Speak to me of tape-style delay pedals

[surfingonacid]

Today I picked up a Catalinbread ECHOREC. I have yet to try it out, but perhaps I will be back with my thoughts on it.
I had the new MXR Echoplex in mind but I haven't seen one come up in the used market yet and they're like $300 new over here..

Got a chance to plug-in my Catalinbread Echorec last night. It's quite interesting. I know someone who has the Wampler Faux Tape Echo and the Echorec is a bit different. I knew the original Binson Echorec was not actually a tape echo (it used a disk) and this pedal feels that way to me... I could easily have both of those pedals for different uses. I got the Echorec for the crazy spacey sounds so at some point I would still like to possibly get the MXR Echoplex or the Wampler Tape Echo. The Echorec nails that early Pink Floyd thing which is the kinda sound I was going for. I doubt I will use it for a short delay like I use my MAXON AD80 analog delay, which I leave on all the time, but who knows.
Anyway, it's a great echo pedal but I'm not sure I would call it a tape echo pedal, but kinda??

[rbrcbr]

Empress Tape Delay. Such good tape sounds! I've got the Empress Vintage Modified Superdelay, which has the same tape modes/algorithms as the smaller tape delay. Really awesome, check it out.

[Shadoweclipse13]

Got a chance to plug-in my Catalinbread Echorec last night. It's quite interesting. I know someone who has the Wampler Faux Tape Echo and the Echorec is a bit different. I knew the original Binson Echorec was not actually a tape echo (it used a disk) and this pedal feels that way to me... I could easily have both of those pedals for different uses. I got the Echorec for the crazy spacey sounds so at some point I would still like to possibly get the MXR Echoplex or the Wampler Tape Echo. The Echorec nails that early Pink Floyd thing which is the kinda sound I was going for. I doubt I will use it for a short delay like I use my MAXON AD80 analog delay, which I leave on all the time, but who knows.
Anyway, it's a great echo pedal but I'm not sure I would call it a tape echo pedal, but kinda??

Definitely a tape echo. The original Echorecs were tape echoes, but the "tape" was actually a metal band that spun on a disc. Very cool sound. I had the Echorec (and loved it), but ended up with a Boonar instead (just because I liked the option of being able to select different heads instead of the rotary knob). Try it as a short delay! It's really cool. I used to run my Echorec into an analog type delay, where the Echorec was short and the analog was set to long-is delay. The sound, especially as a wet/dry or stereo rig, is amazing.

[burpgun]

This might not be the most popular opinion, but if you can get your hands on a Line 6 Echo Park, it's a great delay that can cover a lot of ground. I pretty much always use mine on a tape setting and have found the knobs are pretty responsive. You can get lots of delay variations and one can do some pretty cool stuff with it. I got a Strymon El Capistan about a year ago and ended up with both on my board. The El Capistan is in some undefinable way more "refined," but it's also a bit touchier and has an interface I struggle with. The Echo Park, which you'd have to get used I gather, is just straightforward and does what you expect, and does it well. I also have a M13 and while it's supposed to have the same algorithm for tape delay, I swear that it doesn't sound the same. So all in all, it's a pretty special pedal to me.

[Hazmat33]

I've been using the Boss RE-20 for as long as I can remember and thru countless gigs. Love it!

[cestlamort]

Interesting about the M13 not being the same as the echo park - I wasn't impressed with the M9, despite my best intentions.

[burpgun]

The literature says it's supposed to be the same, but it's just not, to my ears. Not there aren't useful things in the M13.

[gaussgunn]

My vote goes for Belle Epoch, but you can save a little if you take MXR Carbon Copy - its modulation does that chorus/detune stuff perfectly which original echoplex-3 does as well. But you got to dial internal trim pots for modulation depth and speed correctly.

[Mojambo]

Question for all you DMM owners...

What is it that makes the big box version superior to the current issue XO DMM?

I've owned the big box version in the past, and it was everything that's been said. Thinking about getting the XO now, but curious why it's less popular?

[Ursa Minor]

It's all in the MN3005 or MN3008 chips and the 24 volts its running at. Not sure how much the design changed any further - but these would be the biggest factors in determining the sound.

[fuzzking]

not too knowledgeable about the newer stuff, but a few days ago i played with a friend who brought his DMM along, and it's... you know... it just has that great vibe.

[Mojambo]

not too knowledgeable about the newer stuff, but a few days ago i played with a friend who brought his DMM along, and it's... you know... it just has that great vibe.

yup. it's a desert-island pedal.

based on the online reviews I've seen, the new XO version is essentially the same. might as well get a big box one for the studio, and a small one for the pedalboard.

[Beyer160]

UPDATE:

I was busy traveling for work for a while, so this project went on the back burner. I just couldn't make up my mind between the Belle Epoch and the Obscura though, so in the end I found good deals on each of them and bought both. Today was my first chance to put them head-to-head.

As I expected, there's no clear-cut winner. They're both great sounding pedals, and I'll be happy no matter which one I decide to keep. My initial takeaway is that the Belle has a warmer, more "analog" base tonality, while the Obscura has more clarity (without sounding too "digital" though). The Obscura is capable of a much wider range of sound than the Belle, although the Belle is easier to kick into self-oscillation. I do wish the Belle had a tone control like the Obscura, that's handy to shape the attack of the repeats and how they sit in the mix. I did like the "degrade" control on the Obscura better than the Belle's "Mod" control- the Obscura was capable of low-fi distorted repeats while the Belle creates more of a warble. If all I wanted was a little tape slap the Belle would edge out the Obscura based on being just a tad warmer and more analog-y, but the Obscura's much wider array of (very cool sounding) sonic possibilities is a definite asset.

I'd never really been a big delay fan before, and now I could easily spend the rest of the day just noodling around with these- it's addicting.

Son of a bitch... I'm going to keep them both, aren't I?

[Shadoweclipse13]

Did you try running them together? You should keep them other Happy Xmas to yourself!

[JVG]

Thought I'd renew this old thread rather than starting a new one...

I want a pedal that can produce rhythmic tape-style delays. The Catalinbread Echorec seems to be the standard in this field, but the Dawner Prince Boonar gets good raps too. I understand the Boonar has a couple of extra features, plus the convenience of directly selecting the "tape heads" individually. But is it worth the extra $100-150 over the Echorec? Or are there others I should consider (within a sensible price range!)

Cheers!
j.