# Delay

> Tempo-aware, smoothly retimed echoes with colored, ducked and explicit multichannel feedback.

Source: https://docs.tune.toys/nodes/std.delay/

Delay plays a copy of its input back a little later, and can feed that copy back into itself to make repeating echoes.

## What it does

The input is stored and read back after Time, or after a musical Division in Beats mode. Feedback sends the delayed signal back into the delay so each repeat is a quieter copy of the last. Mix blends the echoes with the dry signal, and the processing latency is aligned before blending. Time changes are smoothed, so sweeping Time bends the pitch of the repeats rather than clicking.

Four types change what happens to the repeats: Clean leaves them untouched, Filtered and Tape darken them with the feedback tone, and Ducked lowers the echoes while new input is playing so they stay out of the way.

## When to use it

Use it for slapback, rhythmic echoes, dub-style repeats and as the building block of other effects. For a sense of space rather than distinct repeats, use [Reverb](https://docs.tune.toys/nodes/std.reverb/).

## Ports

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| Port    | Direction | Signal | Lanes                   |
| ------- | --------- | ------ | ----------------------- |
| `audio` | Input     | Audio  | Inferred from the cable |
| `audio` | Output    | Audio  | Inferred from the cable |

<!-- ports:end -->

## Parameters

<!-- parameters:start -->

| Parameter  | Label            | Range         | Default | Unit | Scale  | Notes                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| ---------- | ---------------- | ------------- | ------- | ---- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `time`     | Time             | 1 to 2000     | 280     | ms   | log    | Free delay time. Beat divisions follow engine tempo and are capped at the prepared eight-second capacity. Shown when `sync` is 0.                                                                 |
| `feedback` | Feedback         | -0.95 to 0.95 | 0.35    |      | linear | Signed feedback gain. Matrix rows must have an absolute gain sum of at most one.                                                                                                                  |
| `mix`      | Mix              | 0 to 1        | 0.3     |      | linear | Dry/wet blend. Processing latency is aligned before blending.                                                                                                                                     |
| `type`     | Type             | 0 to 3        | 0       |      | linear | Selects the implemented algorithm. Choices are discrete and are not LFO targets. Choices: 0 Clean, 1 Filtered, 2 Tape, 3 Ducked.                                                                  |
| `sync`     | Time mode        | 0 to 1        | 0       |      | linear | Free milliseconds or tempo-synchronized musical divisions. Choices: 0 Milliseconds, 1 Beats.                                                                                                      |
| `division` | Division         | 0 to 8        | 4       |      | linear | Musical note duration. 1/1 is four quarter notes, independent of time signature. Choices: 0 1/32, 1 1/16, 2 1/8 triplet, 3 1/8, 4 1/4, 5 1/4 dotted, 6 1/2, 7 1/1, 8 2/1. Shown when `sync` is 1. |
| `tone`     | Feedback tone    | 200 to 20000  | 8000    | Hz   | log    | Low-pass cutoff; maximum is Open. Shown when `type` is 1 or 2 or 3.                                                                                                                               |
| `duck`     | Ducking          | 0 to 1        | 0.7     |      | linear | Wet attenuation while input is present, with a smoothed detector. Shown when `type` is 3.                                                                                                         |
| `routing`  | Feedback routing | 0 to 2        | 0       |      | linear | Independent per-channel feedback, a ring over all channels, or explicit sparse routes set in the Channels section of Properties. Choices: 0 Independent, 1 Ring, 2 Matrix.                        |

<!-- parameters:end -->

### Time (`time`)

Free delay time, 1 to 2000 ms. It is used when Time mode is Milliseconds.

### Feedback (`feedback`)

A signed gain from -0.95 to 0.95 applied to the signal fed back in. Higher values give more repeats. Negative values invert the polarity of each repeat. The limits keep the loop from running away.

### Mix (`mix`)

Dry and wet balance. 0 is only the input, 1 is only the echoes.

### Type (`type`)

Selects Clean, Filtered, Tape or Ducked. It is a discrete choice and cannot be modulated smoothly.

### Time mode (`sync`)

Milliseconds uses Time. Beats uses Division, which follows the engine tempo.

### Division (`division`)

The musical length of one repeat in Beats mode, from 1/32 to 2/1 including triplet and dotted values. 1/1 is four quarter notes regardless of time signature. Delays longer than the eight-second capacity are capped.

### Feedback tone (`tone`)

The low-pass cutoff in the feedback path for the Filtered, Tape and Ducked types. At its maximum the setting is Open and does not darken the repeats.

### Ducking (`duck`)

For the Ducked type: how much the echoes are lowered while input is present. The detector is smoothed so the echoes return gently.

### Feedback routing (`routing`)

Independent keeps each channel in its own loop. Ring feeds each channel into the next. Matrix uses explicit sparse routes set in the node's audio channel settings. Matrix rows must have an absolute gain sum of at most one.

## Tips

- Short times (under 80 ms) with low feedback sound like thickening or slapback; long times sound like distinct echoes.
- Combine a high Feedback with a low Feedback tone for repeats that fade into darkness.
- In Beats mode, change the tempo in the transport to keep echoes in time.
- Sweeping Time while sound is repeating gives pitch-shifting effects.

## See also

[Reverb](https://docs.tune.toys/nodes/std.reverb/), [Chorus](https://docs.tune.toys/nodes/std.chorus/), [Low-pass filter](https://docs.tune.toys/nodes/std.lowpass/), [Multichannel audio](https://docs.tune.toys/concepts/multichannel/).