Delay Subdivision Basics (Has Mick Got It Yet?) 

Mick is great for bringing it down to basics, love Daniel he's amazing but he sometimes is a bit advanced in his explanations - Mick helps bring it all home. After 41 years of playing I learned something new (to me) today - thanks again guys!

Great show guys, very informative! Just taaap it in... taaap it in... give it a little tappy... tap-tap-taperoo!

Subdivisions! Conform or be cast out.

Daniel, I think you guys should do this again on the new channel. But this time bring in a drum machin so people understand in context! One more thing I think that would help massively is if you did a 5 most used delays (say, delays that you find on working guitarists banks - a funk, a balade, a rockabilly, a lead, a driven rhythm) Thank you in advance

Wonderful stuff. I can't believe how much learning/teaching you manage to cram in to your videos. The format is excellent for me as an advanced/intermediate guitarist, and Mick is great at pulling things back to ask the questions that I'd ask if I was there. Thanks so much for your efforts in sharing your considerable experience.

Oh God I accidentally opened this in two tabs and for 5 minutes, 5 endless minutes, was thinking if i'd gone insane of if you forgot to disable delay on voiceover track.

The Strymon Timeline makes this really easy to see.

Coolest show ever, and having Mike on-board is such a big value! Keep it up guys!!!

Man, your videos are top notch! I'm a grateful soul. Thank you for sharing your time, effort, and talents with us. Your videos have become a staple in my evening wind down routine. Cheers!

I love your show. Always looking for new vids. Keep it up guys!

So happy to hear that Riff's is still there. My band played there many times back in the early 2000's from the U.S.A.

Thanks guy's I've watched this video a couple of times now, you have helped me understand more about delay and the importance of the context. I'm sure I'll watch it again :-)

Subdivisions... epic Rush tune! Oh, this isn't that? Opps. ;)

Excellent Happy Gilmore reference, Daniel. Thanks for another great episode!

Came for the informative portion of this video, stayed for the Delorean. Love your videos you guys.

I know its an old one, but great video. Love that more than just the sound(s) of the pedal(s) are discussed.

Found this video really useful. Awesome stuff guys!

The more into delays that I get the more I realise that a tap tempo is kinda essential. Very awesome and informative episode guys, thanks.

You guys make such great videos... keep up the good work.

The little Run Like Hell riff gave me goosebumps.

good area to cover...its interesting all of the rhythm conundrums you run into when working delays into your music...well explained Dan! i can only imagine what fresh hell you run into using 2 delay units in sequence!

Playing dotted eighths on an analog delay without a tap tempo is a bit like jumping into jump rope double dutch. You have to hear the delay as the dotted eighth polyrhythm to a quarter note pulse you hear in your head before you can jump in. It's easier to jump in if you listen to a lot of dotted eight delay and get used to the sound of the polyrhythm. If you write out the counts of a bar of sixteenth notes and circle every third count, you'd have dotted eighths. The capitalized beats below represent the dotted eighth delay, while you'd be counting the one, two, three, and four beats and playing eighth notes based on that tempo. ONE e and A two e AND a three E and a FOUR e and A If you do a quick chord stab on the 1st beat of a basic 4/4 rock drum beat, you'd get repeats on a 16th note anticipation before the snare hit on the 2 beat, the eighth note after the 2 beat, 16th note behind the kick drum on beat 3, and a repeat right on the snare hit on beat 4. As you continue, the pattern changes as the 3 sixteenth notes move across the grid against the 4/4 beat. The pattern resolves (catches back up and lands on the 1 beat) every 3 bars.

Always learning with you guys. Thanks!

I should've found you years ago. I subbed.

had to revisit this one

Tremendously educational and fun. I finally get what's going off now. Finally!! Woop woop.

You guys had me cracking up at the Back To The Future comment! Haha. I really dig the show with all the informative stuff. Most youtube guitar and gear videos with two people talking (cough*andertons*cough) are terrible and ridiculous. You guys aren't. Keep kicking musical ass! I know how to use my delays, but I didn't know all the theory and terminology behind everything either. Don't feel bad Mick :)

as usual a great video about a relevant topic

Great video, as usual. I discover the clue about the tempo of the U2 songs with my old Yamaha DDS-100 Digital Sampler Delay. :)

Great show guys, keep them coming. Would love to see your take on flangers....

I love the lightbulbs going off over Mick's head the whole time haha. Good job.

Guys, many thanks for this great tutorial!

Thank you guys so much!!!

Great video. I learned alot, like all your vids. Thanks so much!

Usually Mr. The Edge is underrated and you have to watch and understand all the content of this video to really understand how clever, smart and good he is. The argument usually is: Edge is all about delay. Ok and if it was true (which is not)... what is the problem? just because he uses delay, as other guitarists do, it doesn´t mean he´s not playing or that he´s lazy... on the contrary, and as it´s said in the video: it´s the way you play against the delay!!! That´s what people don´t really understand and is well explained on the video... you have different ways to play, depending on the subdivision of delay you are using. Imagine The Edge that uses 2 delays in paralel on his most important songs, you have to have a great brain :P Thanks for this great video!!

I caught the Happy quote. Well done.

Great lesson. I always had a hard time with sub divisions too! Thank you!

Thanks for clearing that up :-)

I've been practicing 16th note picking to try and sound like the Edge this whole time...I can probably 16th note better than he can now! LOL I know your secrets Mr. the Edge...

This video should have been released on October 21st 2015!! Great video as always guys. It would be an interesting video to see what you guys 'typically' have on your own gigging boards and why you have chosen certain pedals.

I needed this video ! Great !

Great...as always!

great video lads!

Great stuff, thanks

It would be quite cool with some guests on the show Rabea Massaad for example :D - Daniel

This is great. So much nonscense on youtube, but this is really really good. Thanks

great explanation! thanks.

This is such a great video detailing what all of us who have issues understanding subdivisions feel. Slow down, please say again...now I understand. sort of.

This was great, thanks.

Dan, you're the most patient man ever. However, I think I still need a 1 on 1 lesson on delays... Lol

I keep thinking Mick is gonna break that Strat holding it with the neck pointing down to the ground...yipes!

Don't forget Andy Summers was doing what "Mr.The Edge" became famous for first ! I would imagine Summers was a big influence? Of coarse all roads in the delay world lead back to Les Paul :) Great video guys, keep up the good work for the world of guitar nerds !

thanks for the lesson.

It'd be great to see an episode on solid state amps and how to get the most out of them.

IT'S YOUR HOME! ARE YOU TOO GOOD FOR YOUR HOME!

This is great! Thanks!!!!!

thanks, mick my mind works like yours, I need that explanation to understand too

Brilliant!

intro sounds like corporate training music

Dan desperately needs a whiteboard to diagram stuff for Mick. :-)

I'd have to say guys, once I got the TC triple delay, I thought my search for delay was over with all the options, ridiculous piece of delay madness! Love the trem in the strymon timeline, nifty setting!

I love delays but never understood them really well. Is it weird that during the first 15 minutes, I've been thinking the same questions that Mick just asked?! Quite helpful video! At this point, guys, I suggest you should put up some illustrations/captions if you can. 😀 Cheers!

Thank you! I need this too. I feel daft

I'd love to see a video on the different styles and types of fuzz and muff pedals. and the differences between them.

Great video as usual, very informative. I might add just a consideration , for explain better the use of subdivision, generally speaking a 1/4 note subdivision give you some dept in the sound , while keeping the use of the delay pretty discreet , most of the repeat will be buried under what you play. Most of the time this is the way to go, unless you want to use the delay in a creative and more "invasive" way by using dotted notes subdivision, which makes the delay repeat out of sync with the song beat, giving the tasteful stuff that people like Nuno Bettencurt, David Gilmour or the Edge are well know about.

Totally got the Happy Gilmore reference. Don't worry Dan, you aren't alone! Just give it a little tap-tap-tap-a-roo!

08:00 Daniel's response made me laugh so hard!

The secret to Edge's strat tone from Streets, Bad, and Pride is his Boss FA 1 clean boost. If you figure the delay out you are still only halfway there. The clean boost gives it that huge sound then add delay and of course Herdim pick is mandatory. Clean boost plus Herdim pick then dotted eighth delay. Amp is really less important.

Hey Mick. if you want to work it out mathematically... Dotted 8th note delay time for 120bpm 60,000 divided by 120 = 500ms (8th note) 500ms divided by 2 = 250ms (16th note) 500ms divided by 4 = 125ms dotted 8th = 375ms at 120 bpm regards, tweed

Taking into consideration that you guys generally demo and explain stomp box/analog/digital effects. Would you ever consider demoing and giving your opinion on a floor unit like the new Line 6 Helix? There's a lot of hype surrounding the ease of use and genuine authentic analog tone of this unit and I can think of no one who's opinion's I trust and respect more than yours with regards to giving a detailed and totally unbiased review. Figured it'd be worth asking seeing you can still use the Gig Rig in conjunction with it. Thanks and keep up the great work :)

also it's be great to see a video on the amp in a box pedals and how close they get to the actual amps they are based on.

I've learned that i know a lot about delay. but it is my favorite effect....

Dotted eighths .. .. .. .. Steve Hillage .... showing my age ? Then long time later: The Edge Vegetable rights and peace !! My old Yamaha D1500 Delay was great for timed echoes. Early digital though it was it had/has memories.

I love the humor :)

It was touched on (guitar), but another thing that is cool to do, plus helps with your picking technique, and your ear, is to play with the delay itself, as Brian May does in his playing. It takes a while to master, but has a cool affect. It can be seen/heard in videos of Brian's solo spots with Queen in concert.

Big fan of the Flight Time here, curious to get your thoughts on it. Thanks!

it's friday and it's funtime

That memory man... so lush..

You so needed a diagram for this!

Do any delay pedals require 1.21 Gigawtts to power them? ;) Awesome show as usual guys. You explain things better than any professor I ever had and much more fun.

You don't know what the Edge does. (Just kidding. I LOVE these videos.)

Also make sure to ride the eq on your delay, high eq makes it pop, turn it low and it muffles it down

Great Rush song

GreAT VI, btw THANK U!!!!!

Great video! This channel and That Pedal Show have helped me immensely... Unfortunately I am late to the show (not a drummer)! I've subscribed to this channel and That Pedal Show's channel. One thing to suggest as a follow on video: How would you apply subdivisions and delay rhythm to 3/3, 6/6, or other time signatures?

I can see why Mick and many others struggle with this. The problem is the pedal telling you its going to be a dotted quarter or whatever, yet it will always play evenly spaced repeats. It clearly is in relation to the blinking tempo light, but takes your brain a while to process that. Thats why i think its kind of dumb for the pedal to even bother to call the note a dotted quarter or whatever, because you actually 'make it what it is' by the tempo YOU chose to play!

In A Dream... Dotted 1/8th note delay made famous by Freddy Jones Band.

I was sure he was about to play Survivor's Eye of the Tiger.

My confusion level didn't drop as expected through the show. Nice show tho. Did learn something.

And, certainly David Gilmour was using dotted 1/8 delay before U2 got out of primary school. I don't know if anyone had done it before him or not. Even before the wall, there's dotted 1/8 delay on the bass on the Meddle album.

Check out Iris...the Edge definitely still uses it...

I still struggle with delay. But basically Dotted 8th note (what we are all trying to hit, that " the edge" effect) subdivisions are dialed in like this- Volume- @ or slightly higher than unity Time- @ just under .5 seconds usually around 10- 11 o'clock on most pedals Feedback/ repeats- @ 1 full repeat then a subtle trail.so like 1.5. And DO NOT MATCH THE TEMPO OF THE DELAY! Learn to play to a click or run dry monitor headphones till you get the " feel" of the subdivision. i may be off.or totally wrong.like i said delay is still not something im super proficient with honestly i usually use the flashback 2 as a crutch for setting up subdivisions.it kinda does 3/4 of the work for you.

Hey guys I love your show it is so informative one of the best guitar shows on You Tube in my opinion. I have a request I have a digiTech PR200 it is a dinosaur compared to what is on the market today but I love it. Will you do a show on DigiTech products ?

Love Riffs! Where's Andy??

Here's how I teach my students the SIMPLEST way to tap dotted eighths on a delay which doesn't have subdivisions built in. The legendary Bo Diddley taught us dotted eighths back in the fifties. The first three beats of the classic Bo Diddley beat are dotted eighths!! So, simply think of the Bo Diddley beat at whatever tempo you're playing at, then tap the first three beats, and you're there!

Looks like the TL has some competition

So The Hedge used the DMM max delay time to create U2 signature rhythm and Davey G used a Binson max delay time to make Floyd happen? That's proper mental, that is!

The one question I have had about delay is how do you get Andy Timmon's delay tone?

I have a question : I own the tc electronic flashback delay. The switch it has for subdivisions says 1/4 note, dotted eigth and "a combination of both". Isn't the pedal's dotted eigth actually a regular 8th, and the "combination" the actual dotted eighth that The Edge uses and that is explained in this video? Thanks to anyone that can help

great video. incorporating metronome would have been really helpful