Types of Delay Effects: A Guide for Metal Producers

Delay is one of those effects that can feel a bit mystical. We know it’s essential for creating space, but in a genre as dense and aggressive as metal, where does it fit? It’s not just for dreamy cleans or U2-style guitar riffs. Used correctly, delay is a powerhouse tool for adding depth to vocals, creating epic width for solos, and even adding subtle rhythmic complexity that makes a mix feel more alive.

But not all delays are created equal. Slapping any old delay plugin on your track won’t cut it. To really get pro results, you need to understand the fundamental types of delay and know when and where to deploy them for maximum impact. Let’s break down the four essential types you’ll encounter and how to use them to elevate your metal productions.

Mono Delay: The Unsung Workhorse

Think of mono delay as the most straightforward, no-frills version of the effect. You send a signal to it, and a delayed version of that signal comes straight back down the center of your mix. Picture a single guitar pedal running into a single amp cabinet—that’s a mono delay. It’s simple, focused, and incredibly useful.

What is it?

A mono delay takes your source signal (like a vocal or guitar) and repeats it directly in the center of the stereo field. No matter where the original sound is panned, the repeats are dead-center.

How to Use It in a Metal Mix

In a genre where massive, quad-tracked guitars often own the stereo field, you don’t always want your effects to add even more width and potential mud. This is where mono delay shines.

• Tightening Up Verses: Use a subtle, mono slap-back delay on a lead vocal during a verse. This can give the vocal presence and depth without it taking up too much space, which is perfect for creating contrast before a huge, wide-open chorus.
• Adding Depth Without Clutter: When you need an echo effect but your mix is already packed, mono is the answer. Try a quarter-note mono delay tucked quietly behind a vocal to give it a sense of space that doesn’t fight with the panned rhythm guitars.
• Great Starting Point: Most stock DAW plugins, like the Cubase MonoDelay, are perfect for this. Don’t overthink it; sometimes the simplest tool is the most effective.

Stereo Delay: Creating Epic Width and Dimension

This is where things start to get wide. A stereo delay gives you repeats in, you guessed it, stereo. The real magic here is that you often have independent control over the left and right channels, allowing for some seriously cool spatial and rhythmic effects.

What is it?

A stereo delay processes repeats on the left and right channels independently. This means you can set different delay times for each speaker, creating a complex and wide soundscape.

Kickass Applications for Stereo Delay

• Massive Guitar Solos: This is a classic move. Send your mono lead guitar track to a stereo delay. Set the left side to a dotted 8th note and the right side to a quarter note. The result is a huge, cascading delay that fills the entire stereo spectrum and makes the solo sound absolutely massive.
• Wide Vocals: In a big chorus or a sparse bridge, a stereo delay can make a centered vocal feel immense. The slight rhythmic differences between the left and right repeats create a rich, enveloping sound that can be far more interesting than just using a reverb.
• Pro Tip: Plugins like the Soundtoys EchoBoy or Valhalla Delay excel at this. Try using the "Dual" or "Stereo" modes and experiment with offsetting the timing just slightly between the two channels.

Ping-Pong Delay: Adding Rhythmic Movement

A ping-pong delay is a specific type of stereo delay that’s all about motion. Instead of just repeating in the left and right channels, the repeats actively bounce back and forth between them. If you’ve ever heard an echo that seems to jump from one ear to the other, you’ve heard a ping-pong delay.

What is it?

A stereo delay where each successive repeat alternates between the left and right speakers. The first echo might be on the left, the second on the right, the third on the left, and so on.

Making Your Mix Move

Ping-pong delay is fantastic for creating ear candy and a sense of dynamic movement.

• Vocal Throws: Automate a ping-pong delay to only trigger on the last word or phrase of a vocal line. A rhythmic 8th or 16th note delay bouncing across the speakers can be a killer transitional effect leading into the next section of a song.
• Rhythmic Guitar Licks: Got a single, syncopated guitar part in a breakdown? A ping-pong delay can accentuate its rhythm and make it a standout moment in the track.
• Plugin Choice: The Waves H-Delay is a go-to for this effect. Just switch its output mode to "Ping Pong," set your time, and you’re good to go.

Modulated Delay: For When You Need That Weird Vibe

This is where delays get creative, spooky, and downright weird. A modulated delay adds pitch and/or time variation to the repeats, essentially blending a chorus or vibrato effect with the echo. The result is a sound that’s often detuned, warbly, and incredibly atmospheric.

What is it?

A delay where the echoes are run through a modulation effect (like an LFO) that slightly alters the pitch and/or timing of each repeat. This creates a shimmering, detuned, and often "wet" character.

Getting Creative and Spooky

While you probably wouldn’t slap a modulated delay on your main rhythm guitars, it’s an incredible tool for texture and atmosphere.

• Ambient Layers: Use it on clean guitar parts, synth pads, or reversed sounds to create unsettling, ambient soundscapes. This is perfect for intros, bridges, or building tension.
• Vocal Effects: For a section where you want the vocal to sound distant or disturbed, a modulated delay can add a haunting quality that simple reverb can’t match.
• Sound Design: Want to make something sound more interesting? Send it to a modulated delay. It can add a ton of character to otherwise boring sounds. Many plugins, including the H-Delay and EchoBoy, have dedicated "Modulation," "Rate," and "Depth" controls to dial in this effect.

Beyond the Basics: Shaping Your Delay

Knowing the types of delay is step one. The pro move is to process the delay return itself. Don’t just let the raw repeats clog up your mix.

EQing Your Delays

Your delay doesn’t need all that low-end mud or high-end fizz. Use an EQ after your delay plugin to filter out unnecessary frequencies. A classic trick is the "telephone EQ"—a high-pass filter around 300-500Hz and a low-pass filter around 2-4kHz. This focuses the delay into the midrange so it adds depth without interfering with the kick drum or cymbals. Learning how to apply smart EQ to your instruments is fundamental, and that applies to your effects, too.

Adding Compression

Sometimes, the initial repeats of a delay can be too loud while the tail fades away too quickly. Placing a compressor after the delay can fix this. It will clamp down on the initial, loud repeats and bring up the level of the quieter tail, creating a smoother, more consistent echo. Check out our guide to metal compression techniques to learn more about how to apply this effectively.

See How the Pros Do It

Understanding mono, stereo, ping-pong, and modulated delays gives you a powerful arsenal for your mixes. You can start creating more depth, width, and character in your productions right now.

But knowing the tools is one thing. Seeing how a world-class producer uses them in a real-world session is another thing entirely. Imagine watching legendary Nail The Mix instructors like Will Putney or Eyal Levi dial in the perfect vocal delay, EQ it to sit in a dense wall of guitars, and automate it to create incredible moments in a mix.

With Nail The Mix, you don’t have to imagine. Every month, you get the actual multitracks from a massive metal song and watch the original producer mix it from scratch, explaining every single decision. It’s the ultimate way to see how these concepts are applied to make records that hit hard.

Check out our entire catalog of mixing sessions and see for yourself.