Delay or Echo

[timryland]

Hi All,

Probably one for Charlie.

Is there a difference between delay and echo, if so what is it.

Just curious really.

Thanks,

Tim

[rogera]

They are one and the same thing.

[sheendigs]

Hi There:
A delay repeats the note you just played,
and you can set how many repeats and at what delayed length of time you choose for it to repeat
Echo is just that--the note is echoed repeatedly as it fades away.
That is what I think
Sheendigs

[Charlie Hall]

Delay tends to be thought of as a repeating sound that doesn't really change much from the original dry tone and seems to be preferred by younger players, while echo changes and distorts the sound in many ways. Echo units tried to mimic the natural echoes that occur in nature with subsequent repeats becoming more indistinct and wind speed changing the pitch, while to my mind delay units don't do that so well.
That's the main difference as I would see it.
Regards,
Charlie

[somebodyelseuk]

Echo is just that. It echoes what you play. Any distortions and changes to the sound were originally accidents of design. Delay is the same thing, somewhere along the line someone labelled it 'delay' instead of 'echo'.
The term 'echo' seems to be associated with the old tape style units and 'delay' with the electronic analogue and digital units - probably, because it originally sounded like a more modern or high tech term. They do the same things, the more expensive stuff, such as the TVS3, add frequency filters, wow and flutter emulation, and reflection shaping to try and emulate the "deficiencies" of the old units - ironically, I read that Hank Marvin prefers to work with the 'emulations' switched off.

Cheers

[Charlie Hall]

The deficiencies were largely built in by design.

[Rick]

Some interesting points made in this thread.However,with the Meaazi units also came a very special TONE. Plug a Strat or a Les into an amp with no enhancements and all you have is a Strat or Les with no enhancements unless of course the music that you play is suited to having no enhancements which is the good old fashioned way of engineering your sound.
Unfortunately i was limited to useing Charlie Watkins copycats for many years.I just managed to always obtain a good sound and find those slightly distorting & warm repeats even though i used the solid state units.The swell & sustain controls of course were the saviors here.
It is also one thing to try to dial in those spot on echo settings,but,an echo unit that actually gives the scope to be able to saturate a sound and especially with depth is an altogether better unit than a delay that just goes Duh Duh Duh eh.I really wish that someone would bring those Meazzies back into production.Thats where a lot of the sound came from in my opinion.
It is good to simply work with your Guitar & amp sometimes.There are good tones to be discovered,if a little plain.
Best wishes, Rick.

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Steve,
I know someone who has an Echomatic 2. It has been undergoing extensive restoration for some years. He would have been prepared to allow others to see it and hear it when fully restored but he told me that someone refused to remove a picture of it (that showed it in a poor state) from their site. He was so angry that he has decided to not share it with anyone now. That's still the situation as far as I understand, and I am in no position to try to influence that.
If that person happens to read this and recognises what their actions have caused, then I ask that person or anyone connected to not contact me about this as I will not reply.
Regards,
Charlie