Echoplex Digital Pro User's Guide
Contents
1. but the flexibility afforded by programmable digital control also makes possible a much wider range of performance options One of the great things about the Echoplex Digital Pro is that it offers both instant gratification and depth Once you hook it up it will probably take you about 10 minutes to learn how to work the basic functions and start making music After that you may be intoxicated with power for an hour or two before you re ready to come back and learn more The Echoplex Digital Pro will reward further study because there are layers of refinements that will allow you to create more complex pieces with interesting variations But because you start making cool music from day 1 you can learn to use these refinements at your own pace gradually adding to your bag of Echoplex tricks when you have the time and energy We ve tried to make that process as efficient for you as possible by providing you with a carefully planned front panel footpedal and manual In the next few paragraphs you ll learn the basics of using your Echoplex Digital Pro After you ve recovered from the shocking joy of your first loops browse through this manual at your leisure You ll discover lots of new ideas that will keep you coming back time after time Make the connections The basic connections for using the Echoplex Digital Pro are quite simple power audio in and out and the optional footpedal Follow along with the steps below and refer to Figure 2 12. are lit in this condition and the current loop simply plays back over and over Other Modes These are the states that the Echoplex Digital Pro is in after you ve pressed a button to initiate an action but before you ve ended the action The mode is the name of the button that you ve pressed e g Record mode Mute mode Insert mode etc Loop Loop Length Current Loop Cycle A loop is the entire program that plays when the Echoplex is in Play mode The length of the loop is the number that is in the time display while in Play mode the length of the recorded material which will be less than the total length available for recording If the MoreLoops parameter is greater than one see MoreLoops in the Reference chapter then the Echoplex will hold several different loops In this case one loop will be active at any given time and we ll call this the current loop The leftmost digit in the display is the number of the current loop When you use Multiply or Insert a new loop is built from a number of blocks of material with identical lengths We ll call each of these component blocks a cycle or less commonly a Beat and continue to refer to the entire groups of cycles as a loop Resetting Loops Empty Loops When you reset a loop by holding down the Record button for a couple of seconds or reset all loops with a long press of the Multiply button if you ve already reset the current loop you completely empty it The time display will
3. bar bass riff over two repetitions of a 2 bar chord pattern Or if you have enough memory you can use Multiply to record a long solo over a repetitive backing track It s a powerful function that adds a lot to your expressive capabilities using the Echoplex Digital Pro Here s a quick introduction to Multiply 1 Record a simple short loop 2 Press Multiply and play over several repetitions of the loop 3 Press Multiply again to end the recording Multiply doesn t restart the loop the instant you press it the second time it always rounds up so that the original loop isn t cut off in the middle Notice that the right hand digit of the display counts the repetitions of your first loop as the entire loop is played back There are a number of situations where we ll need to distinguish between these so we ll introduce some terminology Key Point The first loop the atom that you started with is called a cycle We ll reserve the term loop to refer to the full loop which can consist of several full cycles never a fractional number of cycles like 2 1 2 If you ve just recorded a single loop and not used Multiply or Insert then your loop will be exactly one cycle long Chapter 2 Front Back and Underfoot In this chapter we ll discuss the physical elements of the interface the front panel optional EFC 7 footpedal and back panel The Front Panel The front panel of the Echoplex Digital Pro contains a Power Switch Knobs that s
4. be all that you need to create great loops with no audio or rhythmic glitches file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 4 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide As you record you ll see the length of the current recording in the display Keep an eye on this especially if you don t have much memory installed in your unit see Appendix A Memory for more details Your maximum recording time is displayed when you first power on the Echoplex Digital Pro If you exceed this time during recording your loop won t be kept with the default settings See Overflow in the Reference chapter for other options If your loop seems surprisingly loud or soft in relation to what you played adjust the Mix level and make a new recording repeating steps 1 3 above Keep doing this until you find the right balance If you want to record a new loop simply repeat steps 1 3 above If you want to reset completely clear the loop simply press and hold the Record button for a couple of seconds For more information on recording see Record in the Reference chapter Mute If you get sick of listening to your loop you can silence it without erasing it by pressing the Mute button The light under the Mute button on the front panel will turn red Press the Mute button a second time to hear your loop again For more information see MuteMode in the Reference chapter Overdub Now that
5. sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide stereo cable See the Reference chapter entries for BeatSync and BrotherSync for more information Voltage Selector Switch The Echoplex Digital Pro can operate on US style 115V power Japanese style 100V power and on European style 230V power All that s required is that the Voltage Selector Switch be set properly and the proper power cord be attached to the Power Input Jack Power Input Jack Use a power cord to connect this to a wall socket after checking that the Voltage Selector Switch is set properly Stereo Operation You can use a pair of Echoplex Digital Pros to loop stereo signals A BrotherSync connection will ensure that the two halves of the signal maintain their phase relationships through loops of any length A MIDI connection provides simultaneous control over the process Figure 2 4 shows the way to create a seamless connection The values of all parameters in the MIDI row of the function grid should be set identically in both units Chapter 3 MIDI There are a number of different ways that MIDI interacts with the Echoplex Digital Pro These are e Loops can be dumped to sequencers and samplers and loaded from these devices without any loss of sound quality see the Dump and Load entries in the Reference chapter e MIDI Note On messages can be used to trigger loops see the LoopTrig and SamplerStyle entries in the Reference chapter e MIDI clo
6. the discussion of Sync in the Reference chapter for more information Buttons and Row Indicator Lights Play Mode and the Row Indicator Lights The row of 8 buttons on the right side of the Echoplex Digital Pro control most operations The leftmost button labeled Parameters alters the meaning of the other buttons When none of the Row Indicator Lights to the left file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 7 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide of the function grid the printed names of all the functions arranged in a 4x8 grid under the buttons are lit then all buttons perform their primary functions Record Overdub Multiply etc This state is what we call Play Mode and is probably where you ll spend the most time while performing Pressing the Parameter button several times selects each row in turn lighting the corresponding indicator light When a row indicator light is lit then the buttons other than Parameters take on the meanings written in that row of the grid For instance when the Loops light is on the Record button no longer performs the Record function instead it finds a convenient phone booth and changes into the MoreLoops button able to increase the number of loops with a single push When we refer to this in the text we ll utilize both button names for example Press the Record MoreLoops button The Persistence of Memory All changes to pa
7. you have a loop running let s start to have some fun by overdubbing some additional sounds It s incredibly easy 1 Press Overdub The Overdub light turns red 2 Play Each time the loop restarts you ll hear whatever you played during the last pass added to the mix 3 When you re done overdubbing press Overdub again to stop it s a good idea to not leave the Overdub function on when you re not actually playing For more information see Overdub in the Reference chapter Undo If you don t like what you ve just overdubbed you can press Undo to erase it If your loop length is short compared to the amount of memory in your Echoplex Undo can erase the layers of overdubs one by one However this capability is limited by the amount of memory that you have installed If your loop length is longer than half your memory capacity for instance you won t be able to Undo at all Undo also cancels a function that you may have started by accident After you press Record without meaning to for instance you can recover your loop simply by pressing Undo instead of Record to end the Record operation file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 5 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide For more information see Undo in the Reference chapter Multiply Multiply is like Overdub except that Multiply lets you record longer passages For instance you can use Multiply to overlay a 4
8. Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide Echoplex Digital Pro User s 4 Guide Introduction About This Manual 1 Quick Start 2 Front Back and Underfoot The Front Panel The Footpedal The Back Panel Stereo Operation 3 MIDI 4 Reference Credits Back to Oberheim About This Manual Typeface Conventions Button and knob names are shown in bold since references to them are usually about actions that you might take file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 1 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide Function and Operation names are shown in a plain typeface Buttons generally either represent parameters or initiate actions which we usually call functions or operations We use different versions of the same typeface for the button bold and the function regular e g the Record button starts and ends Record operations Parameter Names and Values will be shown as italics Examples Press the Overdub button You can end the Record operation several ways When MuteMode Continuous the loop runs in the background even when it s silent Terminology There are a few key terms that are used frequently in this manual Here s a summary Play Mode This is the condition of the Echoplex Digital Pro when you re not editing parameters or performing an operation like recording overdubbing inserting etc None of the Row Indicator Lights
9. and Figure 2 3 for more information 1 Check that the Power Selector Switch on the back of the unit is set properly for your power source 115V for US and Japanese style power outlets or 230V for European style If it is set incorrectly change it to the correct setting with a screwdriver 2 Plug the Echoplex Digital Pro into a power source using the supplied power cord 3 If you own the optional EFC 7 footpedal connect it to the Footpedal jack on the back panel using a standard guitar cord with 1 4 phone plugs on each end 4 Connect an audio source to the Echoplex s back panel Audio Input jack with a file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 3 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide standard guitar cord or plug a high impedance microphone directly into the jack The Echoplex Digital Pro can accept microphone level instrument level and line level inputs along with anything in between 5 Connect the Echoplex s Audio Output jack to an amplifier mixer or preamp to let you hear what s happening These are all the basic connections See Chapter 2 for information on additional possibilities Turn it On Use the power switch at the right of the Echoplex Digital Pro to turn it on The display will briefly show the software version number and then switch to the standard display see the section titled Display in Chapter 2 Set the Levels 1 Turn the Output kn
10. cks can be used to synchronize the cycle time with drum machines and sequencers see the Sync entry in the Reference chapter e MIDI Continuous Controllers can be used to control Volume and Feedback levels see the VolumeCont and FeedBkCont entries in the Reference chapter e Youcan control all front panel operations with Note On or Control Change messages see the ControlSource entry in the Reference chapter One Echoplex can control numerous others by connecting the MIDI Out port of each one to the MIDI In port of the next as in the figure Be careful not to complete the circle and make a closed loop file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 10 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide Credits Written By Warren Sirota Layout amp Design By WS Designs Echoplex Digital Pro is a product of Oberheim a division of Gibson Guitar Corp Echoplex Digital Pro Designed By Matthias Grob with major contributions from Kim Flint Mark Leas Keith McMillen and Eric Obermuhlner e Special thanks to the staff of G WIZ Labs and all who have contributed their thoughts and ideas throughout this project Back to Oberheim Brought to you by Gibson Internet Services 1998 All rights reserved file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 11 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 47
11. de and lets you edit parameters We felt that it would be inappropriate to put this button on the footcontroller as it might take you to an unexpected place if pressed accidentally during a performance If you are electro mechanically adept and wish to build a footpedal incorporating this button you can obtain instructions in how to do so by file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 8 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide contacting Oberheim technical support at the number in the front of this manual The Back Panel The back panel contains all the jacks for connecting the Echoplex Digital Pro to the rest of the world Audio Connections The Echoplex Digital Pro can accept a wide range of audio signals as input and it outputs a line level signal that can be attenuated by the Output knob or MIDI Control Change messages This makes it fit easily into a number of audio configurations such as e Plug a guitar keyboard or high impedance microphone directly into the Echoplex and plug the output into any amplifier or preamplifier e Put the Echoplex in the effects loop of your favorite amplifier or effects device e Plug the final output of your favorite effects device directly into the Echoplex and plug the Echoplex output into any amplifier or preamplifier e Connect the Echoplex to the Effects Aux Send and Return of your mixer e Connect a pair of Echoplexes to loop st
12. ereo signals Refer to the Stereo section later in this chapter MIDI Connections The standard MIDI In Out and Thru ports are described in detail under the MIDI Ports heading in the Reference chapter A wide range of MIDI functions are available to you These are summarized at the start of Chapter 3 Footswitch Jacks Feedback 1 4 jack that connects to the output of a passive volume pedal one that doesn t require power with a standard guitar cord This connector doesn t work with all pedals but it will work with many including the popular Boss FV 50 Call Oberheim if you are in doubt about whether a particular pedal will work or test it if it s convenient Overdub A 1 4 mono phone jack for attaching a momentary switch This is useful if you don t own the EFC 7 footpedal or if you prefer to use a different style of footswitch one with a different feel like a sustain pedal modeled after a piano pedal This would be especially appropriate for if you like to play with OverdubMode On Footpedal A 1 4 mono phone jack that connects to the optional EFC 7 footpedal with a standard guitar cord This jack also accepts a momentary switch to execute the Record function Sync Jacks These jacks are used to synchronize to external sync pulses or to synchronize multiple Echoplexes The BeatSync jack takes 1 4 mono cord while Brother Sync uses a 1 4 file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 9
13. et critical levels two multicolored Level Indicator Lights to monitor levels a 6 character Display that shows timing and other information and a row of eight multi function Buttons for setting parameters and operating the unit It also contains four Row Indicator Lights controlled by the Parameter button that determine which set of functions or parameters correspond to the buttons Each button has a multi colored Status Indicator Light file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 6 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide Level Control Knobs The four Level Control Knobs control the input and output levels the mix between the input signal and the looped or delayed signal and the feedback level The Quick Start in Chapter 1 describes how to set these levels and you ll find more information in the entries for Input knob Output knob Mix knob and Feedback Knob in the Reference chapter Level Indicator Lights These multicolored lights monitor audio levels The Input Indicator monitors the levels that are received at the audio input jack on the back panel while the Feedbk Indicator monitors the volume of the material that is recorded in the current loop When one of these lights is dark it is measuring very little or no signal When it is green the signal is healthy Orange indicators are fine too with the signal at a good level The orange color indicates that cautio
14. n should be displayed however because the levels are approaching the red zone Levels that cause the indicator lights to glow red will cause distortion You can t do much about controlling the level already in the loop except to lower the feedback to Undo recent actions or to reset the loop However you can and should control the input level as follows Key Point Set the Input knob so that the loudest signals make the Input Indicator Light turn orange It should never turn red Display The Echoplex display conveys some critical information in a compact manner as the illustration shows The time display takes on different roles according to the context When you first power on the Echoplex it will show the amount of time available in the current loop if MoreLoops 1 it will show the total time available reflecting the amount of memory installed in the unit When you re in Record Multiply or Insert operations the time display will keep track of how much time you ve recorded so far Once something has been recorded into a loop the time display will show the length of the current loop And once you ve reset a loop the time display will be blank until you record some material in the loop The rightmost dot flashes at the beginning of each loop See StartPoint in the Reference chapter for a discussion of its significance and how to reposition the loop beginning The dot next to it flashes during sync operations when Sync is on See
15. ob all the way off 2 Turn the Feedback Knob all the way up This is the best setting for most uses of the Echoplex Digital Pro See Feedback Knob in the Reference chapter for more information 3 The Mix knob lets you balance the volumes of your playing and loop playback Set it to the half way point straight up to start with 4 Set the Input knob so that the LED light labeled Input is dark when you re not playing anything green when you play at normal levels and orange when you play at your loudest levels This light will turn red if you overload the Echoplex causing ugly digital distortion in your loops If this happens turn down the Input level 5 Play your instrument and adjust the Output knob until you reach a pleasant listening volume Record It s easy to record your first loop 1 Press the Record button 2 Play a few notes 3 Press the Record button Now you should be hearing your notes loop over and over again If you don t like what you recorded simply repeat the steps above once again The Record function starts instantaneously when you press the Record button You ll probably find that you get the best timing results if you press Record simultaneously with the first note or chord of your loop as opposed to trying to press it an instant before To end recording press it exactly at the time when you want the loop to restart right on the downbeat if you re recording rhythmically A few minutes of practice will
16. rameters are active as soon as you make them and they re stored into permanent memory when you choose a different parameter or press the Parameter button Key Point If you shut off the Echoplex Digital Pro and restart it all your saved parameters will remain the same although you will lose any music that you have in your loops You can reset all parameters to their factory defaults by holding down the Parameters button when you power up Status Indicator Lights As you take the Echoplex through its paces you ll discover that the lights directly under the front panel buttons change Here are the meanings of these lights valid whenever you re in Play mode none of the Row Indicator Lights lit Unlit the function is unavailable Green the button is ready to perform its usual function Orange the button is available but will perform a function other than its usual one one that s especially appropriate to the current activity or state of the instrument Red the button was the last pressed and is the most likely candidate to end the function that it started The EFC 7 FootPedal The buttons on the optional EFC 7 footpedal perform exactly the same function as the buttons on the Echoplex Digital Pro s front panel Anytime that this manual refers to the Record button either the front panel button or the footswitch can be used The only button missing on the footcontroller is the Parameters button which takes you out of Play mo
17. show just a decimal point This creates an empty loop If AutoRecord On entering an empty loop with the NextLoop button will cause recording to start immediately Long Press In many situations a long press of a button will have a different effect than simply pressing the button and releasing it immediately resetting a loop through a long file G MUSIQUE notices Manuels word et html Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide htm 2 sur 11 18 11 2003 23 44 46 Echoplex Digital Pro User s Guide press of the Record button is the most obvious example Although there are situations where you may want to press a button for quite a long while any press longer than two seconds or so will count as a long press Immediate Action This is a term used in the Reference chapter to describe buttons that initiate an operation as soon as you press them in contrast to buttons that set parameters Chapter 1 Quick Start Congratulations You re in for more fun than you can possibly imagine playing music with the Echoplex Digital Pro This is the spiritual successor to the original Echoplex a device made by Maestro in the 1960s that relied on tape loops to create effects It was used extensively by the Jimi Hendrix the Doors and many others Now the temperamental tape technology that terminated the triumph of the original Echoplex has been replaced by high fidelity utterly consistent digital technology Not only does this result in increased sound quality
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