Gibson Brings Back the Echoplex
May 21, 2001The Gibson Echoplex is a powerful 19" rack mountable unit that encompasses digital recording, sampling
and digital delay. With a total of 198 seconds of memory time on-board (16mb), the capability to layer up to nine loops at once,
Tap Tempo and a host of other features, the Gibson Echoplex is limited only by imagination. As a live performance tool for the
creative instrumentalist, or a ingenious device in the studio, the Echoplex opens up all manner of sonic opportunities, allowing you
to explore ambient soundscapes, reversed loops and rhythmic drones to your heart's content.
The Gibson Echoplex foot pedal is fundamental to its use in live performance, allowing the user to access all of the unit's main
functions while playing. Loops can be recorded, overdubbed, reversed and deleted with the pedal, bringing a new dimension to
your live sound.
Here are some of its many features:
- 16-Bit real time digital loops
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Up to nine loops simultaneously
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Playback and record simultaneously
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16mb of memory on-board
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198 seconds of looptime
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Digital delay mode with Tap Tempo
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CD quality recording
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Overdubbing with progressive 'Undo's available
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All functions accessible in real time from footpedal
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Tempo governed freestyle or via MIDI
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Play backwards guitar parts live
Think of the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro as a sequencer for audio instead of MIDI; a Digital Recorder instead of a Tape
Recorder; a Digital Delay that features extended delay times and rhythmic precision; a Sampler that can Record and Play at the
same time. The heart of the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro is a 16-bit / 41.5 kHz digital RAM Recorder, providing 198 seconds of memory.
With the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro, press the record button and begin playing. Touch the record button a second time, and the
Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro stops recording and immediately begins to play back the recorded "Loop", over and over again,
without missing a beat. Using the Overdub function, record as many "overdubs" onto the "Loop" as you desire. Multiple
"overdubs" can be deleted by pressing the "Undo" button. Up to nine separate loops (each with unlimited overdubs) can be
recorded and recalled at the touch of a button.
The Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro is designed by and for musicians. The controls are efficiently laid out and intuitive in use.
Current settings are displayed in a large multifunction LED window. With the foot control unit, all functions of the Echoplex
Digital Pro can be controlled without ever taking your hands from your instrument. The footswitches can be custom configured,
and the feedback amount can be controlled from a volume style pedal.
The Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro is also MIDI compatible. All performance controls both send and receive MIDI data.
Loops and sound files may be saved and loaded via MIDI. Tempos can be locked to MIDI clock - you can even tell the Echoplex
Digital Pro how many MIDI eighth notes per measure, for completely metric bar counts! Individual loops may be assigned via
MIDI to individual Keys; to either play once, continuously, or for as long as the key is held. Feedback amount and final output
level can be assigned to MIDI continuous controllers.
For live performance, the possibilities are endless. Play an army of guitar parts from one player. DJs: Sample a loop off a disc,
while the original continues to play. Play your guitar solo over your own rhythm guitar playing. Play your solo, and then play it
back backwards using the reverse function; Live backwards tape effects! Play one four bar phrase and use the Multiply feature to
create a sixteen bar phrase to solo and overdub over. The Mute feature either keeps the clock running, so you can un-mute at the
right place in the song, or the Mute will simply stop the clock and re-cue the loop. Use the Next Loop feature to call up and cue the
next loop while the first loop continues to play. An adjustable threshold trigger can prevent the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro from
recording before you begin to play.
As a digital delay, the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro recreates the extra long delays of the old tape systems, updated to 16-bit digital
clarity. Set the delay time by simply touching the record button. And, because you set the delay time while you are playing, no
longer are you tied to playing along to click tracks or drum machines.
In the studio, the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro can be used as a sampler to lift, edit and fly in parts. Shy of tracks in your home
studio? Use the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro to add a few digital tracks to your recordings. Brother Sync allows two Gibson
Echoplex Digital Pro units to be locked together at the sample level, to operate as one stereo unit. For more information, visit their web site at www.gibson.com. | 
