultra and Standard is done.
 
I believe I know what the OP is talking about. Often, when I am adjusting delay feedback, in order to achieve the number of audible repeats I want in the mix, I have to either set the feedback higher than I would like, or I have to set the delay level such that the initial repeats are too loud.

A taper control for feedback would be great, but I'm assuming that development of the Ultra and Standard is done.

Pretty much.
 
I think the feedback and mix tapers are just different than what you're used to. For example, don't be scared if you need to set a control to 75% to make it sound like a Boss pedal does at 50%.

Other than that, I can't really think of any reason why it wouldn't "sound good". Assuming you have drive, EQ, and modulation turned off then the delay is just outputting an exact copy of the input delayed by some amount and multiplied by some level. Feedback multiplies the output by some constant and adds it back to the input.

It is pretty straightforward. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to make it sound identical to other digital delays once you understand how the controls work.
 
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When the delay is after the amp, it seems that I only get strong repeats on very high settings. And once I get the repeats how I want them, it turns out I have set the mix to like 70% and my repeats are louder than my signal. So this placement is even more unusable than the other one.

If you can get it to where you like aside from the actual dry/wet mix, you should be able to use the exact same settings in parallel except just set the mix to 100% wet and the level to what works for you.

If you haven't tried it already, and if it's agreeable with the sound you have in your head, maybe try using the high and low cut parameters. Narrowing the sound of the effect can mean you can put more of it in there without it getting in the way of your main sound. Or running the delay in parallel, if you want more control of the sound run a filter or EQ after it to shape the sound into whatever you want, maybe drop some mids out of it too or something.
 
Just a thought, make sure you aren't running a noise gate after the delay. I scratched my head for a while once because of that.
 
It would indeed be interesting if you posted a recording of a good delay? Maybe even a comparison?

Jens

Edit: the Delay and the reverb are the two FX blocks I use the most with the Axe and I am really liking the delay block.
Especially with the hi/lo cut and drive features.
 
I've tried parallel. Doesn't make any difference. The end effect is the same for me.

Every other delay I've tried sounds great with the axe-fx. Nova Delay. Timefactor. Carbon Copy. Strymon Bucket brigade. All sound great in the loop. It's crazy.

If you like the way these delays sound then I would study how these delays are created. Mix, time, modulation or combination there of and reproduce them in the Axe.
 
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