Digital Delay v/s Analog Delay

Hey guys
I wanna buy a delay pedal but i'm confused whether to go for digital delay or analog delay.
My options are:
Digital: Boss DD3/DD7/DD20
Analog: MXR Carbon copy/ EHX Memory boy (Memory man being so outta budget for me)
Suggest any other pedal as well.

 

digital will give you longer delay times, but a more sterile sound. analog is warmer, offers shorter delay times. if you get the memory boy it comes with modulation, you have to decide if thats something you want. If you don't, then the carbon copy is supposed to a solid option. an deciding factor here might be that most digital delay pedals have tap tempo, which might or might not be important to you.

from what i understand, the new boss dd7 can do decent analog imitations. if your going to spend money on a dd20, i suggest you also consider a line 6 dl4, it is supposed to be like the jack of all trades, being able to nail digital and get relatively close to analog (plus giving you numerous other options). the dl4 is on sale at musiciansfriend.com for 230 usd, a dollar more expensive than the dd20. though the bypass is shitty.
Another budget option might be the Line6 ToneCore Echo Park- I dont know much about this one, but reviews seem decent.
If your getting the unit from abroad, at 230 usd you might have some boutique options as well.

 

Ooops my bad ! Remove DD20 from the list.. Thats also kinda too expensive for me... 150$ max can be considered.
Thanks for the reply Shail !
I checked out some youtube videos for Analog and Digital delays (MXR CC vs DD3 to be precise) recently but somehow i liked the way analog sounded..but as Shail said DD7 can do decent analog imitations i need to give it a try as well..

 

@rickkyrich- As shailm said, DD-7 CAN reach the warmth and feel as its in the analog delays but to a certain extent. But it's okay, as you have a low budget for the delay pedal, I say go for the DD-7. Longer delay of Digitals and a certain amount of warmth of Analog in one pedal in your budget, what else do you want? Go for it!

BTW, You've purchased some hot gear. Congrats!!!

 

the more i look it up, the better the Line 6 Echo Park seems. I think you should seriously consider it, simply because it gives you a lot more options. you can choose from digital, tape and analog, tap tempo, modulation, reverse mode and ability to decide how much of the the wet signal you want in the mix. at 150$, its like 20 $ cheaper than dd7. only issue seems like it might get noisy when sharing power with other pedals. also line 6 are notorious for quality issues as opposed to solid bosses.

 

Yes i read some reviews bout the line6 Echo Park... the quality is questionable.. i might give line6 a miss i think... Its Boss or MXR..

 

i'm waiting for the tc electronic toneprint to release. it might just be everything i want from a digital delay.

a lot of people swear by the mxr carbon copy for analog delays though. i like both analog and digital, they have their own uses and flavours.

 

Digital will give you almost mirror repeats. Analog repeats are pitch shifted or tone shifted or both - that's what gives them that "warmth". As flood said, totally depends on what your taste is. Don't know much about digital ones, but in analog MXR CC is very popular. It's a darkish sounding pedal IMO. I believe it has two (internal?) switches for modulation as well. I've tried out the Memory Boy and I must say it lacks the power of Memory Man and falls a little short. It can do the crazy effects and generate insane ambience like the MM though. One thing about the MB is that the mix knob works exactly like a mix knob should i.e. past 12 o clock your source signal fades and repeat levels increase. At full, only the delays are heard and the original signal doesn't sound at all. This is a feature that I do not want in my delay pedal but some people might.

If you want something in between the CC and the MB, go for the Malekko Ekko 616. Mine should be here by next month. It's a brilliant pedal with the warmth of the CC and the oscillating power of the MM/MB along with Modulation (switches on the front of the pedal). The mix knob never cuts out your original signal (It is labelled 'mix' but is technically just a level knob for the repeats). Also, it has a button to switch between true and buffered bypass. Pretty cool - do check it out.

 

Thanks for the info buddy... I'll look out for this one also... There are lotta pedals in the market and choosing one is really difficult...

 

Guys does any pedal provide the feature of hold(loop) and delay together? DD7 doesnt.. Any ideas bout DD20 or any other?

 

Not totally sure but I guess I read somewhere that on a DD20, if you turn on delay spills you can do this trick. You can manually set a patch with infinite feedback, play something and then move into a saved patch. This will keep the infinite loop going and give you the saved patch's delay as well.

 

Ok i understood but considering my budget i better opt for the DD7.
I'm goin to make the purchase this weekend. Any last minutes advices or tips?

 

Good luck and post a review.

 

All the best rickkyrich!! Now anything else left to be added on your pedalboard..?

 

@varun:Thanks mate !
@bcrich:Well the pedal board's gonna grow gradually...I might get a compressor and chorus.. but no plans for now...

 

What about Live6 delay?
Lot of emulations (analog digital etc) in one pedal

 

I'm not so much interested in the Line6 echopark... DL4 is pretty expensive...

 

I think you should consider MXR CC. Pure analog and great sounding. It'll be my first delay pedal. Check it out, I like it over the DD-7.

 

I already checked the CC... but i find the DD7 more versatile. Also DD7 have the looper function which i find very useful. The DD7 can also do decent analog delay.. Hence the choice..

 

Bought a DD7 today... Thanks guys for the inputs !