Dynamic Delay

Name: Dynamic Delay
Price: 9.99 USD
Author: Initial Audio

by Initial Audio · Delay · Self-ducking stereo delay

Not rated yet

Dynamic Delay is a stereo delay from Initial Audio that ducks its repeats while the input is playing, so echoes fill the gaps.

It adds a built-in reverb, saturation, detune and steep filters, and costs $20.

Best for: Vocals, Guitars, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Pop, Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM.

Keywords: ducking, vocals, dual-mono, mixing, sidechain input, analog-sounding, dirty, resizable UI, sound design.

What it does

Dynamic Delay is a stereo delay built around ducking: the repeats drop while the dry signal plays and come back in the gaps. The developer pitches it as "perfect for vocals", keeping the lead clear while the delay still fills the space.

Self-ducking: a built-in sidechain with threshold and release controls, so no separate compressor or routing is needed.
Stereo delay: independent left and right delay times, each with 19 note-rate settings, and feedback that can be linked or set per side.
Built-in reverb: a reverb section based on Initial Audio's AR1 Reverb.
Distortion: saturation based on the developer's Boost X plugin, for dirtier repeats.
Detune: an algorithm that adds slight pitch variation so the repeats sound less static.
Filters: 36 dB analog-modeled low-cut and high-cut filters for thinning out the delays.
Wet solo: a button to hear only the effect while you set it up; the interface is resizable.

A fully working free demo is available.

Source: Initial Audio product page

When to use it

Dynamic Delay is the cheap, simple choice when ducking is the main thing you want from a delay. Compared with EchoBoy and Timeless 3, which also offer ducking, it has far fewer delay styles, no tape or analog models and no deep modulation, but it costs a fraction of the price and is quicker to set up. It is closest in spirit to Baby Audio's Comeback Kid, another simple delay with ducking built in; Dynamic Delay adds a reverb section and independent left and right times. Its note-rate-only timing makes it less suited to slapback or precise millisecond work than Valhalla Delay.

Best for: vocal throws and lead delays that should stay out of the way of the dry part.
Genres: pop, hip-hop and electronic production.
Look elsewhere if: you want tape or analog delay emulations, millisecond timing, rhythm patterns or deep modulation; EchoBoy or Timeless 3 do much more.
Tip: raise the sidechain threshold until the delay sits under the vocal, so the repeats fill the silences between phrases.

What producers say

The one full review found treats it as a useful, good-value mixing tool, with a few limits.

MusicTech (Si Gordon, 2020) recommended it for vocals, praising its "pleasing sound" and saying the results in a mix are "fantastic" without extra sidechain routing.
Criticisms: MusicTech noted there is no millisecond timing, only note rates, that the reverb sounds "more mechanical than acoustic", and that the rate control stereo-links when adjusted.

MusicTech review

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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