Why were delay pedals from the 70s often specifically labelled as “Analog Delay” ?

[Dave]

By that, I mean to ask why would it be specified that the unit is an analog delay when the only other options at the time for stand alone guitar delay effects were tape or oil can... it seems like there was no need to specify these units used analog electrical components...?

Moog’s Model D wasn’t described as an “analog” synthesizer, it was simply a “synthesizer”... why were guitar pedals predicting the future? Or do I simply not understand this particular usage of the word analog?

[Shadoweclipse13]

That's a good question. I feel like digital technology might've been on the horizon (with things like the personal computer less than 10 years away from being very common) and that maybe your average consumer would've been wary about some of the new chips and stuff that were coming out. Whether or not that is true, it could just be that guitarists and guitar companies have always had a bit of cork-sniffing in the mindset of "preserving the heritage" or something like that.

What's weird is why that terminology wasn't applied to every effect. You didn't see/hear of companies selling "analog fuzz", "analog phaser", at least not that often or for every pedal.

[andy_tchp]

Digital delay existed in the early '70s, just not in pedal form factor (by necessity of the physical hardware / packaging making it impossible to fit).

Check out one of (if not the) first offerings from Eventide:
https://www.eventideaudio.com/products/ ... ital-delay

[Unicorn Warrior]

Digital delay existed in the early '70s, just not in pedal form factor (by necessity of the physical hardware / packaging making it impossible to fit).

Check out one of (if not the) first offerings from Eventide:
https://www.eventideaudio.com/products/ ... ital-delay

That’s interesting. While this could technically satisfy the OPs question, I would think that the “digital” delay market would have been relatively unknown. To me, the popularity of these units wouldn’t have justified the “analogue” stamp on the other products. Maybe I am wrong and this is exactly what happened..

Perhaps it was a marketing technique. Like whenever companies place “gluten free” on a product that no one would ever question it to have gluten. But because the label yells it at you, you automatically calculate that this food product is somehow healthy and worthy of purchase

[UlricvonCatalyst]

Okay, I've just woken up, but I'm struggling to think of any delay pedals from the '70s other than the Memory Man that predate the Boss revolution. Did MXR do one? I remember there being bucket brigade "echo units" for PA and studio use, but prior to the Boss revolution of the late '70s/early '80s the only delay pedal I can recall seeing (in a Bell catalogue) was an ADT pedal, branded Carlsboro.

I can't actually of any delay pedals specifically labelled 'Analog(ue)' that predate digital becoming the affordable alternative. What are some examples?

[PorkyPrimeCut]

The DOD 680 was pretty cheap, last time I looked. No idea if it's cheaper than a digital version though.

[Dave]

Okay, I've just woken up, but I'm struggling to think of any delay pedals from the '70s other than the Memory Man that predate the Boss revolution. Did MXR do one? I remember there being bucket brigade "echo units" for PA and studio use, but prior to the Boss revolution of the late '70s/early '80s the only delay pedal I can recall seeing (in a Bell catalogue) was an ADT pedal, branded Carlsboro.

I can't actually of any delay pedals specifically labelled 'Analog(ue)' that predate digital becoming the affordable alternative. What are some examples?

[jorri]

They post-date racks, if not pedals, like Eventide, Mutron and Lexicon i believe.
I am not sure why choruses and flangers were not labelled as such because they use delays, they are basically tuned-in pitch modulated delay.

[cestlamort]

I think "analog" may have been a positive selling point, differentiating the pedals from unreliable oil can and tape delays (as well as still-in-their-infancy digital delay racks Eventide stuff, etc.).

BBD chips are still chips and pretty high tech compared to a creaky echoplex.

[Maggieo]

I think "analog" may have been a positive selling point, differentiating the pedals from unreliable oil can and tape delays (as well as still-in-their-infancy digital delay racks Eventide stuff, etc.).

BBD chips are still chips and pretty high tech compared to a creaky echoplex.

Exactly. It was new and improved, cutting-edge tech, and so, like the digital delays that came later, you wanted your potential customer to know they've got the newest, bestest, kit.

[UlricvonCatalyst]

Though in fairness I've never previously seen either of those pedals.

[jorri]

I think "analog" may have been a positive selling point, differentiating the pedals from unreliable oil can and tape delays (as well as still-in-their-infancy digital delay racks Eventide stuff, etc.).

BBD chips are still chips and pretty high tech compared to a creaky echoplex.

Exactly. It was new and improved, cutting-edge tech, and so, like the digital delays that came later, you wanted your potential customer to know they've got the newest, bestest, kit.

But the correct terminology is nonetheless "solid state", which was in use with amplifiers, although tapes are not quite just a component but a whole mechanism. I can see perhaps why analogue shifted connotations though. Often it referred to non-mechanical means. Were photographic films ever "analogue" at the time? yet perhaps analogue video tape was.
Now "solid-state" sells hard drives, but of course they used to be digital and mechanical (from tapes, punch card to familiar disks).

Often there is a crossed terminology then.
Another example is an analogue clock that doesnt have a continuous readout- is it technicalpy analogue if indexed to digits, even if not 1 and 0. Maybe not, despite being clockwork (which some early computational digital devices were!)
Or some use "analogue world" to me the "real world" when it cannot then be analogue due to not being analogous to the real thing, it is the original thing.

In terms of delays i tend to separate mechanical; analogue chip; digital chip; more generalised computational DSP like in multi fx. Mainly as it seems all four are different.

[Dave]

They post-date racks, if not pedals, like Eventide, Mutron and Lexicon i believe.
I am not sure why choruses and flangers were not labelled as such because they use delays, they are basically tuned-in pitch modulated delay.

And another from Pearl in response to Ulric:

[jorri]

They post-date racks, if not pedals, like Eventide, Mutron and Lexicon i believe.
I am not sure why choruses and flangers were not labelled as such because they use delays, they are basically tuned-in pitch modulated delay.

And another from Pearl in response to Ulric:

These two are combo type modulated delay pedals, as such can make delays of a reasonable amount unlike a standard flanger/chorus where they are almost imperceptible (other than the flanging effect heard of course).
But yes its like "flanger/analogue delay" not "analogue flanger/delay".

[ElephantDNA]

Though in fairness I've never previously seen either of those pedals.

Two all time classics right there!