The delay plugin of delays!

[Kai Enaki]

I've heard many talk highly about Newfangled Audio's Recirculate and Minimal Audio's Cluster Delay, but I'm sure there are others out there that are worth a look too, right? Traditional or creative, doesn't matter. Yes, like the rest of you I expect pekbro to have at least one or two suggestions!

[nanostream]

Lately I’ve had loads of fun building custom feedback loops in Reaktor with Toybox blocks. Very easy to set up, and incredibly flexible. Usually I start with something like

mixer -> hp filter -> delay (up to sub-millisecond) -> saturator -> filter -> mixer (and back to the former mixer)

and take it from there — by adding additional effects into the chain, modulating the mixer/feedback amount or delay speed, etc. It’s a vast playground and great sound design tool.

I’m not sure I’ll go back to traditional delay plugins ever again

[zerocrossing]

There are really too many to speak of, and other threads that have gone into them. Before you go buy something, check out what comes with your DAW. For example, I use Bitwig, and its delays and reverbs have the ability to add plugins inside the feedback loop, creating incredible opportunities to sculpt your delay.

[Korg Supporter]

There are really too many to speak of, and other threads that have gone into them. Before you go buy something, check out what comes with your DAW. For example, I use Bitwig, and its delays and reverbs have the ability to add plugins inside the feedback loop, creating incredible opportunities to sculpt your delay.

I've had Bitwig for a couple of years, and I have never noticed that before!

[enCiphered]

I agree with what was said above. Bitwig’s strength is that it treats modulation and signal flow as part of the creative process, not an afterthought. Every parameter can talk to every other. Audio, CV, modulation.. it’s all fluid. For sound design, that means you’re sculpting movement and texture directly in context, not just tweaking a fixed delay algorithm. In most plugins, you’re limited to the developer’s vision of what a delay should be. Fixed routing, limited modulation targets and a predefined character.
In Bitwig, every device is part of a modular environment where modulation, audio and CV all coexist. You can route anything anywhere, sculpt the behavior of feedback paths, and make time-based effects evolve dynamically with your sound rather than just process it.

That freedom changes everything. Instead of stacking plugins to imitate complexity, you build complexity from the ground up. Feedback networks that breathe, delays that respond to envelopes or random modulators, textures that grow organically. It’s less about loading a delay and more about designing a living signal chain. That’s what makes Bitwig endlessly inspiring in this case, compared to any standalone delay plugin.

[jens]

Process Audio's Ripple Delay is absolutely incredible. The mind boggles at how they managed to make such an unbelievably versatile&powerful plugin so easy to use - plus its DSP is top notch.

[pekbro]

You can do all that modular delay construction in MuLab too, that doesn't mean you want to do that everytime you want a delay. Personally, I don't like the effects in Bitwig, I think live's effects are way better and that includes M4L. But whatever...

The Process audio delay is worth a look imo, super usable and great sounding. Another I like to recommend is Dedalus from Aqusmatic. Valhalla Delay, Bleass Tides, GS Dsp Quantum Delay. etc... I could go on for an hour probably.

Lately, I've been into feedback density, using some fairly cheap delays a lot. Specifically, Dreameater from Freakshow Industries. and PolyRhythm Delay XL from 2B played, weirdly. Got both of those for like $15 or so.

[metalifuxx]

That new free Tonecarver tcDelay8, with modular GUI tap routing. It’s like a PSP 608 but with easier graphical tap routing and control.

[kraster]

Ohmboyz infinity is pretty powerful.

[Ah_Dziz]

Sandman pro is stupendous if you want very flexible delay and not modular.

[aMUSEd]

I really like this one

https://sixthsample.com/deelay/

[zerocrossing]

There are really too many to speak of, and other threads that have gone into them. Before you go buy something, check out what comes with your DAW. For example, I use Bitwig, and its delays and reverbs have the ability to add plugins inside the feedback loop, creating incredible opportunities to sculpt your delay.

I've had Bitwig for a couple of years, and I have never noticed that before!

Someone turned me on to that a while ago, and it was quite a revelation. Make sure you put a limiter after it, because thinks can get out of control pretty easily.

[Kai Enaki]

You can do all that modular delay construction in MuLab too, that doesn't mean you want to do that everytime you want a delay. Personally, I don't like the effects in Bitwig, I think live's effects are way better and that includes M4L. But whatever...

The Process audio delay is worth a look imo, super usable and great sounding. Another I like to recommend is Dedalus from Aqusmatic. Valhalla Delay, Bleass Tides, GS Dsp Quantum Delay. etc... I could go on for an hour probably.

Lately, I've been into feedback density, using some fairly cheap delays a lot. Specifically, Dreameater from Freakshow Industries. and PolyRhythm Delay XL from 2B played, weirdly. Got both of those for like $15 or so.

Dreameater makes me wonder what you can come up with if you couple it with one of Hainbach's more creative Audiothing plugins. Might give it a try. It's not like either is outrageously priced.

I took a look at Ripple that you and Jens suggested too. I usually don't reach for multi-fx plugins, but I have to say, the repeat and loop features are quite useful. I know we can repeat things by more traditional means, but I think we can afford to be lazy at $50. I've certainly spent more on worse.

[Kai Enaki]

I really like this one

https://sixthsample.com/deelay/

You can't go wrong with a Sixth Sample plugin. Even less so when it's free. I especially like Nase and Cramit. I just wish the former came with more selectable noise profiles. But that's a topic for a different time. Do you feel like you're loosing out on using the free Deelay versus the PE version?

[concealed identity]

Before you go buy something, check out what comes with your DAW.

Yup, I'll add on that Cubase has three unique delays in addition to three standard (mono, stereo, ping pong) delays.

There's ModMachine which does some cool filter stuff, Multitap which lets you add effects pre, post, and in the feedback loop, and Studio Delay which gives you colorful delays with a much easier to use UI.

I still use third party stuff most of the time because I'm stubborn and have my favourites, but DAWs come with some pretty powerful tools these days compared to when I started buying plugins.