How Do You Use an Expression Pedal With a Delay or Reverb Pedal?

Expression pedals allow us to unlock some extra potential from our gear. When paired with various effects types, such as delay and reverb, they allow you to dynamically control parameters like delay time, feedback, or reverb depth in real-time.

This means you never have to take your hands off your guitar to adjust settings on stage. But if you’ve ever wondered how to setup and use an expression pedal with your delay or reverb effects, you’re not alone. 

In this post, we’re going to break down how expression pedals work, how to connect them to your delay or reverb unit, what parameters you can typically control (this will vary from pedal to pedal), and learn some pro tips to get the most out of your delay- and reverb-soaked tones.

What is an expression pedal?

An expression pedal is a type of pedal that allows you to control specific parameters from another effects unit. Think of this like a control pot but you can manipulate it with your foot, in real time, as you play.

Most expression pedals allow you to set the sweep of the pedal to operate between 2 specific values, for example fully dry to fully wet, or 50% room size to 100% room size.

An expression pedal will only change what you tell it to change, which allows you to have additional control over an effects unit mid song that you would otherwise need to manipulate by hand.

Why would you use one?

If you ever need to change certain parameters on the fly without bending over and doing it by hand, an expression pedal offers a simple and quick solution to this. It gives you the ability to change a range of settings depending on the type of pedal you are pairing it with.

It gives you the ability to do things on the go that you couldn't do without it, such as:

• Create oscillating feedback loops by ramping up delay feedback.
• Swell ambient sounds in mid-riff
• Blend between wet and dry sounds
• Manipulate speed and time on delay pedals.

Depending on your pedal, various different settings can be linked with the expression pedal.

How to connect your expression pedal

Once you've made the decision to get an expression pedal, you now need to set it up. Here is a typical set up process to get you started. Always check the specific user guides for your expression pedal of choice and the pedal you are pairing it with.

Check it's compatible

The most important thing to check is that your reverb or delay pedal can support an expression pedal control. You will know if it does because the pedal will typically have an output jack labelled something like EXP, EXP IN, CTRL or something else to that degree. 

This will all be detailed in the manual of the pedal. You will also find information about how to assign parameters to the pedal, what parameters can be assigned and what type of cable is needed to make the connection (Note: most will require a 1/4" TRS cable).

Get the right cable

Most expression pedals will require a TRS jack cable. This stands for tip-ring-sleeve. A standard guitar 1/4" cable is a TS (tip-sleeve) style cable. The TRS allows for signal to be continuously sent, rather than a typical on/off style signal.

Connect it up

Connect one side of your TRS cable to your expression pedal output and the other end to the EXP/CTRL jack of your pedal of choice. Once you've done this, you just need to follow the pedals user manual to assign the relevant parameters that you need to adjust on the go.

Some digital pedals from brands such as Line 6, Strymon or Eventide, will have more assignable options than other pedals. Most of these can be accessed via software connections which allow for deeper levels of signal routing.

What can you control with an expression pedal?

Most modern delay and reverb units will allow you to set a minimum and maximum value for the parameter you are controlling. This can be as extreme as 0% in the heel down position to 100% in the toe down position, or you can set it somewhere in the middle. 

For example, you might set your heel down reverb tone at a 25% wet/dry mix, but when you want more ambience, you can set the toe down position to a 50% wet/dry mix. 

The range of what you can control really depends on the specific pedal you are linking it with, but as a rough guide, here are some typical settings you may be able to assign to an expression pedal:

Delay pedals

• Mix/Level - This is the wet/dry setting or the volume of the delay repeat. This controls how much of the delay signal you hear.
• Feedback/Repeats - The number of times you hear the delay repeat. The higher this is, the most chance you can push yourself into self oscillation (which is very fun!)
• Delay Time - The speed of the delay 
• Modulation Depth/Rate - If you have a modulated delay you may be able to control the intensity of the modulation.

Reverb pedals

• Decay/Time - The overall length of the reverb tail that you hear. You can go from a small room slapback to a huge cavernous reverb.
• Mix - The blend between your dry signal and the wet reverb signal.
• Shimmer - If you have a shimmer verb you can control the amount of shimmer added.
• Pre-Delay - This is the amount of time it takes for your dry signal to hit the virtual back of the room and bounce back. Bigger spaces have more pre-delay.

Try it yourself and experiment

Using an expression pedal with delay or reverb opens up a whole new world of real-time sound shaping and tone tweaking.

Whether you're looking to create smooth ambient textures, dynamic live performance effects, or studio-grade modulations, this simple addition to your pedalboard can make your tone far more expressive and unlock some new options that you didn't know you needed.

Try it yourself and you'll never need to bend over to change your pedal settings mid-gig ever again!

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