ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the basics of time-based audio effects. The most common time-based effects used in recording studios are echo and reverb, but flanging and phasing also fall into this category because they use time delay or phase shift to achieve the sound of a comb filtered frequency response. The delay time depends on the tape speed, as well as the distance between the record and play heads. Different delay times give a different type of effect. The delay time can be dialed in manually as some number of milliseconds, set to a specific tempo in beats per minute, or synchronized to the host Digital Audio Workstation so the timing follows the song tempo. Getting a sufficiently long reverb time is often done by painting the walls and ceiling with shellac, but sometimes ceramic tiles are used for all of the room surfaces. The Predelay setting delays the sound going into the reverb processor by up to 250 milliseconds.
