EchoPlex

@simeon is doing a great job for the forum and for the users, i personally would have hoped he would be hired in to make som presets for the ax8. personally i use his settings to learn and see what to do, I dont use his presets on the exchange as -is but go trough them to see what he does and how he achieve his sounds and soundscapes. so as soon as i get my PayPal going again i will donate some cashola.

when it comes to an Echoplex - they all sound different - so the challenge for me at least is to find a middle ground that is sorta-kinda Echoplex. you can mess with the motor speed and two modulations (mod 1 and 2 in the delay block - mono tape). i can get pretty close there but i miss out (read fail) when i try to make the right EQ to an Echoplex (well same goes for a Space Echo RE-201, 301, 501 or SRE-555 thats my faves) I have owned most of the old ones including a real green one (Binson Echorec) they all have different sound and characteristics in the preamp and how they clip/mold the signal. Here is where I am loosing out due to lack of knowledge. I dont know if it is done before, I found some old posts in the Standard/Ultra section with some very useful tips and pointers. I would say the same with the ehx deluxe memory man - i am getting close but no really there (i have and old 11r from avid that nail these sounds), so I will continue tweaking and learning :)
 
James Santiago put up an IR of an Echoplex preamp/tape combination that might help you out.
thanks a lot, i have found that one and it helped quite a bit :)
if you have some pointers i am all ears :) here is my plexi lead patch with it (sorry if i hi-jack the tread) i use it with a strat with slightly overwound alnico iii pups ( i am old school and dont play with modern gain). the other non active blocks are just me messing around with things to learn so just ignore them.
 

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Hey - I'm working on a cool book about stompboxes - we're in search of an echoplex model for a photoshoot in NYC - does anyone have any leads?

The book will feature interviews with a many great guitarists about a specific pedal they choose. We've got Jack White, J Mascis, Lee Ranaldo and many others already confirmed which is awesome.

Happy to share more with you about the project too!
 
Every Echoplex I've heard over the years (and that's a lot of units) has sounded a little different from the others. I'm not just talking about tape aging, either.

I think the best thing to do is to play around and see what you like. Watch some videos if you don't have a unit to play with.

Start "authentically" by using just one voice/line (head) by setting LEVEL2 and FEEDBACK 2 to 0.

I've heard dark ones (high cut around 1K)
...and thin ones (low cut around 200 Hz).
MANY are "thin".
After you adjust EQ, also adjust feedback and mix until the balance feels right.

Then Isolate one area of the algorithm at a time and find out what it does.

One thing I've found is that most units don't have nearly as much of modulation as the typical emulation might suggest. If anything, it is often barely perceptible. The factory settings for MONO TAPE reflect this very accurately. You can explore different modulation settings as well. Set LFO DEPTH range to HIGH and set mix high while you work. Remember that LFO Phase controls do nothing while the MONO TAPE mode is engaged.

For "Flutter" (I like about 16 Hz). For wow I like it faster than most... almost memory-man territory (4-5 Hz).

Also, I like ducking, which feels a bit like compression. A tip for ducking is to set Mix to 100% while you dial it in.

Mix can be deceiving. Once you dial in your desired delay flavor, the "usual" settings may need revisitation. In playing with the MONO TAPE while writing this, I ended up with MIX at 80% and it sounded fairly balanced. EQ settings and ducking are in play.

Push feedback hard and see how the DRIVE control works.

You might simulate the Echoplex preamp with a (tape) DRIVE before or after the DELAY.

In some of my presets, I've used a synth block and filter to simulate the signature noise of the pedal.

Play around. The palette is there for you to imitate what you hear. One great way to learn to do that is to experiment.
 
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