What is your favorite delay pedal?

[neonblack]

I think the El Cap looper is always recording and you just set the start and end points? I could be mistaken

[Christophe]

From what I understand, the El cap sound on sound mode is a function where the looper is automatically overdubbing... So that's different. Nels Cline's video on youtube shows the magic of the ehx delay. It is so strange that over the last 40 years, no brand has felt the need to offer that feature...

[tremolo3]

There's ways to approximate that with other pedals, but you have to decide beforehand that you'll be using that trick. Which is really different from having the possibility to suddenly turn on the delay at an unexpected moment....
So how come continuous recording hasn't become a key feature of loopers/delays?

Does Timefactor count?

Yes, you have to load a looper preset with the right parameters (mix or feedback to 0) and "open" it after that, but hey, the 16S only has 1 looper preset, vs 99 in the Timefactor

[Christophe]

Ha ha! yeah, you can also loop a random part of your playing, with the Ditto volume to zero, overdub a few passes, and then bring the volume back and you get a beautiful strange cluster of notes.
But I guess, in order to be the very same function as the 16s, it has to be a no-brainer: you must have a dedicated footswitch that acts like a volume on/off for the loop/delay (and several seconds of delay time of course). That's the only way to have your delay constantly working in secret, and if all of a sudden, it strikes your fancy, you just step on the "volume" switch and here goes a great ambient loop/multiple layers of delayed notes....
What intrigues me, is that with all the crazy stuff available today, regarding delays, pitch shifting, glitch, etc.... that continuous recording thing should be considered a staple! It's like a solid ground for experimentation, for people who seek a little "random" in their playing... But it is totally ignored in the current quest for weird/new sounds...

[J.Rawls]

Echo Degrader is the Rousseau of delays, in the sense that, when you first encounter it, you think it's really crazy, then after a bit of time you decide it's actually really simple and basic, but then once you really start to get it you realize it actually is really deep and crazy, and probably also a compulsive liar.

[Jwar]

all delay pedals that aren't analog or PT2399 chip should have a looping function that records over 30 seconds and functions just like the EHX hazarai.

I actually do not like loopers on delay most of the time. I know, I know. I'm an odd one. I prefer a dedicated looper if I'm looping.


I've been using my Nemesis as my only delay pedal for the last couple of months and it's quickly taken #1 spot on my list. I've found that I actually prefer digital to analog delay.

[Bartimaeus]

Loopers on delay pedals are usually pretty bad... especially on single-footswitch pedals. DL4, Headrush (more looper than delay for most ppl), Timeline are all great as loopers, but other than that it's slim pickings. I do prefer all of those over my old BOSS RC3 in terms of interface, but then the RC3 has a much longer loop time... all of which is why I'm picking up a Pigtronix Infinity so I can stop dealing with the quirks of each looper.

...as for delays, I really love my Dr Sci ILFDD and have been using that for nearly all of my delay needs lately, and on the few occasions when I want a sparkly clean digital delay I use my Headrush.

[Zounds Perspex]

not a pedal, but my Maestro EP-3 is still my favorite, as much of a pain as it is.