[jacksimmons]

Hey guys. Been away from recording for a while but have recently started work on something pretty different and need some production help.

I have a lead vocal for which I want a long delay on certain words, so they echo off at the end of a phrase. I have the delay affect I want and want to 'activate' it on certain words, maybe using automation, and wondered how to do this in my DAW.

I know I could duplicate the track, cut the lead vocal down to just the words I want delayed, and apply the delay to this track, but it seems like an inelegant solution.

I am in Cubase, btw. Any help is much appreciated

[pompeyjazz]

Can you split the track to just isolate the words you want and apply the FX to those particular blocks ? That's what I do in Reaper but don't know how to do it in Cubebase

[Jambrains]

If you have the delay as an insert on the vox channel you could automate it on/off or automate the wet/dry "knob" in the delay plug.
Or you could have it FX bus and automate the send on/off on the vocal track "feeding" the fx bus (or automate on/off or volume of the fx track)
Just a few ideas...

[cowparsleyman]

+1 with @pompeyjazz method, you might want different delay times on each block, you might increase cpu usage...

[Boydie]

I would tackle this using a delay send

Set up a separate bus/track with the delay you want and then automate the send level using an envelope so you increase it for the word(s) you want to delay

If you want complete control you can achieve a great effect by copying just the word to another track and just duplicate the clip how ever many times you want the repeat and line up the repeated word - you can then change the clip volume on each clip to either let it fade out (each clip getting quieter) or be a bit more creative - why not cut the following phrase and bring it forward!! - like a reverse delay!

[jacksimmons]

Thanks for your answers guys!

I am currently using the second track method and applying the delay there, and just switching between the two when I want the delay. I always used to do this but it felt like a cheaty way, it's great to know that the its actually a pretty standard way of achieving the effect.

Having said that, I will have a go at using the send. Its always good to learn a new trick.

[Boydie]

@jacksimmons

to help with your searching the technique you are describing is often referred to as a “delay throw”

If you use the send method I describe make sure the delay effect on the bus is 100% wet - you only want to hear the delayed signal from the bus and NOT a mix of the original signal (Dry) and the effected signal (Wet)

Another great trick using the same technique is a “reverb throw” (the same setup but with a reverb effect) so you can saturate key parts with reverb

If you set the send on your original track to be “pre-fader” you can automate the send level increasing AND the fader on the original track being turned down

This will then reduce the original (Dry) signal at the same time as increasing the reverb, which gives the “man yelling as falling down a cliff” effect - this is especially effective on a bus with a mix of instruments when coming out of a big section into a softer section (eg “the drop”)

Using sends for fx can not only reduce the strain on your system (as you use the same instance of an effect on multiple tracks) but it can also make your mixes more “cohesive” by using consistent effects but in varying levels of “wetness” (ie different send levels)

There are also lots of creative ways of using sends

Finally - you can set up your effects busses as part of your track template when working on a song

When I start a new song I always have around 5 different reverbs set up and 2 delays (a short delay and a long delay) ready for me to send tracks to when mixing

[jacksimmons]

Knowing what it is actually called is an immense help. It's hard to Google without the technical jargon.

Thanks @Boydie you have been very helpful as always