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Vortex Echoes

Two Independent Echoes (1sec stereo delay)

Set ENVELOPE, DEPTH_1, DEPTH_2, RES_1, RES_2 & MOD_FX_LVL to 1.
Set ECHO_FX_LVL to 64.

MIX controls the amount of dry signal.(64 for totally wet).
OUTPUT controls volume of output.
FEEDBACK_1 controls the amount of regeneration for the left hand echo.
FEEDBACK_2 ditto for right hand echo.

ECHO_1-:- & ECHO_2-:- effect the times of the left & right delays respectively, with both set the same you have a delay which will preserve the stereo 'picture' as long as FEEDBACK 1 & 2 have identical values. If FEEDBACK 1 & 2 are different then the echoes will seem to move towards the side on which feedback is greatest, (at a rate depending on the amount of difference).

If you want echo in time with your music, the easiest (and most accurate) way is to tap at the beginning of two consecutive bars and then use the ECHO-:-s to get the timing you want.

Setting ECHO_1-:- & ECHO_2-:- to different values gives stereo effects to a mono input. Set ECHO_1-:- to 3 and ECHO_2-:- to 2,4 or 5 for polyrhythmic effects.

To get the popular 'dot rhythm' effect when you are playing evenly spaced notes set ECHO_1-:- & ECHO_2-:- to 2 and tap on beats 1 & 4.

If you are using a mixer for mixdown you could use the left & right sides as 2 different echoes.

* In ORBITS A & B the left and right outputs are swapped over.

One Long Echo (2sec mono delay)

MIX controls the amount of dry signal.(64 for totally wet).
OUTPUT controls volume of output.
FEEDBACK_1 controls the amount of regeneration.

In this selection of effects the Vortex connects its two delay lines end to end. In order to tap in a delay time directly you need to set the echo divides (ECHO_1-:- & ECHO_2-:-) to 2; if the echo divides were both 1 the Vortex would attempt to create a delay of twice the length.

The regeneration control (FEEDBACK_1) works differently in these effects to how it does in those mentioned in the 'Two Independent Echoes' section above. Increasing feedback decreases the amount of signal input to the echo, at 64 you have an infinite loop of sound which won't be changed by any input. If you find that your echo is very quiet (or non-existent) it's probably because the feedback is too high.
While this makes it a bit awkward to use conventionally this type of regeneration can produce useful/unusual effects when it is manipulated using the expression pedal or by morphing.

** These 3 effects use ENVELOPE to vary the regeneration depending on how loud the input is: regeneration is decreased and the signal input to the echo is increased.With ENVELOPE at 64 the regenerating echoes will tend to be totally replaced by any new input. As demonstrated by the DEJA VU B preset this allows you to have an echo which regenerates strongly without building up a lot of layers.

* These 3 effects use ENVELOPE to vary the echo output volume, with a high value of ENVELOPE any regenerating echoes will be faded down while new input is added, and then faded back up again afterwards.

With FEEDBACK_2 set at 1 the two delays just act as one long one, as it is increased some of the signal from the first echo is fed straight back to its input.
At 64 the input to the first echo consists solely of its own output, the effect given is that the first echo that you hear has a longer delay than the rest (this being accentuated when ECHO_1-:- is greater than ECHO_2-:-).
Bringing in a small amount of FEEDBACK_2 can make the echoes sound more indistinct as they fade into the distance, different rhythms can be produced which seem to alter as time goes on.
The FRACTAL B preset shows an interesting use of FEEDBACK 2, see pages 56-57 in the Vortex manual.

Two Echoes With Cross-Linking (1sec delay with stereo effects)

MIX controls the amount of dry signal.(64 for totally wet).
OUTPUT controls volume of output.
FEEDBACK_1 controls the overall amount of regeneration.

As long as FEEDBACK_2 is set to 1 these echoes are the same as the 'Two Independent Echoes' type described above, except that you can't vary the regenerations separately.If ECHO_1-:- is the same as ECHO_2-:-, and you apply the same signal to the left & right inputs (mono), then increasing FEEDBACK_2 will make no difference. Having different ECHO-:-s will produce an interesting stereo effect even with mono input.

If you want a stereo ping-pong effect then send your signal to only one of the Vortex inputs and set FEEDBACK_2 at 64. Set both ECHO_1-:- & ECHO_2-:- to 4 to start with.
Unfortunately if you use MIX to bring in the dry signal you'll find that the first echo comes on the same side. This can only be avoided by using a mixer to pan the dry signal where you want it (MIX=1), or use the mixer to pan the left & right Vortex outputs to right & left respectively. Otherwise you'll need to use a different effect as shown below.

The advantage in getting a ping-pong echo using these effects (if you use a mixer & MIX=1) is that a dry signal can be put either left or right and will always be thrown to the opposite side on odd number echoes.

* ATMOSPHERE B has modulators in the echo loops, so as the sound regenerates it gets more and more altered.See page 29 in the Vortex manual.

**SHADOW A has filters in the echo loops so that the successive repeats are each slightly less trebly than the last. ENVELOPE set to more than 1 causes the regeneration to be decreased and the echo volume temporarily faded depending on the volume of the input signal. With a setting of 64 you don't hear any echo until you stop playing.See page 50 in the Vortex manual.

With both ATMOSPHERE B and SHADOW A you have a unique sound not available from any other preset, but only 1sec of delay. However if (with FEEDBACK_2 = 64) you send your signal to the left input only then monitor only the right output you will have effectively put the echoes in series, so that now 2sec delays can be had.(Beware that if you only insert one input jack then both inputs will be fed from it, you might like to plug a leadless jack into the unused input.)

Cross Linked Echo (Stereo Delay Effects)

Set DEPTH_1, DEPTH_2, RES_1, RES_2 & MOD_FX_LVL to 1.
Set ECHO_FX_LVL to 64.

MIX controls the amount of dry signal.(64 for totally wet).
OUTPUT controls volume of output.

These echo effects work just like those just described in 'Two Echoes With Cross-Linking' in the case when FEEDBACK_2 was set to 64; except that we now have individual controls for the two cross-feeds.

To create a ping-pong delay which goes right-left-right and then stops :-
Set ECHO_1-:- to 1.
Set ECHO_2-:- to 2.
Set FEEDBACK_1 to 1.
Set FEEDBACK_2 to 64.
Plug in to the left input of the Vortex if you want to get a left-right-left-right pattern when you include the dry signal. (You may have to insert an unconnected jack into the right input.)
Alternatively change FEEDBACK 1 & 2 to the same value (try 34) for a pattern which repeats centre-right-left (including a mono dry signal).

Neither of the above effects will function correctly if you tap in too long a delay, as the Vortex will half the longer delay. This will leave you with two identical delay lengths even though the ECHO-:-s are different.

Stereo Delays
(Ping-Pong Echo)

Set ENVELOPE, DEPTH_1, DEPTH_2, RES_1, RES_2 & MOD_FX_LVL to 1.
Set ECHO_FX_LVL to 64.
Set ECHO_1-:- to 1.
Set ECHO_2-:- to 1.
Set FEEDBACK_2 to 1.

MIX controls the amount of dry signal.(64 for totally wet).
OUTPUT controls volume of output.
FEEDBACK_1 controls the amount of regeneration.

Here you have a simple left-right repeating pattern, the first echo is always on the left whatever the panning of the input.

As mentioned before the easiest (and most accurate) way to get the echoes in time is to tap at the beginning of two consecutive bars and then use the ECHO-:-s to get the timing you want.(You might try ECHO_1-:- & ECHO_2-:- both at 8.)

ENVELOPE ,when increased, causes the regeneration to be decreased for a loud input.

Set ENVELOPE, DEPTH_1, DEPTH_2, RES_1, RES_2 & MOD_FX_LVL to 1.
Set ECHO_FX_LVL to 64.
Set ECHO_1-:- to 1
Set ECHO_2-:- to 3
Set FEEDBACK_1 to 1
Set FEEDBACK_2 to 18
Using a short delay with regeneration and a long one without, this patch produces a burst of short echoes on the right followed by the same again on the left. In order to tap the timing that you want you will have to count the time of the quick echoes (1-2-3-4) and tap on the 1 and the 4. Make sure you don't tap in too long a time as will alter the nature of the effect. The vortex will divide the length of the long delay in order to fit it into memory, but it won't do this with the short delay, so the relationship between them will be altered.

The same effect can be had from AEROSOL B, except that it starts on the left. The parameter settings are the same except that you set FEEDBACK_1 to 64 and FEEDBACK_2 to 18.

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Comments, questions and further information please contact : Andy Butler