Quote:
Originally Posted by EngineEars
Thrill I own PCM delays and I am quite fond of them. When compared to the digi rack delays or even Echo Farm delay there really is no substitute. However I would be interested in hearing why you feel it is necessary to own PCM's and SDE's. Is that because you are on a desk and need both flavors? Does the SDE have a cleaner vibe than the Lex? I know back in the day they were used to trigger samples, but why are they needed today I ask?
In addition to PCM's and SDE's I see many 2290's, Prime Time's, and a small cult seem to love Yamaha D5000's. (I won't even mention other cool ones I see in NYC studios to keep the ebay syndrome from occuring.) As a fan of tape echos and analog delays, I see the use for multiple delay units but I would like to know why you feel so many digital delays are necessary and what is your perfered ping pong delay unit when needed?

The PCM 42's are the best delays for vocals because of the limited bandwith and built in limiter that smooths out the sound a bit when you smack it.
They also work great on rock guitars when you want that wide chugga-chugga thing.
(By the way a nice little secret of mine is if you can't afford a PCM 42 and want the sound look for a used Lex 1300S. Its the same guts minus the modulation stuff. Because its a stereo piece i use it a lot as a predelay on modern revebs. It tends to take the edge away and makes the reverbs more vibrant.)
The SDE 3000 i've always liked on direct guitars when trying to do the pseudo stereo vibe.
They are also limited in bandwith and give direct guitar a certain glow.
The 2290's i've liked for the pseudo stereo bass vibe and the reverse delay on acoustics.
The AMS DMX 1580 sounds fantastic on hi strummed acoustics when pitch shifted slightly and almost no delay.
It also works great on vocals when you want a crispy vocal but no reverb shimmer.
The D5000 is a nice all arounder.
There are others which i haven't mentioned here that i personally love and use alot but we can't mention every secret here can't we.