Delay

Name: Delay
Author: Kilohearts

by Kilohearts · Delay · Stereo digital delay

Not rated yet

A free stereo delay from Kilohearts with free-running or tempo-synced times, feedback, ping-pong and pan.

A Duck control lowers the echoes while the dry signal is playing, which keeps repeats out of the way of vocals and leads.

Best for: Vocals, Guitars, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: ducking, clean, vocals, digital delay, free, ping-pong, CPU-light, electric guitar, synths, mixing, slapback, sound design, tempo-synced.

What it does

Delay is Kilohearts' basic "Echoing effect": a clean digital delay line with feedback, ping-pong and ducking.

Timing: set the delay in milliseconds or sync it to the host tempo.
Feedback and Ping-Pong: feedback creates decaying repeats; Ping-Pong bounces them between the left and right speakers.
Duck: turns the echoes down while input is present and lets them come up in the gaps.
Pan and Mix: place the delayed signal in the stereo field and balance dry against wet.
Snapin use: loads in Phase Plant, Multipass or Snap Heap, where its knobs can be modulated and it can be combined with other Snapins.

It also loads as a Snapin inside Kilohearts' Phase Plant, Multipass and Snap Heap. It is free as part of Kilohearts Essentials.

Source: Kilohearts product page

When to use it

Kilohearts Delay is the pick for clean, simple echoes with ducking, or as a delay block inside Phase Plant and Snap Heap chains. It lacks the tape and analog modes, modulation and filtering of ValhallaDelay and FabFilter Timeless 3, and it is cleaner than Valhalla's free Freq Echo, which gives a more colored echo. It is the simpler sibling of Kilohearts' Dual Delay.

Best for: clean slapback and synced echoes on vocals, guitars and synths, and ducked delays that stay clear of the dry part.
Genres: any genre.
Look elsewhere if: you want tape, analog or modulated character; ValhallaDelay or Timeless 3 are better fits.
Standout: the Duck control, which keeps echoes clear of the dry signal without extra routing.

What producers say

Reviews of this Snapin on its own are rare; opinion on the Kilohearts Essentials set it belongs to is positive, with the main criticism that the plugins are minimal on their own.

KVR users rate the Kilohearts Essentials set 5/5 from two reviews: one (2022) called it a "Good, useful collection of professional, but compact plugins," and another (2025) praised "Superb lightweight plugins rivaling many commercial and on-hype products!"
The Pro Audio Files (2019) reviewing the Snapin range, found them light on CPU and cost, "yet they sound unexpectedly great," with "clean aesthetic and uncluttered interfaces."
Gripe: a 2026 review of Essentials found that "many of the Essentials plugins feel minimal" on their own, and that they are "designed for precision rather than coloration."

Where to buy

Kilohearts: Free

Tutorials and reviews

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