Boss DD-3 settings??

bob mclaughlin · #1 05-08-2003, 08:03 PM

I just got a Boss DD-3 (Digital Delay) used for a price I couldnt refuse, and I want to know if anybody can tell me some settings that Dr.Vai uses on some of his songs. Any help would be VERY usefull. Thank You...

Dan D Mahnn · #2 05-12-2003, 10:49 AM

The problem is he uses different settings on every song for different effect. Many times different settings for different parts of the song. Id say something between 400-600 miliseconds with a few repeats would get the basic virtuoso lead sound. Put the level at wherever you think it should be. Less is more. Dont crank the level. You dont want the delay to be heard easily over the notes your playing. I usually have my level around 9-10 o'clock, feedback around 12.

bob mclaughlin · #3 05-13-2003, 09:03 PM

Thanks Dan, Ill give it a whirl. I know he uses different settings for all his songs. But I was just looking for like a basic setting that would have a good all around sound of his without having to keep playing around with the knobs alot. They are pretty touchie, know what I mean....But I,ll give those settings a try....Thanks

jpwannabe · #4 05-29-2003, 02:58 AM

It is quite diffcult to find a good tone if your use your delay in front of your amp,actually its terriable. I get sweet tones if I put my DD3 in the fx/loops on my TSL602. Anyone have the same problem?

bpd111 · #5 05-29-2003, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpwannabe

It is quite diffcult to find a good tone if your use your delay in front of your amp. Anyone have the same problem?

Yeppers. Sounds great in the FX loop, not good out in front. Keep in mind however, that I'm playing through the illigitimate (spelling?) child of the Marshall family: a valvestate. I don't think that really makes a difference though.

LUV MAH DD3

Dan D Mahnn · #6 05-29-2003, 12:59 PM

You need to understand how effects work. Time based effects dont sound good in front of distortion. Flange, chorus, delay, harmonizers. All there doing is creating another note thats a different pitch. What happens when you play 2 seperate notes at the same time on guitar? You get 2 notes distorted together. Delay is the same thing. A note repeats and at the same time youll be playing a different note and both notes get distorted together. Same with reverb. The distortion just distorts the reverb giving you a pretty nasty sound.

They work after distortion becouse the distorted signal is split, retuned and put together with the origional distorted signal.

Certian effects are cool in front of distortion. Octave harmonizers (it sounds almost the same as just playing an octave on guitar), Phasers (for an EVH sound), envelope filters (Wah, auto wah).

You can get a radical effects by putting those time based effects in front but its different from what the intended effect is. For instance if you put a slow chorus in front of distortion it sounds like youre playing slightly out of tune unison notes on your guitar. Its very creepy and Ive used it alot.

Listen to POD-Alive, at the "and now that I know you.....I can never...." part. Or Metallica-I Disappear at the "do you bury me when Im gone..." Thats pretty much the way a chorus or flange will sound in front of distortion. Despite whatever effects they may have actually used on those tracks.

eg · #7 06-22-2003, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan D Mahnn

The problem is he uses different settings on every song for different effect. Many times different settings for different parts of the song. Id say something between 400-600 miliseconds with a few repeats would get the basic virtuoso lead sound. Put the level at wherever you think it should be. Less is more. Dont crank the level. You dont want the delay to be heard easily over the notes your playing. I usually have my level around 9-10 o'clock, feedback around 12.

What about Joe satriani's Delays setting? What is the delay time??
Thanks

Dan D Mahnn · #8 06-22-2003, 07:42 PM

On studio recordings his is different every song too. Delay and reverb isnt like an effect you just turn on and theres only a few settings. Its something thats different at every gig or song. You want the delay to match the tempo of the song and some songs you want less and others more and some songs you want longer delays and others shorter.

Live is different. The delays are steady for satch. The only way to get it is to listen to a live song and listen closely. If your ears are sharp enouph you can pick out the exact time for the delay and match it with your own. It is harder with satch becouse he stagers his delays. He has 2 delay units in a row. One delays the original signal and one delays the original+delayed signal.

A normal delay is like:

Play............................repeat............ ................repeat............................ repeat

His is like:

Play............................repeat....repeat.. ............repeat....repeat............repeat.... repeat...

eg · #9 06-26-2003, 12:40 PM

How many delay units does he actually use? What are they?

Dan D Mahnn · #10 06-26-2003, 08:27 PM

If your refering to the first paragraf in my reply, its not that he uses many delays, its that the settings change based on what the song is called for.

If your refering to what I said about his live setup, he uses a boss DD-3 on his board, and then he has a footswitchable amp FX-loop with 2 chandler delay units. He uses the boss for certain things but the 2 chandlers are his main delays. He has them both set and the only switching is to turn the FX loop on or off. So both are either on or thier off.

eg · #11 06-26-2003, 09:45 PM

Do you think cascading two DD3s would achive the same effect?
Where do you think works best for delays; effects loop or direct in to the amp.
Currently I'm running it after my DS1 into my amp.

Dan D Mahnn · #12 06-27-2003, 07:14 AM

Read my one post here. Its a time based effect that needs to be after distortion. If the DS-1 is your gain and your running into a clean amp you can put it after your DS1 but before the amps input. If you set your amp up for a little gain then it must be in the FX loop. Satch doesnt need the chandlers to be in the fx loop. But since it has a switch he can turn on both chandlers and turn them off at will without dealing with any midi or rack switchers.

I dont think its important to have 2 delay pedals. Just go by my first post. Something around 400-600 miliseconds and a few repeats. That will do for most Vai/Satch stuff.

OME · #13 06-27-2003, 06:39 PM

Is it just me or does the DD3 suck the juice right out of the
batteries, and I'm talking like in less than 2 hours the light begins to
get dim.
My setting are usu 9 - 9 - 9 o'clock at 800ms

Dan D Mahnn · #14 06-27-2003, 07:40 PM

No it definitly does. Its horrable.

Besides a line booster for solo's the DD3 is all I have in my FX-loop. I have 3 pedals before the amp and pretty much everything in my rigg runs off 9-volts. Im not an Eric Johnson wanna-be or anything I just notice alot less noise when Im not powering with an adapter. The adapter is a must for my DD3.

Its f***ing rediculous. If left on at maxed out settings I think it'd go through a 9-volt in a half-hour.

eg · #15 06-29-2003, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan D Mahnn

Read my one post here. Its a time based effect that needs to be after distortion. If the DS-1 is your gain and your running into a clean amp you can put it after your DS1 but before the amps input. If you set your amp up for a little gain then it must be in the FX loop. Satch doesnt need the chandlers to be in the fx loop. But since it has a switch he can turn on both chandlers and turn them off at will without dealing with any midi or rack switchers.

I dont think its important to have 2 delay pedals. Just go by my first post. Something around 400-600 miliseconds and a few repeats. That will do for most Vai/Satch stuff.

Does maxing out the gain on my amps clean channel requires the delay to be in the loop?

Thanks