DiY Tape Delay?
- Jeremy Garber
- suffering 'studio suck'
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:05 am
- Location: Louisiana
Yes, I have had a lot of fun with creative routing of FX to get ambient, spooky, and whatnot type noises.
This project is intended for live use, so I don't want to depend on a mixer to achieve the sound. However, I did want to have an insert point on this 'pedal' so that I could insert say, a distortion pedal in the feedback loop. I've seen a few delay pedal projects on another forum which incorporate that feature. The reason I originally wanted a tape delay is because I wanted that saturated tape sound- intending on using maybe a jfet or something similar to drive the tape. I had considered controlling delay time with a variable speed control on the motor, but someone brought up the point that a cassette transport has heads spaced so close together, there would be too much noise introduced to achieve longer delay times. Then I though, OK, but maybe we could use the variable speed control as sort of a destructive add to the sound- to purposely add noise to the signal. When BBDs were brought up, I was interested in hearing how their drift and leakage could further destruct the sound.
I'm not really trying to make a glitch box or anything. I just wanted a fairly normal delay, with a fairly unique tone. The reason I was trying to keep it analog is not because I have an uber hatred for digital- it's just because I'm trying to focus on building analog circuits at the moment. Trust me, I love digital and can't wait to start working with micro-controllers and whatnot, I'm just trying to take a linear approach to my learning process. This project was intended to be a big learning experience as well as a functioning unit.
This project is intended for live use, so I don't want to depend on a mixer to achieve the sound. However, I did want to have an insert point on this 'pedal' so that I could insert say, a distortion pedal in the feedback loop. I've seen a few delay pedal projects on another forum which incorporate that feature. The reason I originally wanted a tape delay is because I wanted that saturated tape sound- intending on using maybe a jfet or something similar to drive the tape. I had considered controlling delay time with a variable speed control on the motor, but someone brought up the point that a cassette transport has heads spaced so close together, there would be too much noise introduced to achieve longer delay times. Then I though, OK, but maybe we could use the variable speed control as sort of a destructive add to the sound- to purposely add noise to the signal. When BBDs were brought up, I was interested in hearing how their drift and leakage could further destruct the sound.
I'm not really trying to make a glitch box or anything. I just wanted a fairly normal delay, with a fairly unique tone. The reason I was trying to keep it analog is not because I have an uber hatred for digital- it's just because I'm trying to focus on building analog circuits at the moment. Trust me, I love digital and can't wait to start working with micro-controllers and whatnot, I'm just trying to take a linear approach to my learning process. This project was intended to be a big learning experience as well as a functioning unit.
"Can't afford an Echoplex? Echo-Matic and a three head tape deck get you into action for less than $10 in parts."
http://www.moosapotamus.net/IDEAS/Echo-Matic_a.gif
http://www.moosapotamus.net/IDEAS/Echo-Matic_b.gif
http://www.moosapotamus.net/IDEAS/Echo-Matic_a.gif
http://www.moosapotamus.net/IDEAS/Echo-Matic_b.gif
- Jeremy Garber
- suffering 'studio suck'
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:05 am
- Location: Louisiana
Yes! I've looked over that article once before, and it seems like a really great start for this project. I'm sure I could find a rack mount tape deck, or at the very least one that would fit on a standard rack shelf.runrunrun wrote:"Can't afford an Echoplex? Echo-Matic and a three head tape deck get you into action for less than $10 in parts."
http://www.moosapotamus.net/IDEAS/Echo-Matic_a.gif
http://www.moosapotamus.net/IDEAS/Echo-Matic_b.gif
Eventually I want to modularize my FX to rack them up and just have switch boards on the floor. The DIYStompbox forum has several members doing this well already.
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- re-cappin' neve
- Posts: 741
- Joined: Wed May 28, 2003 12:30 pm
- Location: El Paso, TX
don't know how it's possible that nobody found this through google...
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/ ... ape-delay/
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/ ... ape-delay/
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ross ingram
[brainville]
ross ingram
[brainville]
ah, but i did.signorMars wrote:don't know how it's possible that nobody found this through google...
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2008/ ... ape-delay/
not what he was after, though.Smitty wrote:here ya go!
"I try to hate all my gear equally at all times to keep the balance of power in my favor." - Brad Sucks
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- re-cappin' neve
- Posts: 741
- Joined: Wed May 28, 2003 12:30 pm
- Location: El Paso, TX
- Jeremy Garber
- suffering 'studio suck'
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:05 am
- Location: Louisiana
Don't know if this would help at all, but in 'The Electric Guitar Amplifier Handbook' by Jack Darr has a schematic of an Echoplex.
http://product.half.ebay.com/Electric-G ... 5QQtgZinfo
I actually found my copy at 1/2 price books for like 5 bucks.
I can scan and email you the schematics if it would help at all. It is bigger than a stompbox, but maybe the schematic could provide a bit of 'Aha!' for your project?
http://product.half.ebay.com/Electric-G ... 5QQtgZinfo
I actually found my copy at 1/2 price books for like 5 bucks.
I can scan and email you the schematics if it would help at all. It is bigger than a stompbox, but maybe the schematic could provide a bit of 'Aha!' for your project?
- Jeremy Garber
- suffering 'studio suck'
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:05 am
- Location: Louisiana
Silly me.
The book is up under the 'stuff to read' post.
http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopi ... 45&start=0
Scroll down. The schematic is under the 'special signal circuits' chapter. Last or 2nd to last page.
The book is up under the 'stuff to read' post.
http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopi ... 45&start=0
Scroll down. The schematic is under the 'special signal circuits' chapter. Last or 2nd to last page.
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- re-cappin' neve
- Posts: 741
- Joined: Wed May 28, 2003 12:30 pm
- Location: El Paso, TX
so the second tape would move back and forth to change the delay time? is that right? if so... that's pretty cool! as a bonus, instead of getting the normal pitch shift effect when changing delay times, it seems like you would get a cool scrub/scratch effect since you would be moving the heads while the tape was running.
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ross ingram
[brainville]
ross ingram
[brainville]
- on the moon
- audio school graduate
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Fri Feb 06, 2004 2:20 am
- Location: florida
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