A delay is precisely what it sounds like: a time lag between an action and its effect. We’ve all experienced delays at some point, though it might not be immediately obvious why you’d want one in audio production. For example, think back to the delays on Zoom you encountered during the pandemic—not very fun. However, in music, delays can be used creatively to add depth and texture to your sound. ## Original Sound Start by finding a sound you'd like to experiment with using delays. I found a "Hello" sample on freesound.org, but you can choose any audio sample you prefer. When you press play, you'll notice the sound plays immediately. In the context of our discussion on delays, we'll refer to this as the original, undelayed sound. ![[Delays - Original Sound.mp4]] ## Delayed Sound Let's begin our exploration using ProTools' "AIR Dynamic Delay" device. Add it to an insert slot as an effect. Adjust the settings as follows: Sync Off, Delay Time set to the maximum of 4 seconds, Feedback at 0 percent, ENV MOD Mid knob at 0 percent, and main MIX knob at 100 percent. ![[image.png]] Listen to this delay in action and notice the 4-second delay time. Moving the mouse toward the 4-second mark on the timeline, you'll notice that the sound doesn't play until approximately this point. This is our purely delayed sound. ![[Delay - 4 second delay.mp4]] ### Changing Delay Time To hear the delay occur sooner, change the delay time to around 500 milliseconds, which is about half a second. This adjustment will make the sound play back much quicker than before, though not as quickly as the original sound due to the deliberate delay. Experiment with different delay times to hear how the playback timing changes. ![[Delays - Changing Delay Time.mp4]] ## Original Sound + Delayed Sound In the first video, we heard just the original sound. In the second and third videos, we heard only the delayed sound. At this point, you're probably wondering why the sound doesn't sound as incredible as what we heard in the introduction video. The answer is that delays become interesting when you combine the original sound with the delayed sound. To achieve this, adjust the "Mix" knob within the delay plugin. This is known as a "Dry-Wet" control, allowing you to set the percentage of the original sound compared to the delayed sound. Notice how it almost sounds like there's an echo now. If you lower the Mix knob closer to 0 percent, you will barely hear the echo. If you increase the Mix knob closer to 100 percent, you will only hear the echo. ![[Delays - Original Sound with Delayed Sound.mp4]]