Lexicon MPX 550 manual Dly/Eko

Program Descriptions

Lexicon

DLY/EKO

Delays and echoes repeat a sound a short time after it first occurs. The simplest (and oldest) delay effect is tape slap - a single repeat about 100ms after the original sound. Tape slap was often used on Elvis Presley’s voice and rockabilly guitar tracks.

Tape slap becomes tape echo when the output of the tape is fed back into the input (feedback). This turns a single repeat into a series of repeats, each a little softer and a little darker than the last. This darkening is characteristic of the analog tape recording process.

Digital echoes do not have this characteristic; each repeat has the same exact timbre. For digital echoes, loudness is the only difference from repeat to repeat.

Tape and digital echoes are both useful, but different. Tape echo is warmer, allowing the original sound to distinguish itself. Digital echo presents a "perfect" copy of the original sound.

The DLY/EKO programs include mono (5.5 seconds), stereo (2.7 seconds), and 6-voice multi-tap effects. Each program can be used for tape or digital delay or echo effects. When the "Adjust" parameter (Edit Page 1, EDIT knob 1) is set to a value between 0 and 63, digital delay effects are produced. Each repeat is the same timbre, but softer. When the "Adjust" parameter is set to a value between 64 and 127, tape effects are produced. Each repeat is darker and softer.

In programs 90 to 97, the "Adjust"		MIN
parameter sets the amount of
feedback with an increasing number	Delays	Echoes
of repeats as the setting is increased.	MAX	MAX
Delay time is set with Tap. Each

program is preset with a different useful rhythm. In programs 98 to 104, the amount of feedback is preset and the "Adjust" parameter determines the delay time.

With all delay and echo effects, note the way the repeats fall rhythmically to the beat. The most effective delay and echo patterns are those that lock with the tempo of the music.

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