What is delay supposed to do?

[Della Street]

I'm beginning to wonder whether everything is right with my delay. i've ever only had and used one delay pedal and have no reference to tell a difference.

why is it distinctly picking up, repeating and even emphasizing pick noise? and just general "non-musical" picking hand sounds? with some playing there's so much clicking and ticking in the repeats. i know my playing is not great, but it isn't <that> bad.

do you know what i mean and hear?

my delay is very basic and, maybe, not even good? JHS3

 

[crankmeister]

Does it do this with every guitar? Every pickup?

 

[Stratoskater]

Delay repeats whatever it hears. The mix is probably too high. That pedal itself is a fine delay. Lowering the mix will help some but that noise is there without it but it blends with the arrack and bloom. You notice it on the delay because it repeats in between your picking.

 

[PonyB]

They echo echo echo everything you do.

 

[Della Street]

Does it do this with every guitar?

yes - i'm quite sure. i play all of them about equally and remain about equally irritated by this throughout. i don't think i notice that some are worse than others.

 

[crankmeister]

yes - i'm quite sure. i play all of them about equally and remain about equally irritated by this throughout. i don't think i notice that some are worse than others.

Do you use a compression pedal?

Is your delay in an fx loop or is it pre-amp?

 

[Della Street]

My strymon el Cap will do that too with the mix set too high.

well, darn. if Strymon does it, at least there is no immediate need to throw money at this issue.
my mix is set at noon.

 

[Della Street]

Do you use a compression pedal?

Is your delay in an fx loop or is it pre-amp?

i use compressor very much - it's only off when i pick up my two hollow bodies. otherwise it's on always.
the chain is pre-amp.

 

[Stratoskater]

well, darn. if Strymon does it, at least there is no immediate need to throw money at this issue.
my mix is set at noon.

I run mine for a ducking style delay like Eric Johnson so it stays out of the way. Unless I’m doing something ambient where I want it to wash through the mix.

 

[Wulfrik]

Your compressor is making all the artefacts (pick noises, bumps, string talk) as loud as the notes, and the delay is just repeating what it ‘hears’. Try turning the sensitivity in the compressor down and see if it helps. That JHS3 is a nice unit, I really rate those pedals — serious value!

 

[Slacker G]

Plug your guitar directly into it without any other FX and try it. If it still does it is most likely in the pedal itself.
Is your power supply OK?

 

[Electgumbo]

@Wulfrik is probably correct… your compressor is leveling up all your little discrepancies for you and the rest of the world to hear. Either turn off the compressor or improve your technique….

 

[Della Street]

Your compressor is making all the artefacts (pick noises, bumps, string talk) as loud as the notes, and the delay is just repeating what it ‘hears’. Try turning the sensitivity in the compressor down and see if it helps. That JHS3 is a nice unit, I really rate those pedals — serious value!

thanks. i just turned the rig off and sat down to do the payroll (code for strat-talk browsing, evidently), so will try next time.
this sounds very plausible. what would be the "sensitivity" adjustment on the compressor - attack?

 

[Butcher of Strats]

Seems odd if only the repeats feature pick noise clicks while the first note, or with the delay off, you do not hear those clicks?

Are you certain it is your picking that is clicking?
Not something wrong with the delay like maybe aplified clock noise?

 

[Della Street]

Plug your guitar directly into it without any other FX and try it. If it still does it is most likely in the pedal itself.
Is your power supply OK?

it does seem that my compressor addiction is the problem - i'm getting good sensible input from Wulfrik and Dual-Gun authorities.
the power supply is freshly upgraded to a really nice one. the noises are definitely of my making, not external. they are just not the ones i'd like to hear emphasized.

 

[Della Street]

Seems odd if only the repeats feature pick noise clicks while the first note, or with the delay off, you do not hear those clicks?

Are you certain it is your picking that is clicking?
Not something wrong with the delay like maybe aplified clock noise?

i'm not onto a personal solution yet, but the reason for amplified percussive noises is now figured out with help from the members. it's the attack on my "always-on" compressor that emphasizes the undesirable sounds, which are then repeated by the echo... hard truth courtesy of S-T patrons. i do love my compressor... i'll have to sit down for a careful dialing session and see if i can find a setting that works.

 

[Alex_C]

What pick are you using? i ask because that makes a huge difference. I recorded a solo using some new Ernie Ball picks. They are very stiff and have this bevelled edge which is great for my accuracy but way too noisy. I didn't notice until after the recording. It bummed me out because I was pretty happy with the solo, but the pick noise drives me nuts.

 

[Della Street]

What pick are you using? i ask because that makes a huge difference. I recorded a solo using some new Ernie Ball picks. They are very stiff and have this bevelled edge which is great for my accuracy but way too noisy. I didn't notice until after the recording. It bummed me out because I was pretty happy with the solo, but the pick noise drives me nuts.

good point...

This thing makes a surprisingly better guitar pick than a regular pick.

for me, anyway. something about the grip hole, rounded corner, slipperiness of the nylon, perhaps extra thickness as well. just tried it this morning and i'm suddenly more precise with my picking. i'm only learning - have been only playing finger-style since adolescence. and i have an unlimited...

www.strat-talk.com

 

[StratUp]

i'm not onto a personal solution yet, but the reason for amplified percussive noises is now figured out with help from the members. it's the attack on my "always-on" compressor that emphasizes the undesirable sounds, which are then repeated by the echo... hard truth courtesy of S-T patrons. i do love my compressor... i'll have to sit down for a careful dialing session and see if i can find a setting that works.

Yes, it's the compressor attack that's doing it. With a slower attack it will miss the initial pick sound and it won't be nearly as noticeable.

The compressor is really just doing its job. But as we know with Pedals, some do their job differently than others. Compressors with lots of knobs are more adjustable. But you may spend some time dialing one in and you'll probably pay more for one that has knobs for attack, release, blend, ratio, etc. But that might be the secret to being able to use a compressor and not get undesirable side effects.

 

[Butcher of Strats]

i'm not onto a personal solution yet, but the reason for amplified percussive noises is now figured out with help from the members. it's the attack on my "always-on" compressor that emphasizes the undesirable sounds, which are then repeated by the echo... hard truth courtesy of S-T patrons. i do love my compressor... i'll have to sit down for a careful dialing session and see if i can find a setting that works.

Yeah OK that is strange to me because I generally loathe compressors and if used I never crank them up to the point where they squash my dynamics so much that pick clicking is as loud as the music?

If you are not sure what each knob does because so many FX builders making the same stuff as every other FX builder choose to put special names on basic control functions so we will thing they created a secret effect that will make us more special, yeah I run into that problem now and then too.

One knod with multiple names is blend/ mix etc which some compa give you to dial back in some of the attack you paid to get rid of.
The idea being you get the sustain without losing the attack.
Turn that up if its included!

Then the actual function of a comp is compression, and the knob that adds that may have alt names you need to look up in the manual.
Turn that down!

Level or output is just to reset the overall volume after changing the compression function between more and less compression.
But again, that knob can have many names...