Three Delay Modes

How mono, stereo and ping-pong delays place repeats, and what feedback and loop filters do to them.

Related

DelayReverbAutomation

The question

Delay is not just adding an echo. Mono, stereo and ping-pong place repeats differently, and that placement decides whether they fill the centre or open the sides.

How it works

Mono uses one delay line, so repeats sit in the middle and compete with the lead. Stereo uses two lines with slightly different times, placing repeats on opposite sides. Ping-pong alternates feedback between left and right, so every repeat changes side. Feedback sets how many repeats survive, and filters in the loop make each one darker.

Settings and what you hear

A dotted eighth is a common choice, with 25 to 40 percent feedback enough for a tail. A high-pass at 200 to 400 Hz and a low-pass at 4 to 8 kHz keep repeats out of the low end. Ping-pong is wide, but the dry signal must stay centred or the image empties out.

What to listen for

Play a short guitar phrase, first with mono repeats crowding the centre, then switch to ping-pong and hear them jump left and right. Push feedback past 60 percent and the repeats pile into a wash.

Common misconceptions

That ping-pong is always wider; that delay time must match the tempo; that high feedback is the same as reverb.

Sources

• Udo Zölzer, DAFX — Digital Audio Effects, delay lines chapter — background checked, not quoted
• Sound On Sound, delay effects explained — mono, stereo and ping-pong topologies checked, not quoted

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.