A Timeless Classic Reborn
Experience the dreamy sound of a classic ‘60s tape echo complete with the harmonic richness of the accompanying tube preamp.
Enjoy
organic and ethereal modulation produced by countless subtle
mechanical imperfections, and easily dial in anything from warm
slapback to expansive echo feedback beds with a strikingly gorgeous
stereo image.
With beautifully-tuned low frequency response, lush
tape saturation and sublime echo decay, EC-1 provides all the best of
what a tube driven tape echo can deliver.
Tape, Tubes, and the Best of the Best
Development
of EC-1 started with the groundbreaking single moving head algorithm
originally developed for our El Capistan pedal, which is renowned for
its lifelike reproduction of vintage tape echo.
From there, we
were fortunate to acquire what turned out to be a very special Echoplex
EP-2, as the unit was in amazingly good condition and had been worked
on by storied technician Cesar Diaz. We discovered that several
purposeful and skillfully-implemented modifications had been made to
the unit, including tweaks to the tube preamp for a warmer sound closer
in frequency response to an EP-3. The modifications seemed aimed at
bringing the best aspects of the various vintage Echoplex models into a
single unit, and the inspiring result significantly informed
development of EC-1, imbuing it with a special character that is
immediately nostalgic.
Full-Featured Compact Stereo Tape Echo
EC-1 offers impressive power and flexibility in a small and elegant form factor.
Selectable
tube-modeled preamp voices. Artifact-free tap tempo. Discrete stereo
operation for independent processing of the left and right stereo
inputs. Straightforward controls and expression pedal capability.
High-impedance, ultra-low noise discrete Class A JFET stereo input
preamp for exceptional touch sensitivity, dynamics and feel. MIDI
control of tempo, patch save/recall and more. Premium components, rugged
construction and a USB jack for performing firmware updates or
controlling the pedal from a computer.
PREAMP
Input Signal Enhancer.
Featuring
meticulous tube modeling techniques, EC-1 offers a choice of two
authentically reproduced preamp circuits that lend a subtle vintage
character to your input signal.
One is based on the classic EP-2
tube preamp and features an enhanced high-end shelf perfect for
brightening up darker humbuckers. The other preamp option (the default
setting) produces a warm, balanced response based on the modded preamp
circuit in the EP-2 unit that we studied during the development of
EC-1.
This option adds a pleasing sense of heft, especially to
single-coils. Both preamp choices offer an optional boost of up to
+6dB, or the preamp can be bypassed for an unprocessed dry signal if
desired.
dTape
Tale of the Tape.
Our
unique dTape technology was first developed for El Capistan, and we
have expanded on it to reproduce all the inspiring nuances we
encountered while studying a recently-acquired tube Echoplex that was in
uncommonly superb condition.
Our dTape system allows precise
replication of every aspect of every tape echo we’ve studied, and in
EC-1 this includes the effect of the moving head, the tape condition,
the bias setting, the mechanical effects of motors, capstan slippage
and all the irregularities that add up to create the unmistakable,
inspiring sound of vintage tape echo repeats.
RECORD LEVEL
Satisfying Saturation.
Whether
you want the cleanest repeats, subtle fattening or even downright
dirty echos, you can instantly dial in the desired amount of tape
saturation with the flip of a switch.
Providing pleasing tonal
shifts from thinner to fatter, EC-1’s three-way Record Level toggle
switch selects the gain of the signal fed into the virtual record head.
Choose the low position for unity gain with optimized bias for the
cleanest repeats, medium for a 6dB input signal boost with increased
bias for slightly saturated repeats, or high for a 12dB input signal
boost with further increased bias for heavily saturated repeats.
This
control also gives you a fast and easy way to match EC-1’s response to
your input signal level to obtain the desired sound from any pickup
type or pedalboard configuration.
MECHANICS
The Beauty of Imperfection.
For EC-1, fluctuations from motors and mechanical components were thoroughly studied to accurately capture their imperfections.
At
the lower end of the Mechanics control’s range only slower
motor-related wow and flutter are present, but at around one o’clock
these fluctuations are reduced in favor of faster disturbances from
crinkle, splices, and capstan slippage which accurately replicate the
sound of our golden EP-2 unit. This setting can create uniquely
reverberant and three-dimensional echos that spread across the stereo
spectrum.
The slower fluctuations are mixed back in more
prominently as you approach the maximum Mechanics setting, and the
unique combination of multiple imperfections create truly gorgeous,
organic stereo modulation effects unlike anything you’ve ever heard.
TAPE AGE
Mature Media.
The
frequency characteristics of tape echo repeats are determined in part
by the bandwidth of the actual tape stock, so older tapes will have a
lower bandwidth with a warmer top end.
EC-1 allows you to
faithfully reproduce these characteristics by turning up the Tape Age
knob for warmer repeats, or turning it toward minimum for the
full-bandwidth sound of fresh tape.
REPEATS
Custom Vibe.
EC-1 is designed to allow high levels of repeats that are truly lush but that don’t spiral into uncontrollable feedback.
That wide sweet spot on the edge of runaway feedback can create intriguing sound beds under your lead or rhythm playing.
Of
course if you want to crank the Repeats control to maximum and play
with the unique pitch effects that only a sliding record head tape echo
can produce, those effects are all precisely replicated in sound and
response.
FEATURES
- MIDI:
EC-1 features full MIDI implementation and 300 presets, allowing you
to control it remotely by sending MIDI commands from your controller or
DAW via the EXP/MIDI jack or USB-C connection. Remotely bypass or
engage the pedal, automate Speed or other knob adjustments in your DAW
or recall unique presets for each song on your setlist — the
possibilities with MIDI are limitless.
- True / Buffered Bypass:
EC-1 lets you choose between electromechanical relay-switched true
bypass for a 100% untouched and unprocessed signal when the pedal is
not engaged (which is the default), or our premium buffered bypass,
which preserves your signal’s integrity by preventing the high
frequency roll-off that can happen due to longer cable runs.
- JFET Input:
Uncompromised dynamics and feel. Exceptional touch sensitivity and
responsiveness. EC-1 feels just as good as it sounds, thanks to a
high-impedance, ultra-low noise and discrete Class A JFET preamp input.
- Stereo:
EC-1 features full stereo in and out capabilities, processing incoming
stereo signals independently so that you can place it anywhere in your
stereo effects chain. It can also receive mono input and still
produce stereo output if you’d like to use it as the stereo origin
point of your signal path. EC-1’s single TRS input and TRS output
allows for stereo operation while maintaining a compact form factor. A
dedicated rear panel Input switch allows you to determine the audio
routing, selecting between Mono In → Mono Out, Mono In → Stereo Out, or
Stereo In → Stereo Out (stereo in and out requires a TRS cable for each
jack).
- ARM Processor: An
evolution in technology led by mobile phones and laptop computers now
allows our pedals to perform more simultaneous processes than ever
before, and with significantly less power draw. That means more
processing power for every sonic nuance, and less power consumption on
your pedal board.
- Tap Tempo:
Tapping in tempos with EC-1 works in a seamless way that would be
impossible with a real tape echo. Confidently tap your tempos with no
pitch shifting, no clicks, ramps or mutes. All the unique sliding head
tape echo pitch-shifting effects are always available when setting
tempo with the Time knob, but when tapping tempo EC-1 changes to new
values smoothly and keeps you in the groove. Once a tempo has been
tapped in, you can use the Time knob to set the Tap Division for
triplet, eighth, dotted eighth, or quarter note resolution.
CONTROLS
Ins, Outs, and Switches:
- High impedance ultra low-noise discrete Class A JFET TRS stereo input
- Low impedance TRS stereo output
- Expression pedal input allows the connection of a TRS expression pedal, MiniSwitch, MultiSwitch Plus, or TRS MIDI connection
- USB jack for controlling via MIDI from a computer or for performing firmware updates
Audio Quality:
- Premium JFET analog front end
- Ultra low noise, high performance 24-bit 96kHz A/D and D/A converters provide uncompromising audio quality
- 520MHz ARM Superscalar processor
- 32-bit floating point processing
- 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response
- Audio Input Impedance: 1M Ohm
- Audio Output Impedance: 100 Ohm
- Typical signal to noise ratio: 116dB
More:
- Strong and lightweight anodized aluminum chassis
- Power requirements: maximum 9 volts DC center-negative, with a minimum of 250mA (power supply NOT included)
- Dimensions:
-
- 4.6” deep x 2.7” wide x 2.5” tall
- 11.7 cm deep x 6.9 cm wide x 6.4 cm tall
- Designed and built in the USA
