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"Your Complete DD-6 Delay Pedal Guide -- Vital Keys To Getting More Out Of Your Boss Delay Than Ever Before!"

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Get bigger sounding, better guitar solos when you master your Boss DD-6 delay pedal! Create cool effects that are out of this world by learning the secrets to tweaking your Boss digital delay pedal on stage or in the studio!

J Danger says:

"The DD-6 has recently been discontinued in favor of the new DD-7. Look for a review on THAT pedal when Nathan finally gets around to procuring one...until then, happy eBay shopping!"

Buy the NEW Boss DD-7 at amazon.com. These are better anyway!

Now, let's look into the pros and cons of owning a DD-6 delay pedal!

Setting the controls on your Boss DD6 delay

Setting the E. Level

The E. Level (Effect Level) lets you set how much of the effect you want to hear from your amplifier. I have noticed that the sensitivity of this knob varies DRAMATICALLY depending on your particular rig setup, including the order in which it is installed on your pedal board.

If you are using only amp distortion and this delay pedal, it will be MUCH more sensitive than if you are saturating your tone with a separate distortion pedal at the same time.

Adjust the E. Level on your DD-6 Delay Pedal to suit the song. During a solo with lots of slooooow bends and sustained notes, you can get away with more E. Level. This will help create "atmosphere" and color!

You should use much LESS delay during shred solos. And NONE during heavy riffs (unless it sounds cool). You may use delay to "cheat" only when you are too wasted to play anything other than "Sloppy and $hitty" by Too Drunk to Care and the Jager Bombs.

Setting the F. Back

Use the F. Back (Feedback) knob to set how many times you want the digital delay to back talk you. Be prepared, the DD-6 delay pedal talks increasingly MORE smack as you twist this knob to the right!

The delays sequentially taper down in volume as they occur, which means they kind of fade out gradually. I usually set mine at about 10 o'clock, giving me approximately three audible delays.

Setting the D. Time

With the Delay Time knob, you can adjust how FAST the delay happens. This knob is used more for creating psychedelic spaceship sounds than it is for setting an EXACT delay time. You can use the tap tempo feature for that. But if you want COOL SPACESHIP SOUNDS:

Simply crank the E. Level and F. Back knobs to the max. Then just twist the D. Time knob around! More on tap tempo and spaceship sounds later...

Setting the Mode on your Boss digital delay

"Mode" is one of your DD-6 Delay Pedal's most vital knobs. It lets you select important features such as the rhythmic value of your delay notes. Here is a handy reference to go by:

2600ms = quarter note
800ms = dotted eighth note
300ms = eighth note
80ms = eighth note triplets

David Gilmour, for example, has been known to set his digital delay to a dotted eighth note. Personally, this is my favorite as well. It creates contrast and layers between when you pick a note and the beat upon which the delayed notes land. Translation: it's more psychedelic!

Sub-features of Mode include Reverse, Hold, and Warp. I have had this pedal for a long, long time and never found these features useful for anything other than having semi-cool names and taking up space on the pedal's interface!

Inputs and Outputs to your Boss delay

The Boss DD-6 delay pedal offers you two in-holes and two out-holes. I only use Input A and Output A, which is all you need if you play guitar. The other inputs are there in case you want to simultaneously run a keyboard or something through it.

Strawberry Cupcake the Groupie says:

"EWWWW! Keyboards = GROSS!!"

"BUT, if you are EXTRA awesome and have TWO stage amplifiers, the two outputs can be utilized to bounce the effect back and forth between amps!"

Time Warp! Creating cool special effects with your Boss DD6 delay

Are you ready for a REALLY cool effect? Crank up the E. Level and strike a funky chord on that axe of yours...bend down on your knees in conventional Rock God fashion. Then, twist the D. Time knob up and down...this can be the perfect climactic song ender or spacey pre-guitar solo anticipation builder.

The result is space ship sounds! It works best if BOTH the E. Level and F. Back are ALL the way up. Then just twist the D. Time like a DJ. When you are done, kill the infinite loop by turning E. Level and F. Back down to zero.

Want to learn how to play any song, at any speed, just by listening to it?

Special Things to Consider When Playing On Stage!

The rules change when you are in Performance Mode! Especially when attempting to dance all over your pedals while simultaneously bending that wound 'G' string into submission AND maintaining "seasoned rocker's mouth" (see right)

Yes, guitar effects pedals require practice, too. The good thing about Boss pedals is that you can STOMP the crap out of them!

Have you tried the famous DS-1 pedal yet? -- Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal: Distortion Pedals, Boss Guitar Pedals -- Use It, Abuse It, and Embarrass It At Parties!

What sucks a big one is when you realize it's time to stomp one of your guitar effects, but only after you are in that cool rock star pose all the way up on a speaker stack as tall as the bus you rode in on, which ALREADY took precise timing and calculation to maneuver your way up onto in the first place!

In this unique situation of desperation, I recommend the "JUMP and RUN" move. Hit the floor and prance on over to your prized row of effects pedals with the prideful strides of a rockstar like yourself! Keep your cool, and press the pedals with calculated easy, never showing your urgency outwardly.

Set the Tempo with your foot

To do this trick with the DD-6 delay pedal, you have to start by holding your foot down for a couple of seconds. You will then see the LED begin to flash, letting you know you are ready to tap your foot and set the tempo. Give it at least three good solid taps...then on the last one, continue to hold your foot down until the LED stops flashing. Success!

Discreet = Cool

When you are performing all this fancy footwork, remember to play it cool. Tap with confidence. I take it you have already gotten used to this move from the privacy of your own home before playing in front of cute girls and important industry people!? NO? Well I take it back. There ARE no important industry people!

Final Argument

Boss Pedals are always GREAT choices in guitar effects! And the Boss DD-6 Delay Pedal is compact, relatively easy to use, and versatile for what it offers. There is fancier stuff out there, and one day I will probably upgrade to one of those fancier devices. But for now, I find the DD-6 delay pedal an awesome addition to my pedal board!

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