EHX Deluxe Memory Man Settings Guide
The bucket-brigade analog delay that Eddie Van Halen and Andy Summers made famous. Warm, darkening repeats with built-in chorus and vibrato modulation.
Used by: Andy Summers, The Edge, Jerry Garcia
The best EHX Deluxe Memory Man settings start with: Delay at 400/10, Mix at 40/10, Feedback at 3/10, Chorus at 2/10, Vibrato at 0/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Classic Rock: Delay 430/10, Mix 35/10, Feedback 3/10, Chorus 3/10, Vibrato 0/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Delay | 400/10 | Short → Long |
| Mix | 40/10 | Dry → Wet |
| Feedback | 3/10 | Single → Infinite |
| Chorus | 2/10 | Off → Deep |
| Vibrato | 0/10 | Off → Deep |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Quarter-note delay with warm Chorus on the repeats. The Memory Man's chorus modulation makes the echoes feel alive in a way digital delays cannot replicate — they subtly detune on each repeat, creating a naturally evolving texture.
Long delay, high Mix, multiple Repeats, pronounced Chorus modulation. The Memory Man in heavy Chorus mode creates the lush, cascading delay character of classic shoegaze. Volume swell into this setting for ambient lead passages.
Short slapback, low Mix, no modulation. The Memory Man's warm BBD character suits country slapback better than crystal-clear digital delay — the repeats are slightly filtered and warm, matching vintage tape machine character.
Maximum delay time, high Mix and Feedback approaching self-oscillation, moderate Chorus modulation. Self-oscillation on the Memory Man sounds organic and musical compared to digital self-oscillation — the BBD circuit degrades gracefully.
Artist Settings
Documented settings used by professional guitarists on this unit.
Summers used the original Memory Man for The Police's classic delay sound — the Chorus modulation on the repeats is essential to his character. His tone on Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Message in a Bottle uses Memory Man's warm BBD repeats with pronounced Chorus to create the shimmering, living echo quality.
The Edge used the Memory Man in U2's early career (before moving to more precise digital delays). I Will Follow and Pride (In the Name of Love) used BBD delays for a warm, slightly imprecise echo. He used minimal Chorus modulation — the warmth of the BBD circuit itself was sufficient character.
Garcia used the Memory Man as part of his extensive effects chain. The subtle Vibrato modulation adds the psychedelic pitch movement his lead style incorporated. Into a clean Fender-style amp, this setting produces warm, slightly pulsing echoes that suit improvised lead playing over long jams.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Memory Man's Chorus modulation is one of its defining features — even at low settings it adds the characteristic "aliveness" that separates BBD from digital delay.
- Self-oscillation sounds genuinely musical — Feedback at maximum creates a sustained, growing swel that can be used as a performance technique, not just an accident.
- The Memory Man runs on 24V DC (not standard 9V) — use the included adapter or a regulated 24V supply. A 9V supply will damage the circuit.
- Temperature affects BBD chip performance — cold Memory Man repeats at slightly different timing and character from a fully warmed unit. Allow 15 minutes warm-up for consistent tone.
- The chorus modulation depth varies the apparent delay time as well as the pitch — at high Chorus settings, the delay appears to "wobble" slightly in time, which is the characteristic vintage tape-echo quality.
FAQ
EHX Deluxe Memory Man — Common Questions
Best starting settings for EHX Deluxe Memory Man: Delay at 400/10, Mix at 40/10, Feedback at 3/10, Chorus at 2/10, Vibrato at 0/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Classic Rock: Delay 430/10, Mix 35/10, Feedback 3/10, Chorus 3/10, Vibrato 0/10. Quarter-note delay with warm Chorus on the repeats. The Memory Man's chorus modulation makes the echoes feel alive in a way digital delays cannot replicate — they subtly detune on each repeat, creating a naturally evolving texture.
For Shoegaze: Delay 500/10, Mix 55/10, Feedback 6/10, Chorus 5/10, Vibrato 0/10. Long delay, high Mix, multiple Repeats, pronounced Chorus modulation. The Memory Man in heavy Chorus mode creates the lush, cascading delay character of classic shoegaze. Volume swell into this setting for ambient lead passages.
Delay: Delay time — from 30ms to 550ms. Longer than most BBD pedals. (Short to Long). Mix: Wet/dry balance. Below 12 o'clock for musical; above for dramatic wash. (Dry to Wet). Feedback: Repeat count. Self-oscillation begins above 3 o'clock. (Single to Infinite). Chorus: Adds chorus modulation to the repeats — gives the warm, slightly detuned character unique to the Memory Man. (Off to Deep). Vibrato: Pitch modulation on the repeats — more dramatic than Chorus. The classic Memory Man "wow" characteristic. (Off to Deep)
The Memory Man's Chorus modulation is one of its defining features — even at low settings it adds the characteristic "aliveness" that separates BBD from digital delay. Self-oscillation sounds genuinely musical — Feedback at maximum creates a sustained, growing swel that can be used as a performance technique, not just an accident. The Memory Man runs on 24V DC (not standard 9V) — use the included adapter or a regulated 24V supply. A 9V supply will damage the circuit. Temperature affects BBD chip performance — cold Memory Man repeats at slightly different timing and character from a fully warmed unit. Allow 15 minutes warm-up for consistent tone. The chorus modulation depth varies the apparent delay time as well as the pitch — at high Chorus settings, the delay appears to "wobble" slightly in time, which is the characteristic vintage tape-echo quality.
Andy Summers settings: Delay 440/10, Mix 40/10, Feedback 4/10, Chorus 5/10, Vibrato 0/10. Summers used the original Memory Man for The Police's classic delay sound — the Chorus modulation on the repeats is essential to his character. His tone on Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Message in a Bottle uses Memory Man's warm BBD repeats with pronounced Chorus to create the shimmering, living echo quality.
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