Tape Delay

A delay created by using a tape recorder to produce what is called a slapback echo or slapback delay. Originally, some of the signal from the tape recorders’ playback head would be mixed back into the signal going to the record head. Because of the distance between the heads, typical delays were generated in the range of 100 and 200 ms (depending on brand and tape speed). The effect was later refined in dedicated tape machines using endless tape loop and variable speed. The effect is said to be invented - by accident - by Sam Cornelius Phillips, owner of legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.