Ableton 2290 Delay v.2.1 | Dynamic Delay
Max for Live Device (.amxd file)
Stereo Delay with Independent L/R Timing, Modulation and Dual Ducking for Ableton Live
A delay can do more than repeat a sound at regular intervals. Set the left and right echoes to different times, and a single phrase begins to produce its own counter rhythm. Add movement to those repeat times, or let the echoes travel across the stereo field, and the space around the phrase changes without another note being played. The challenge is keeping that activity useful once the arrangement fills up. An echo that adds detail between notes can obscure the next line when both play together.
2290 Delay 2.1 is a stereo Max for Live audio effect built around that balance. It combines independent timing and feedback for the two channels, tempo synchronization, alternating PingPong modes, modulation of delay time, pan and dynamics, and separate input responsive control of audible echoes and their feedback. These processes can be used together, but each addresses a different decision: when a repeat arrives, where it appears, how it changes, and whether it should remain prominent when new sound enters.
Build Independent Stereo Echo Patterns with Tempo Sync and PingPong
Start with a guitar phrase, a vocal fragment or a sequence of synth notes that leaves room for an answer. 2290 Delay lets the left and right channels use their own delay times and feedback levels. The two sides can repeat at different intervals, so the first echo does not have to return in the same place as the second. Small differences create a sense of width; larger rhythmic differences can turn an otherwise simple phrase into an interlocking pattern. The original recording stays where it is while the delayed responses change its perceived rhythm.
When the echoes need to follow the track, Sync converts a selected note value and an integer multiplier into each channel's delay time. Straight, dotted and triplet divisions are available, with multipliers from 1 to 32. This allows a short subdivision on one side and a longer phrase length on the other without manually calculating milliseconds. Disable Sync to set absolute delay times instead. The time controls provide values up to 30,000 ms, subject to the implementation's sample rate dependent limits.
L/R Link makes the left channel the source of the right channel's effective timing and feedback settings. Turn it off to return to separate left and right decisions; the right side's stored control values are distinct from what the linked signal path is currently using. FB L and FB R have continuous controls from 0 to 100, allowing the repeat density to be adjusted without reducing feedback to a few fixed steps. The internal feedback gain is limited below unity, so the top of the control is not a promise of endless repetition.
The TC2290 mode uses separate stereo delay paths. PingPong LR and PingPong RL change the direction of alternating echoes, allowing the same phrase to travel between the speakers in opposite orders. Mode selection also changes the internal feedback routing. The TC2290 label identifies an operating mode; it does not claim measured equivalence to the original hardware. Once the repeat pattern has a convincing rhythm, the next question is whether it should remain fixed or develop over time.
Animate the Repeats with Delay Time and Pan Modulation
A static pair of repeat times can become an identifiable part of a track, but sustained listening may call for movement inside that pattern. The DLY section modulates delay time, with independent Speed and Depth controls and an enable switch. Sine and Random shapes offer different kinds of motion; Envelope and TriggeredSine provide responses tied to the signal's detection behavior. A separate NORM or INV direction setting changes the sweep direction. As the delay time moves, the character and pitch of the repetitions can shift as well, especially at stronger settings.
Delay time modulation changes the repeated sound itself. PAN modulation instead changes where the sound appears. Its own Speed, Depth and waveform choices include Sine, Random, Envelope and TriggeredSine. Pan Route determines whether movement is directed toward the original signal, the delayed signal, both, or neither, while Pan Positionestablishes the reference position. This distinction matters when a lead vocal needs to stay centered but its echoes are free to move around it. Width then adjusts the breadth of the wet stereo image.
The DLY and PAN sections have separate activation controls, DMod and PMod, so a moving delay time does not require a moving stereo position. The interface also provides DYN, DLY, PAN and DIR views. Selecting a page is a way of reaching its controls, not an instruction to enable that processing automatically. Keeping these decisions independent allows a rhythmic echo to stay precisely timed while its position changes, or to acquire time modulation while its placement remains restrained.
The choice becomes more consequential when the arrangement grows. A delay that was exposed and expressive during the introduction may sit directly on top of a new vocal, bass phrase or percussion part. Modulation can make the sound more interesting, but it does not by itself solve the problem of repeated material competing with an incoming performance. That calls for control over level and feedback, not just motion.
Shape Dynamics and Keep the New Phrase Clear with Input Responsive Ducking
The DYN section can apply dynamic modulation with its own Speed, Depth and waveform selection. Its available patterns include Sine, Random, Envelope and TRIG, and DYN Reverse changes the direction of the dynamic response. This modulation is distinct from the input responsive Ducking activated through the threshold controls. A repeating volume movement and a level dependent reduction can serve different purposes, even when both influence the apparent strength of the delay.
A vocal line returns after an instrumental gap. The echoes can be clearly audible during the silence, yet should give priority to each new syllable. Setting ECHO THR to a negative dB value activates input responsive attenuation of the audible wet signal. Its threshold specifies the input level at which the response begins; DYN Depth specifies how much reduction is available. These are not interchangeable controls. Depth runs from 0 to 99 and can set a maximum attenuation ranging from 0 to 60 dB, while DYN Speed contributes to the return toward the original level.
ECHO THR accepts values from negative 144 dB to 0 dB, with 0 dB meaning OFF. A lower threshold can respond to quieter input, while a higher active threshold requires a stronger signal. The wet echoes are reduced when the input exceeds the chosen condition, rather than being permanently muted. This makes the delay's level responsive to the performance as it happens, so a long trail can remain useful between phrases without occupying the same foreground position as every new attack. The actual response depends on the input and the chosen settings.
That reduction affects what is heard at the wet output. It does not, by itself, decide how much signal continues circulating inside the delay. As the vocal becomes faster or a percussion pattern grows denser, old repeats can still build up behind the attenuated output. For that situation, 2290 Delay provides a second threshold at a different point in the signal path.
Control the Feedback Build Up Separately from the Echo Volume
FB THR applies input responsive attenuation inside the feedback path, before returning signal becomes the next generation of repeats. Its threshold is independent of ECHO THR and also uses negative dB values, with 0 dB as OFF. ECHO THR changes the level of the wet sound reaching the listener now; FB THR changes how much material is recirculated for later echoes. A quieter current echo and a shorter lasting sequence of repeats can sound similar at first, but their behavior diverges as the phrase continues.
For a sparse lead, you might leave FB THR off and let the feedback trail remain intact while ECHO THR briefly pulls the wet level down at each new note. In a dense section, adding FB THR can reduce how much of that trail accumulates from one event to the next. The two thresholds can be set separately or used together. Their attenuation is governed by the input detector and DYN Depth, with DYN Speed affecting recovery. DYN Reverse can alter the direction of this response, so its setting matters when using Ducking.
This separation is one of the device's central creative tools. Rather than turning down all feedback whenever the music becomes busy, it allows the current echo level and the future repeat density to be treated as related but different decisions. The left and right feedback controls still establish the underlying amount of repetition, while the two threshold paths determine how the incoming performance changes it. The result can remain animated without requiring every repeat to occupy the same amount of space.
Move Between Precise Rhythms, Diffuse Trails and a Controlled Mix
These controls become more useful when considered across an arrangement rather than as isolated effects. A short, synchronized left and right pattern might establish a second rhythm behind an opening synth. Later, a different PingPong direction can make the same phrase answer from the opposite side. A small amount of DLY modulation may soften the strict repetition into a more fluid texture, while PAN movement changes how that texture occupies the stereo field. When the lead returns, ECHO THR can make room for its entrance, and FB THR can limit the accumulation of further echoes.
This approach also works with guitar phrases, vocals, percussion and sound design material. Different sources call for different repeat times and different responses to input level. The important choice is whether the delay is acting as a rhythmic partner, a moving stereo layer or an extended tail that must recede when the next sound arrives. Dry/Wetdetermines how much of the processed signal is blended with the original, Width controls the wet image, and the final Level sets the output volume after the mix.
2290 Delay combines timing, repetition, movement and dynamics in one stereo effect. Its detailed controls are there to make the behavior of an echo responsive to the structure of a piece: a precisely placed answer can become a shifting texture, then retreat or stop accumulating when the next musical idea needs the foreground. It is a way to work with delayed sound as part of the arrangement, not merely an effect left running behind it.
License & Free Lifetime Updates
Your purchase grants a license to use the software, not ownership of its program code. Unauthorized copying, sharing, resale, sublicensing, or redistribution of the device, its source code, or bundled software assets is prohibited, except where permitted by applicable law or for authorized installation and backup.
The software, including its source code, algorithms, and bundled software assets, may not be used to create training datasets or to train or fine-tune machine learning or AI models without prior written permission. These restrictions do not prohibit the creation or commercial use of original music made with the device.
Your purchase includes free lifetime updates. Future published updates to this product are available at no additional cost. Existing customers can access the latest available files through the Sellfy account used for their original purchase. No additional purchase is required.
v.2.1 ... Expanded ducking thresholds and Depth attenuation, updated feedback scaling and modulation controls. (2026/11/2)
v.2.0.1 ... Updated stereo L/R delay routing, LINK control, and channel UI mapping.
(2026/10/24)
v.2.0 ... Updated DLY/PAN/DYN modulation controls and Time/Sync state handling. (2026/10/23)
v.1.1 ... Improved overall circuit modeling fidelity. (2026/5/26)
v.1.0.3 ... Fixed PingPong gain bug. (2026/5/15)
v.1.0.2 ... Fixed dry mix bug. (2026/5/9)
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