Tape echo and digital delay both repeat what you play. They do not sound the same.
Tape echo is warm and a little wobbly. It feels like an old studio tape machine. Digital delay is clean. The repeat can be a close copy of the note you just played.
Shop tape echo on the tape echo pedals page. Shop every kind of delay on the delay pedals page. This guide is only the difference.
Quick Picks
- Warm, soft, and a little uneven: tape echo. Start with the Strymon Volante or the El Capistan V2.
- A clean repeat you can set to the beat: digital delay. Start with the Avalanche Run or the Nemesis.
- Dark and blurry, not tape and not a perfect copy: analog delay. Start with the Strymon Brig or the Nano Deluxe Memory Man.
What Tape Echo Sounds Like
A tape echo records your note on moving tape, then plays it back a moment later. Real tape is not perfect. The repeats get quieter, a little dull, and slightly wobbly. That wobble is the sound people want.
The Strymon Volante covers three old echo machines: drum, tape, and studio. The repeats can keep blooming after you stop picking. The Strymon El Capistan V2 is the straight tape echo, with a few classic machine tones.
The Strymon Deco V2 is tape, but it is not a long echo. It adds tape warmth and a second note so one guitar sounds wider. The Strymon EC1 is a simpler tape echo with one playback head. More choices are on the tape echo pedals page.
What a Digital Delay Sounds Like
A digital delay saves the note and plays it back. The repeat can stay bright and even. You can set the time so it lands on the beat.
The EarthQuaker Avalanche Run is delay and reverb together. Tap the switch to set the tempo. It fits big, washy parts. The Source Audio Collider also pairs delay with reverb, and you can choose how the two effects line up.
The Source Audio Nemesis is a digital delay with many repeat styles in one pedal. The Walrus Fundamental Delay is the simple one. It gives you a clear repeat that is easy to hear on the first note.
Analog Delay Is a Third Sound
Analog delay is not tape, and it is not a clean digital copy. The repeats get darker and softer. They sit under the note instead of copying it.
The Strymon Brig is built for that darker repeat, with a few voices to pick from. The Electro-Harmonix Nano Deluxe Memory Man is the classic analog delay. It can also add chorus or vibrato to the repeats.
Which Repeat the Song Wants
- A part that should feel old, warm, or a little worn: tape echo. Volante for more than one machine, El Capistan V2 for straight tape.
- A part that needs the repeat right on the beat: digital delay. Avalanche Run when you also want a room. Nemesis when you want delay only.
- A short repeat that should stay in the background: analog delay. Brig or the Memory Man.
- You want width more than a long echo: the Deco V2.
If you record on a computer, the Strymon Echo Bundle puts a tape echo and a digital delay in the session. The rest of that lineup is in Strymon plugins for your DAW.
Pick the kind of repeat first. Then pick the pedal.