Is oscillating analog delay pedals dangerous for amplifiers?

C

Christian Grover

New member
At a guitar store I was playing and oscillating a digital delay and one of the workers freaked out to make sure it wasn't analog, because he said that could blow the amplifier.
But then just today I was playing with an analog at another store and asked about it, and the guy said he never heard anything like that.
Does this have any validity or does it have to also do with the type of amplifier, whether it is tube or solid state?
 
And now you know... and knowing is half the battle.

Thank Gtarczar and give him 10 points. He knows his stuff.

I never heard about this either... good thing I read this, cuz I think I do that with my delay pedals when I get bored... although, I didn't know there was a term for it.
 
And now you know... and knowing is half the battle.

Thank Gtarczar and give him 10 points. He knows his stuff.

I never heard about this either... good thing I read this, cuz I think I do that with my delay pedals when I get bored... although, I didn't know there was a term for it.
 
Any delay pedal weather digital or analog can be set so that the regeneration is infinite which means that a signal cascade can occur. Depending on the type of amp and how loud the volume is, this cascade does have the potential to overload the amplifier. Since analog devices employ very simple bucket-brigade style circuits, they can quickly cascade exponentially which means that the "overload" can actually cause damage to the speaker and other amp components if it is allowed to go to far. Digital devices typically take a digital "snapshot" of the signal which it then replays to cause the delay effect. The fact that it is the original signal being replayed and not a copy of a copy of a copy as an analog device does, means that the digital version of infinite regeneration does not actually feed the signal back into itself as it does in an analog delay. However, many newer digital delays DO have the ability to produce feedback regeneration in a bucket brigade fashion. This allows them to more effectively imitate an analog delay in terms of tonality and signal degeneration. Because of this ability, certain digital delays can also produce the "overload" effect which can potentially damage an amps components. It should be noted that before this overload effect can occur the signal will grow increasingly louder and louder. You will be able to tell that the signal is becoming to intense and that an overload is imminent.
 
Any delay pedal weather digital or analog can be set so that the regeneration is infinite which means that a signal cascade can occur. Depending on the type of amp and how loud the volume is, this cascade does have the potential to overload the amplifier. Since analog devices employ very simple bucket-brigade style circuits, they can quickly cascade exponentially which means that the "overload" can actually cause damage to the speaker and other amp components if it is allowed to go to far. Digital devices typically take a digital "snapshot" of the signal which it then replays to cause the delay effect. The fact that it is the original signal being replayed and not a copy of a copy of a copy as an analog device does, means that the digital version of infinite regeneration does not actually feed the signal back into itself as it does in an analog delay. However, many newer digital delays DO have the ability to produce feedback regeneration in a bucket brigade fashion. This allows them to more effectively imitate an analog delay in terms of tonality and signal degeneration. Because of this ability, certain digital delays can also produce the "overload" effect which can potentially damage an amps components. It should be noted that before this overload effect can occur the signal will grow increasingly louder and louder. You will be able to tell that the signal is becoming to intense and that an overload is imminent.
 
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