Is there anything Valhalla Delay can do that EchoBoy can't?

[gentleclockdivider]

Afaik echoboy can’t do
-pitch shifting
-reverse pitch shifting
-frequency shifting

Vallyalla delay is swiss army and a marvelouss plugin

[4damind]

Valhalla can't do

• rhythmic echo ( + graphical editor)
• prime number (alter time in a very special way to minimize resonance effects)
• custom styles (+ editor)
• groove / feel for a bit more dynamic delays ("humanizing")
  ...

IMO ReplikaXT and Echoboy are more a Swiss army knife. I think ReplikaXT is the only competitor to Echoboy with some additional features like delay effects (phaser, pitch effects etc).
Valhalla delay wins with the easy usage, the low resource usage and the price.

[fese]

As the OP stated that he/she/it/whatever has been eying the Soundtools bundle, one should not forget that there is also another delay included, PrimalTap, which is a gem of its own. Maybe not as flexible as VDelay or Echoboy, but with a very distinctive sound and also great for some nice chorus. Personally, I think I’d take that and Echoboy Jr over Valhalla and the big Echoboy.

[gentleclockdivider]

Valhalla can't do

• rhythmic echo ( + graphical editor)
• prime number (alter time in a very special way to minimize resonance effects)
• custom styles (+ editor)
• groove / feel for a bit more dynamic delays ("humanizing")
  ...

IMO ReplikaXT and Echoboy are more a Swiss army knife. I think ReplikaXT is the only competitor to Echoboy with some additional features like delay effects (phaser, pitch effects etc).
Valhalla delay wins with the easy usage, the low resource usage and the price.

Yep , ultrataps like ubermod in val delay would be nice
With swiss army knife I meant it can be used as a character plugin , tape , hi- fi mode no using any delay time , straight onto the masterbuss
These emulations are not to be found in echoboy , at best an approximation when using the in depth tweaks .

[pbr985]

For AFX and Squarepusher style synth which one would be better? I know he allegedly used Quadraverb and now OTO Bam. Squarepusher I don’t know.

So the question is wether Echoboy or Valhalla Delay is closer to those (mind you Quadraverb and Bam are not just reverbs but also delays and Echoboy and VDelay can operate like reverbs as well).

[markadak]

As the OP stated that he/she/it/whatever has been eying the Soundtools bundle, one should not forget that there is also another delay included, PrimalTap, which is a gem of its own. Maybe not as flexible as VDelay or Echoboy, but with a very distinctive sound and also great for some nice chorus. Personally, I think I’d take that and Echoboy Jr over Valhalla and the big Echoboy.

Btw I ended up getting the Soundtoys bundle. Absolutely love Echoboy and Echoboy Jr. I'm going to keep ValhallaDelay for now as well. The pitch shifting capabilities are really unique and I have a few ideas on where to use it in my tracks.

Thanks for all the input in this thread, it's been very helpful and has also inspired some fun experimentation sessions!

[damayor]

Should really check it uvi relayer very underappreciated delay imo. The tweaking is very good and sounds wonderful. A sleeper.

[audiouser720]

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread. Just to add my 2c. Been using both Valhalla Delay and Echoboy for years now. I find that Valhalla has more vibe in isolation but for some reason Echoboy melts better in a mix. If I do ambient with only a few synth elements a tend to reach for Valhalla. However, when it's full blown track with many channels, Echoboy just behaves more like a rack effect in the mix. Shame because I've been really trying to get away from soundtoys but nothing touches Echoboy, other than my rack mount.

[vitocorleone123]

Still using Valhalla Delay almost exclusively as my primary (and often only) delay. No issues in a track.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

If you want ValhallaDelay to blend a little more like EchoBoy, then consider a few of these tips:

1. Mix ValhallaDelay in a little lower if an insert, or a little quieter if on a send (it's delays seem louder than EchoBoy by default).

2. Bring down the width (try values like 20% for example) but still add some stereo offset - most EchoBoy settings are not crazy wide, but still stereo. ValhallaDelay defaults to full width once you add some offset. Whereas, many EchoBoy presets are just mono or a tad bit wider. Now, if you don't have width in a particular mode, you may have to do that in your DAW. A little annoying how Width/Ducking can be interchangeable and sometimes you want both.

3. Filter out some top end in the EQ section on the right. Don't be afraid to go into the 4-5k territory on the high cut. It can still sound very good and really make things gel.

4. A little diffusion can go a long way. Tape delay sound? Add like 5% Diffusion on ValhallaDelay. Sounds great.

That should get you a less obvious delay that blends better. I think the default settings on ValhallaDelay sound awesome, but they can be a little obvious and "wow" sounding. And then if you're just changing the mode/era, you just get variations of that. Whereas if you dial some of that down manually, it really blends great.

Some of this stuff sounds like it's baked into the EchoBoy "Styles" to me. And while they don't sound the same, I can dial in ValhallaDelay to be close enough to EchoBoy that it's just about which I prefer working with.

[mholloway]

for some reason Echoboy melts better in a mix

Not snark, but genuine: what does this _actually_ mean?

[sqigls]

Echoboy has the Push/Pull and swing (from memory) features similar to Replika XT, which help it to fit into mixes better. I'll always regret not having the dough when Echoboy was on sale for $19. Even when i owned the full Soundtoys bundle, Echoboy was one of the 2 or 3 that i actually ever used.

[_leras]

for some reason Echoboy melts better in a mix

Not snark, but genuine: what does this _actually_ mean?

To me. Echoboy is both a bit more grainy in its echoes, and also a bit darker by default. This maybe let's it meld in a bit more easily.

Funkybots description of the differences just above sums it up very well.

[sqigls]

but also Valhalla plugins generally have some resonance 'spots' to tame, which is why i stopped using them.

[zerocrossing]

I personally like both ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then have both. There will always be some degree of overlap when you start buying different plugins, but also differences in features and character. Hell, even plugins that are emulations of the same classic delay are known to sound different and have different feature sets. Even different UI choices can affect how you use a plugin.