Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Delay pedals
Software & Apps “When you want a boring sound to sound rhythmic and exciting - reach for the delay”: How to understand and use delay effectively in your productions
Plugins Future owns
Plugins Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins
tapeoplex
Tech "A tape delay plugin that finally sounds like the real thing": Heritage Audio takes on the legendary Echoplex with its TAPEoPLEX plugin
Plugins
Plugins Our go-to plugins for adding flavour to our sounds
Pluginweek logo
Plugins Plugin Week 2025: Exhibitor A-Z
plugins
Tech "It's a stupendously powerful tool": 10 of the best sampler plugins in 2025
Arturia Tape J-37
Fx Software “Gracefully injects authentic grit and harmonic girth into our developing tracks”: Arturia Tape J-37 review
  1. Tech
  2. Software & Apps
  3. Fx Software

8 great affordable delay units

News
By Future Music ( Future Music ) published 20 December 2016

Hardware and software options for your studio

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Korg Monotron Delay

Korg Monotron Delay

Delay comes in a multitude of formats and flavours, from analogue hardware to modern multimode plugins.

Here are eight impressive software and hardware options for anyone who wants to spice up their delay toolkit without breaking the bank, starting with little something from Korg.

The Monotron Delay combines a basic single-oscillator synth complete with filter and LFO with a simple two-knob delay effect. A quarter-inch audio input means the Delay is capable of processing external audio, making it a great budget-friendly device for FX.

Read Korg Monotron Delay review

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Waves H-Delay

Waves H-Delay

First released in 2009, H-Delay is a bit of an old hand now, but like most Waves plugins, it’s got surprising longevity.

Taking its cues from classic Lexicon hardware, the H-Delay boasts flexible modulation, filters and Lo-Fi and Analog modes for classic-sounding delay.

Read Waves H-Delay review

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
ValhallaDSP UberMod

ValhallaDSP UberMod

Like all Valhalla DSP plug-ins, ÜberMod combines a sleek, modern interface with a deceptively deep set of features. Here we get a very flexible delay combined with chorus, capable of creating gorgeous, heavily modulated effects. Check out the free Freq Echo, too.

Read ValhallaDSP ÜberMod review

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Native Instruments Replika XT

Native Instruments Replika XT

NI’s Replika has five different delay types, including tape emulation, analogue-style, vintage digital and a pristine modern mode. There’s also a Diffusion mode, which can create heavily modulated space effects.

Read Native Instruments Replika XT review

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Tim Exile Slow

Tim Exile Slow

A new Reaktor-based freebie from Reaktor fiend Tim Exile. Slow is a reverb/delay effect that uses multiple delay lines and extended feedback lengths to create drones and far-out atmospheric effects.

Find out more about Tim Exile Slow

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Moog Minifooger MF Delay

Moog Minifooger MF Delay

A shortage of the necessary Bucket-Brigade Device chips may have brought an end to Moog’s bigger MF104m delay units, but the more affordable Minifooger still offers a similar flavour of killer analogue delay that can bring the most static of sounds to life.

Read Moog Minifooger MF Delay review

BUY: Moog Minifooger MF Delay currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann | Gear4Music
US: Sweetwater | Full Compass

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
D16 Sigmund

D16 Sigmund

With four independent delay lines and a ton of modulation options, including LFOs, envelopes and peak followers, Sigmund remains one of the most powerful delay plugins on the market. Add in overdrive, a filter and output limiter, and it shapes up as a very good deal.

Read D16 Sigmund review

BUY: D16 Sigmund currently available from:
US: Full Compass

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Strymon El Capistan

Strymon El Capistan

Strymon’s digital delay pedal offers emulations of a range of classic tape delay units in one compact pedal. In terms of quality El Capistan is certainly hard to beat - it may be digital but the sound is pure old-school, with controls for dialling in tape age and sound fluctuation.

Read Strymon El Capistan review

BUY: Strymon El Capistan currently available from:
UK: Andertons Music | Thomann

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Future Music
Future Music

Future Music is the number one magazine for today's producers. Packed with technique and technology we'll help you make great new music. All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more. Every marvellous monthly edition features reliable reviews of the latest and greatest hardware and software technology and techniques, unparalleled advice, in-depth interviews, sensational free samples and so much more to improve the experience and outcome of your music-making.

All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more. image
All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more.
Get the latest issue now!
More Info
Read more
Delay pedals
“When you want a boring sound to sound rhythmic and exciting - reach for the delay”: How to understand and use delay effectively in your productions
Plugins Future owns
Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins
tapeoplex
"A tape delay plugin that finally sounds like the real thing": Heritage Audio takes on the legendary Echoplex with its TAPEoPLEX plugin
Plugins
Our go-to plugins for adding flavour to our sounds
Pluginweek logo
Plugin Week 2025: Exhibitor A-Z
plugins
"It's a stupendously powerful tool": 10 of the best sampler plugins in 2025
Latest in Fx Software
CableGuys
"Our aim with ShaperBox is to make it easy for any producer to get complex-sounding results, all in one plugin": Cableguys talk modulation-mad multi-effects plugins and more
Plugins
Our go-to plugins for adding flavour to our sounds
Tokyo Dawn Records Nova
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: TDR Nova
Soundtoys SpaceBlender
“It will drag out your inner Brian Eno with frightening ease”: Soundtoys SpaceBlender review
Arturia Tape J-37
“Gracefully injects authentic grit and harmonic girth into our developing tracks”: Arturia Tape J-37 review
Lexicon 480L
Why reverb is one of the most reliable effects in a producer's arsenal
Latest in News
Close up of a person holding an acoustic guitar bathed sunlight
Ignite your inner guitar god for just 27 cents a day with TrueFire’s July 4th sale - save 60% on online lessons
Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne, circa 1970
“Clearly demonstrate what fine music they produced from the very beginning”: Early Sabbath demos to be released
caelum audio
"If your singing sounds like a dying cat, this finally kills the cat": This hilariously bad mic modelling plugin is free for International Joke Day
Freddie Mercury and Brian May at Live Aid
“We thought it was going to be a disaster”: Brian May reveals Queen had serious doubts about doing Live Aid
Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer
“It was confusing to me": Guitarist Daryl Stuermer on recording Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight
Crazy Tube Circuits Mirage: the dual reverb features two independent DSP engines each equipped with 16 reverb modes – and there are flexible routing options.
With dual reverb engines, 16 algorithms, Crazy Tube Circuits’ Mirage is one serious reverb pedal

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...