tape delay

Tape delay, also called tape echo, is a delay effect created by recording the incoming signal onto a loop of magnetic tape that passes a reading head, producing an audible delay¹. Because the recording and playback heads sit in different physical locations, the time gap between them creates the delay effect². Delay time is adjusted by tape speed, and more repeats come from routing the delayed signal back into the unit¹. Its sound is warm, saturated, and almost lo-fi, with high-end roll-off and a wobbling quality from the motion of the tape¹³⁴. Real tape delay units require periodic maintenance and have mostly been discontinued since the mid 1980s².