Why You Should Use an Expression Pedal With Delay - 7 Useful Tips and Tricks

Using an expression pedal with your delay is a great way to explore unique sounds or to make your delay pedal more versatile and easier to switch between all of it’s different settings. I used a Boss DD-8 Digital Delay and Boss EV-30 expression pedal for this but you can use whatever you want. Just make sure that your delay pedal has an expression pedal input and it’s best if your expression pedal has a minimum control on it. Here’s a list of some delay pedals with expression pedal inputs - Boss DD-8 - Boss DD-7 Boss DD-200 - Boss RE-20 - DigiTech JamMan Delay DigiTech TimeBender electro-harmonix 1100TT - electro-harmonix 550TT - electro-harmonix Deluxe Memory Boy - electro-harmonix Memory Boy - TC Electronics Flashback x4 Delay - Eventide TimeFactor Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler Vox DelayLab Pigtronix Echolution Here’s some good expression pedals - Boss EV-30 - Electro-Harmonix Single Expression Pedal - Electro-Harmonix Dual Expression Pedal - Boss FV-500H - Timecodes: 00:00 - Intro 00:25 - Two Mode Delay Using Effect Level Control 01:31 - Tremolo / Interrupted Delay 02:32 - Three Mode Delay using Feedback Control 04:09 - Rhythmic / Sampler Effects 05:06 - Three Mode Delay using Delay Time Control 06:01 - ’Wobbly’ Delay 06:58 - Controlling Self Oscillation Tip One Easily switch between two preset delay volumes, mid song, mid jam whenever you want without having to get down to adjust the pedal to find your other setting. Subtle, low volume delay with your heel back, loud and intense delay with your toe forward on the expression pedal. Tip Two With the expression pedal controlling the full range of the effect level control try ‘pumping’ the expression pedal. You could do it in time to the music, it’s a bit like having a tremolo effect applied just to the delay signal. If you play chord stabs you’ll get a glitchy sounding choppy delay signal. Tip Three This is how to get a kind of three mode delay pedal. With the expression pedal controlling the feedback control, set the toe forward position, the maximum amount of feedback to just before the delay pedal starts to self oscillate and feedback on itself. Then set the heel back position, the minimum amount of feedback all the way to the left, to zero. This way, you can have a 50s slap back at heel position, an ambient delay around the middle position and big long spacey echo at the tip position. Tip Four With the expression pedal controlling the feedback time / amount of repeats, you can get really interesting choppy, sampler type rhythmic effects by setting E. Level to the same volume as the original signal, the delay time to 16th or 8th note and then using the expression pedal to switch from one repeat to more than one repeat of a staccato note or chord. Tip Five This is another three mode option you might find useful. With the expression pedal controlling the delay time, set a reverb type delay time at heel and a big long echo at tip of foot, the in-between position can be used for medium ambient echo. Tip Six For some weird and wobbly sounds use the expression pedal to control the full range of the delay time and also the feeback control but it’s maximum set to just before it self oscillates and slowly move the exp pedal as you play. This works well with a more narrow range setting on the expression pedal as well but this can just be done by being selective with how far you travel on the treadle too. Tip Seven Setting the feedback quite high so that the pedal is just starting to self oscillate, use the expression pedal to control the speed and pitch of the oscillation.