Delay through the eras

Write a paragraph for each era: the machine, how it made the copy, what that did to the sound, and what that meant.

The five machines, one an era, are beside you under For reference. Start each paragraph with its opening words.

Tick each point your paragraphs make.

• Era 1: a second tape machine; the copy came off its play head, just after the record head.
• Era 1: slapback, one repeat about 75 to 150 ms late, no feedback, loud.
• Era 1: but the delay time was fixed by the head gap and the tape speed.
• Era 2: tape echo units (Copicat, Echoplex): a loop of tape, play heads that could move or be added, and feedback.
• Era 2: each pass darker, with wow and flutter; small enough for the stage.
• Era 2: which meant the delay time could be changed, where in era 1 it was fixed.
• Era 3: bucket brigade chips passed the sound cell to cell: dark, gritty, about 300 ms at most.
• Era 3: cheaper than early digital, so delay went into pedals; but noisy at longer times.
• Era 4: digital units (from the 1970s; the AMS DMX 15-80, 1978) stored the sound as numbers: clean, long repeats, exact times in ms.
• Era 4: clean, long and exact where tape and chips were not, but dear at first.
• Era 5: in the DAW the time is a note at the song's tempo (60,000 ÷ BPM), with ping-pong and automation.
• Era 5: which meant the delay follows a change of tempo, and plug-ins copy the old machines.
• Every paragraph: the machine, how it made the copy, what it did to the sound, and what that meant.