Time-Based Effects for Guitar: Delay and Reverb with Clear Settings

Delay and reverb are “space” effects: they create the sense of distance, size, and depth around your dry guitar. Used well, they make parts sound wider and more musical; used carelessly, they blur timing, mask pick attack, and turn chords into mush. The goal is to choose a space that supports the part’s rhythm and frequency range.

Delay basics: the controls that matter

Time (ms) / Rate

Time sets how long it takes for the repeat to come back. Short times feel like doubling; longer times become rhythmic echoes.

• ~70–140 ms: slapback / thickener
• ~250–450 ms: common rhythmic delays for riffs and leads
• ~500–800+ ms: spacious, ambient, or “solo spotlight” delays

Feedback (Repeats)

Feedback controls how many repeats you get. Low feedback adds a single echo; high feedback creates a trail that can quickly clutter fast playing.

• 0–20%: one repeat / subtle
• 20–45%: a few repeats / musical
• 45%+: long trails / ambient or special effects

Mix (Level)

Mix is the balance between dry guitar and delayed signal. For clarity, start lower than you think and raise it until you notice it, then back off slightly.

• 8–15%: “felt more than heard” thickening
• 15–25%: clear rhythmic delay
• 25–40%+: obvious, spacious, or ambient

Subdivisions

Many delays let you choose note values (quarter, eighth, dotted-eighth, triplet). This is how you make delay lock to the groove without guessing milliseconds.

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If you only have milliseconds, you can estimate with:

Quarter-note delay (ms) ≈ 60000 / BPM

Examples:

• 120 BPM: quarter ≈ 500 ms, eighth ≈ 250 ms, dotted-eighth ≈ 375 ms
• 90 BPM: quarter ≈ 667 ms, eighth ≈ 333 ms, dotted-eighth ≈ 500 ms

Tap tempo

Tap tempo is the fastest way to match the song. Tap quarter notes with the drummer’s pulse, then set the subdivision (eighth, dotted-eighth, etc.). If your delay has a “tap divide” option, keep tapping quarters and change only the subdivision per song section.

Common delay styles (and what they’re for)

Slapback

A single quick repeat that feels like a second guitar tightly behind the first. Great for rockabilly, country, and any part that needs thickness without sounding “delay-ish.”

Dotted-eighth rhythmic delay

Classic modern rhythmic feel: your picked notes interlock with the repeats to create a pattern. Works best with tight muting and consistent picking dynamics.

Ambient / “wash” delay

Longer time with more repeats, often darker repeats. The delay becomes a pad behind your playing. The trick is to keep the dry guitar present and the repeats filtered so they don’t fight the pick attack.

Reverb basics: the controls that matter

Decay (Reverb time)

Decay is how long the reverb tail lasts. Short decay adds dimension; long decay creates a big space but can smear fast passages.

• 0.8–1.5 s: tight room/plate feel, good for clarity
• 1.5–2.5 s: bigger but still controlled
• 2.5–6 s: ambient, cinematic, easily clutters

Pre-delay

Pre-delay is the gap between your dry note and when the reverb blooms. This is a key clarity control: more pre-delay keeps the pick attack upfront while still giving a big space.

• 0–10 ms: immediate, can feel “closer” but can blur
• 15–35 ms: clearer attack, common for lead
• 40–80 ms: dramatic separation for big ambient sounds

Tone (or High/Low cut)

Tone shapes brightness of the reverb tail. Brighter reverbs sound exciting but can hiss and compete with presence; darker reverbs sit behind the guitar and feel more “mix-ready.” If you have separate cuts, treat them like EQ for the reverb only.

Mix

Mix sets how loud the reverb is compared to dry. For electric guitar, small mix changes make a big difference. Start low, then raise until you miss it when it’s off.

Reverb types and how they sit with electric guitar

Spring

Spring reverb has a bouncy, slightly splashy character with a noticeable “drip” when pushed. It can sound lively on clean and edge-of-breakup parts. For tight playing, keep decay and mix modest to avoid splash masking the attack.

Plate

Plate reverb is smooth and dense without sounding like a real room. It’s excellent for lead thickening because it adds sustain-like density while keeping the guitar forward. Plates often take EQ well (high-pass the low end, tame harsh highs).

Hall

Hall reverbs create a large, spacious environment. They can be beautiful for slow lines and ambient parts, but they’re the easiest to overdo. Use pre-delay and darker tone to keep definition.

Practical recipes (step-by-step)

Use these as starting points. Adjust mix last, because it’s the easiest way to accidentally overdo space.

Recipe 1: Tight slapback for rockabilly (delay only or with tiny spring)

1. Delay time: 90–120 ms (start at 110 ms).
2. Feedback: 0–15% (aim for one repeat).
3. Mix: 10–18% (repeat should be clearly audible but not louder than the dry note).
4. Optional filtering: if available, low-pass repeats to keep them slightly darker than the dry guitar.
5. Optional reverb: spring, very low mix (5–10%), short decay.

Check: play staccato double-stops and muted strums. If it feels like two separate hits instead of a thickened hit, lower the mix or shorten time slightly.

Recipe 2: Short plate for lead thickening (reverb as “glue”)

1. Reverb type: Plate.
2. Decay: 1.0–1.6 s (start at 1.3 s).
3. Pre-delay: 20–35 ms (start at 25 ms) to keep the pick attack clear.
4. Tone/EQ: slightly dark; if you have cuts, try high-pass 150–250 Hz and low-pass 6–8 kHz.
5. Mix: 8–15%.

Check: bend a note and stop it abruptly. If the tail feels like it “hangs” too long and masks the next phrase, reduce decay or mix.

Recipe 3: Rhythmic delay for modern parts (tap tempo + subdivision)

1. Tap tempo: tap quarter notes to the song.
2. Subdivision: set to dotted-eighth for the classic interlocking pattern, or eighth for a simpler bounce.
3. Feedback: 20–35% (enough for a few repeats, not a wash).
4. Mix: 15–25%.
5. Optional reverb: short plate/room, low mix (5–10%) so the delay stays articulate.

Technique note: rhythmic delay exposes timing. Palm-mute consistently and keep note lengths intentional; messy note-offs create a messy delay pattern.

Recipe 4: Ambient wash without losing definition (delay + hall with pre-delay)

1. Delay: time 450–650 ms (or tap quarter notes), feedback 35–55%, mix 18–30%.
2. Delay filtering: darken repeats (low-pass around 4–6 kHz if available) so the dry attack stays brightest.
3. Reverb type: Hall.
4. Reverb pre-delay: 35–70 ms (start at 45 ms) to keep the initial note clear.
5. Reverb decay: 2.5–4.5 s (start at 3.2 s).
6. Reverb tone/EQ: darker than your dry tone; high-pass the reverb (see mud section below).
7. Reverb mix: 10–20% (raise slowly).

Check: play a simple melody with rests. If the rests don’t feel like rests anymore, reduce feedback first, then decay, then mix.

Avoiding mud: keep space big but the guitar clear

1) Filter the wet signal (high-pass and low-pass)

Mud usually lives in the low end of the wet effects, not the dry guitar. If your delay/reverb has built-in EQ or “tone,” use it to keep repeats and tails out of the way.

If your pedal only has a single Tone knob: turning it darker often acts like a low-pass, which is usually the fastest clarity win for ambient settings.

2) Reduce repeats/decay when playing fast

Fast riffs and busy chord work create lots of note events. Each event feeds the delay and reverb, so the tail density multiplies quickly.

• For fast parts: lower feedback (fewer repeats) and shorten reverb decay.
• Keep pre-delay moderate: it preserves attack even with some reverb present.
• Use smaller mix changes: try reducing delay mix by 3–8% rather than turning it off.

3) Decide which effect is “primary”

To avoid clutter, pick one main space generator:

• Rhythmic part: delay is primary; keep reverb short and quiet.
• Big cinematic pad: reverb is primary; keep delay darker and controlled.
• Lead thickening: short plate reverb primary; delay (if used) should be subtle and filtered.

4) Quick troubleshooting checklist

• If the groove feels late or messy: lower delay mix and/or shorten delay time; reduce feedback.
• If chords smear together: shorten reverb decay and increase pre-delay.
• If everything sounds “blanketed”: high-pass the reverb/delay wet signal.
• If the top end is distracting: low-pass the wet signal or darken tone.