How To Create A Dotted 8th Note Delay Effect

Sam channels his inner Edge to give us a complete guide on how to use the dotted eighth note delay effect, a technique that can transform simple playing into epic riffs!
Skip to sections...
Intro - 00:00
Dotted 8th/Quaver Note Music Theory: 01:20
How To Use A Delay Pedal's Tap Divide Function: 05:17
Using A Tap Tempo To Set Dotted 8th Delay Times: 06:11
Dotted 8th Note Tempo/Time Calculations: 07:41
Setting Dotted 8ths Using A Delay Time Knob: 10:11
Tips & Outro: 11:39
Check out all of the delay pedals used in this video...
Landlord Taproom: www.pmtonline.co.uk/landlord-...
Boss DD-7: www.pmtonline.co.uk/boss-dd7-...
MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe: www.pmtonline.co.uk/mxr-carbo...
Line 6 Helix Floor: www.pmtonline.co.uk/line-6-he...
Even if you’ve not actually heard of this technique before, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ve definitely heard it being used by countless guitarists on hundreds of songs. By using a delay or echo pedal to create a dotted 8th note delay, you can transform even the simplest guitar part, so it becomes much more rhythmically complex and epic sounding, and over the years, famous players such as Pink Floyd’s David Gilmore and The Edge from U2 have created some of their most memorable riffs using this technique.
In this video, we cover the basics of the music theory behind the dotted quaver note, and how to create the effect using various delay and echo pedals, plus give you a few playing tips tat work well with this kind of effect. Learn the technique here and check out our full range of delay pedals at your nearest Professional Music Technology store...
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[@martinhenley9910]

I’ve never comment on a KZbin video before... but this tutorial was awesome

[@PMTVUK]

Thanks for watching Martin. Glad you liked it! -Lee

[@TraneFrancks]

I've watched this a number of times. Really well presented!

[@veljkoradosavljevic5655]

Watched a number of Sam’s tutorials and gotta say THANK YOU man

[@thedonkey68]

Been looking for this type of video for ages - well done that man!

[@kermitcallyou]

Phenomenal job!!!! Great video for anyone who looking for some tips about dotted 8 delay. absolutely helpful!

[@matthewbasinger3742]

Extremely helpful! Thank you!

[@pageluvva]

This is so well explained and much appreciated. Wow.

[@dustybeta4055]

Exactly what I was looking for, thank you!

[@angelhernandez1192]

Thank you so much,it’s the best explanation I have heard so far about delay function

[@henningcurtiswalter]

Great Video, especially the part with the tap tempo that results dotted eights was so helpful!

[@ianhermosura2673]

This is very informative. Thank you!

[@chromosomegun5845]

Amazing breakdown. Thank you Sam.

[@grant4198]

Yes, very well explained. Thanks for posting this.

[@terrywin2661]

Very informative, THANKS for posting!

[@hafeezjamal5742]

So well explained - and practical - thanks, mate

[@danielmcclane6853]

Man this is so Good!!! Congratulations

[@japhetzila6235]

Very useful and clear video! Thanks.

[@ECoRubik]

You couldn't explain it better, thank you very much!

[@jvinalay]

Thanks for this video. Very informative. Kudos to your channel.

[@persiguiendoeltono]

I have always used the trick you have shown at the end eventhough I have a JHS lucky cat (with tap tempo). I don't know why I can't deal with tap tempo. But you have explained everything so well that I am gonna give it a try. Excellent video!!

[@markkoher3468]

A very well done video! Super helpful lessons for someone needing to be schooled on the topic of various time signature delays :-) Thank you a bunch!!

[@CaughtInTheLoop]

Brilliant tutorial! Thank you so much

[@John17verse3]

Great video 🎉thanks !

[@TheBluesBox]

Great, easy to follow explanation. Many thanks, will point people here in future…

[@seamasmanly]

Thanks, you answered my question beautifully!

[@Betazeta]

I've been playing with 8th dotted delays for a month or two and didn't realize the rhytm variance it will create, just spent over an hour jamming heavy guitar with drums in the same kind of weird timing so thanks :D

[@edwardkania9622]

This was very helpful. Thank you so much.

[@hmmmwhatever]

Best video ever!! Well Done! Thank you!!

[@robby188]

Very well explained. Thank you very much 😊

[@matthewj6026]

Brilliant explanation thank you

[@betterdays259]

Man, you're a genius. Thank you so much for this one.

[@Rachel-tr8mg]

Found this totally fascinating. You're a skilful man, Sam.

[@italolima43]

Very helpful, thanks!

[@reneil78]

This is a great video. Thank you

[@Paul_Aderoju]

This lesson is invaluable, especially for players that don't use pedals like strymon

[@woxcooper5004]

Well done! Thanks

[@luismedina8559]

Love the new intro.

[@CristianZorrilla]

Great explanation! Now I need a new delay

[@watchyourtoneman5061]

Nice lesson!

[@Dannys.channel]

Thank you!

[@biswarupdey2016]

excellent explanation .

[@andrewfolsom5021]

Thank you so much now im going to try some u2 🤘

[@magicthrash]

Great! Thank you)

[@buhofosil6574]

Really love the matematic way

[@arielbene2013]

Amazing calculation... for the tempo , i did that for ages , without realizing what's the math behind

[@xmandlt]

Thank you.

[@MonicaAgena]

Best tutorial about dotted 8th delay

[@seanlowe6092]

Brilliant, lots of rubbish explanations out there. This one nails it, very clear, very practical. Thank you

[@martysradioshow5979]

thank you

[@NIBIR98]

Damn that intro riff was sick!

[@sandrostef2603]

awesome

[@diywoodworkingjourney5010]

Thank you

[@barbasbandas6665]

Man THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@raunohaapanen6598]

Even my "Mad Professor" from China can handle dotted eights after I saw this.. Tks. 😀

[@alexmurphy5289]

I don't have a tap tempo on anything but this was really helpful, thank you

[@tobe_wan_kenobe944]

I tapped the tap button a couple times but how do I get it back to what it originally was

[@akipachoekie]

Wowww thanks man. I will use this on Ukelele.

[@hesneyk1]

Damn son, you got skills!

[@DreErdna]

7:00 impressive

[@knapton118]

It’s really not.

[@zofo264]

1000th Like! Yeah buddy :)

[@lhotsemd]

Thank you, Sam. Great video. I just got my DD8 and tried creating the Dotted 8th Note Delay effect, but cannot seem to get the effect like you demonstrate at 1:14 mark. I have a simple set up from guitar to DD8 to Amp. I don't have any other Fx pedal switches, just the DD8. What do you suggest? Thank you.

[@La_sagne]

the beginning reminded me of les claypools solo in his version of thela hun ginjeet

[@elmo3817]

Hey I have a question, how do you set this up before live shows? Or during band practice? Do you let your drummer play the beat first before setting up the dotted delay? Or do you do the setup at a certain place during the song? I am really worried that either i fuck up the setup or my drummer changes tempo accidentally and we'll sound like shit. I don't wanna point fingers if ever that happens lol. How do you mitigate this problem? Thanks for the awesome tutorial btw.

[@xarisfil58]

amazing technic i wonder how the transformer of the signals makes the delay it may be with some capacitors and get the delayd signal by them i cant be sure but i would be disappointed if it is made by an electronic way like by a microcontroller

[@Extravagari]

If you have a tap tempo, you can also tap in quarter note triplets. Once you are used to doing that, you can quickly get the right delay tempo. To get used to this, try having your metronome on and say "trip pull it" twice in four counts. Make each syllable the same length with the "trip" always on a 1 or a 3. When you get used to that, tap your tempo in time with you saying "trip pull it". Works nicely and can be done on the fly without much thought.

[@RiffMusic1970]

Thanks! I needed that!

[@redbarchettta]

So I can multiply the tempo of the song I wanna play by 1.33, tap tempo in the tempo I got and then go back to the song original tempo?

[@CZWhitek]

Hi, how is the stereo dotted 8th delay achieved? Is it a seperate effect inside of the multieffect pedal board or can it be achieved with standard pedals (like 2 of them or something)?

[@isaiahvondeguzman7778]

whats the name of the fourth guitar in the back, the one right beside the blue one

[@kyleadams5386]

You are smart

[@jerichovictorino9587]

how to set the line6 dl4 for the 8th dotted note effect?

[@nedim_guitar]

I can't get this rhythm under my hands and feet. I keep confusing it with triplets. Although... It is every third 16th note, starting from the first. So if I play 16 noted with my hands on my knees and accent every third hit, staring from the first one, the accents will keep moving like it should. It's just difficult to keep the tempo with the foot, but I can follow with the metronome. Excellent!

[@gackspop9723]

What’s the name of the intros song?

[@dylanporter8105]

How would you convert ms to bpm?

[@AngelPerez-lm8uj]

So if what I learned is right, if a song I’m playing calls for a dotted eighth delay in a song that’s tempo is 86 bpm, I multiply by 1.333 and that becomes 114.6// 115 bpm, I should set my delay to 115 bpm for a quarter not delay, and I therefore would have dotted eighth note delay in 86 bpm correct??

[@AngelPerez-lm8uj]

Someone please reply telling me if I’m right or wrong 😅😂

[@PMTVUK]

Hi Angel, yes that's correct, alternatively you could set a delay time of 523ms for a dotted 8th delay over a tempo of 86 bpm . Hope that's helped :-) - Sam

[@zaloalvarez6947]

@@PMTVUK can you tell me how many ms for 82bpm song please? Thanks!!! 😁

[@Cain_Abyss]

7:27

[@oraliaolverasalazar1633]

How make 16th dotted?

[@johnnycha-rach1112]

Would anybody know which knob to turn on the prophet digital delay pedal to get dotted eight delay?

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

Johnny Cha-Rach Johnny, you’d have to adjust the rate with the song you’re playing. It doesn’t have the tap tempo dotted 8th like the Boss DD7 or Strymon delays.

[@johnnycha-rach1112]

@@erictoniaschwab1009 which knob would I do that with ? Cause the knob he is talking about mine doesn't have that or the name attached

[@erictoniaschwab1009]

Johnny Cha-Rach Johnny I’m sorry I got mixed up with the knob names on the Prophet. It would be the one labeled Time. That changes how fast or slow your delay is.

[@johnnycha-rach1112]

@@erictoniaschwab1009 okay thank you

[@opuslove5202]

omg just show me the setting

[@ginoperyong7335]

Lmao

[@TheAIaufYT]

A way better calculation is * or / by 0.75, as 3/4=0,75... You're welcome! :)

[@jeancarlosabdalamedina239]

Excellent explanation, but could they translate to Spanish? Thank you..

[@Boogieplex]

You must be the worlds biggest music nerd to have figured all this shit out.

[@draxbrady1535]

So temper trap

[@1982Datsun280ZX]

At 6:54, he slaps the table four times with the right hand while snapping his fingers three times with the left hand. How the hell does he do that? I am worthless.

[@pstrokeslibsarctic]

How the fuck to tap tempo that dotted tho I wanna cry

[@simonbrixjustesen3230]

Wish I wasn't too stupid to understand this

[@boydw1]

If only they'd just called it a 3/16ths note - would be much more obvious, and more accurate - there's nothing "8th" about it.

[@1willywonker]

thank you