(1) The first stage of a five-stage D(elay)AD(ecay)SR envelope, which delays the beginning of the envelope’s attack segment. See ADSR.
(2) An audio effect which temporarily suppresses the beginning of a sound, producing echo, chorusing, phasing, and flanging effects. A modulated digital delay effect which varies the time and/or intensity of the delay effect over time. See double tracking.
(3) A signal processor used for flanging, chorusing, and echo, that holds its input for some period of time before passing it to the output, or the algorithm within a signal processor that creates delay. Also used in artificial reverberation systems and to provide delayed sound to certain loudspeakers in time-coherent sound reinforcement systems.