Overview
80s Color Delay is an individual effect included with 80s Suite and extracted from the 80s Rack wet effects block. It focuses on colored, spatial delay patterns rather than tempo-sync note values.
The front panel offers two public modes: Circular and Pan Delay. Circular creates an orbiting multi-tap pattern, while Pan Delay uses a simpler left/right pan-delay pattern.
Formats
80s Color Delay is included as Universal 2 VST3, AU, and AAX on macOS 14 or later. The Windows 80s Suite 1.0.2 release includes native x64 VST3 and AAX.
Quick Start
- Insert 80s Color Delay on a guitar track, synth track, vocal throw, or effects return.
- Leave BYPASS off.
- Choose CIRCULAR for orbiting repeats or PAN DELAY for a simpler stereo bounce.
- Set TIME for the repeat spacing.
- Raise FEEDBACK for more repeats.
- Use DIFFUSION for softer, more blended repeats, then set MIX for the final balance.
Controls Table
| Control | Range / Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| BYPASS | Off / On | Bypasses the color delay processor. |
| MODE | CIRCULAR, PAN DELAY. Default: Circular | Selects the delay topology. |
| TIME | 20-1000 ms. Default: 584 ms | Sets the base delay time. |
| FEEDBACK | 0-95%. Default: 40% | Controls how much delayed signal feeds back for additional repeats. |
| DIFFUSION | 0-200%. Default: 160% | Smears and softens the repeats. Higher values make repeats less discrete. |
| MIX | 0-100%. Default: 30% | Blends dry signal with the delay return. Double-click returns to 100%. Mode changes and Factory Default preserve the current setting. |
| Mix Lock | Off / On | When locked, loading ordinary factory or user presets and using A/B comparison preserves the live MIX value. The lock is stored with the DAW session, not inside presets. |
| Preset strip | Factory/user presets | Loads, saves, compares, and deletes presets for 80s Color Delay. |
| Licensing | Settings menu | Shows demo time and imports or removes the 80s Suite license. |
Tips
- Start by setting TIME before FEEDBACK; the repeat spacing changes the whole groove.
- Use CIRCULAR for wide guitar or synth echoes that move around the stereo field.
- Use PAN DELAY when you want a clearer left/right rhythmic bounce.
- Lower DIFFUSION when repeats need to stay distinct.
- On an aux return, try MIX at 100% and control level from the send or return fader.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| No repeats | Confirm BYPASS is off, MIX is above 0%, and FEEDBACK is not at 0%. |
| The delay is too washy | Lower DIFFUSION, FEEDBACK, or MIX. |
| The delay feels out of time | 80s Color Delay uses millisecond TIME, not host-tempo sync. Use 80s Sync Delay when you need note values. |
| The sound is not wide | Use a stereo track or mono-to-stereo routing. |
| Presets are missing | Re-run the installer and confirm the 80s Color Delay preset folder exists under /Users/Shared/SignalworksDSP/Presets/ on macOS or C:\ProgramData\SignalworksDSP\Presets\ on Windows. |
| Processing stops after 20 minutes | Restart the host for a new demo session or import the signed 80s Suite .lic file in Settings > Licensing. |