Warm, crazy, and hazy delays from the most popular tape echo ever made.
The EP-34 Tape Echo plug-in for UAD-2 hardware and Apollo interfaces gives you an exacting emulation of the legendary tape echo device used by Jimmy Page, Brian May, Chick Corea, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Johnson, and Andy Summers. Vintage Echoplexes are legendary for their idiosyncrasies — including distortion, wow and flutter, self-oscillation, squelch effects, and other random analog goodness. The EP-34 Tape Echo plug-in emulates all of this, and more.
Like the hardware, the EP-34 plug-in’s record head can slide in real time for smeary weirdness, trippy dub excursions, and more. The musical input clipping of the original hardware’s hallowed preamp section is also captured via a Record Volume control, giving the EP-34 some subtle to not-so-subtle tonal coloring and distortion. With the addition of modern workflow enhancements like Tempo Sync, the EP-34 Tape Echo plug-in is must-have tool for any mixer.
- Craft hazy delays and vibey slapback with the most legendary tape delay ever made
- Tweak the EP-34 Tape Echo’s controls for real-time effects and tone sculpting
- Harness a vintage Echoplex’s unique input clipping distortion on everything from drums to vocals and guitars
- Create with plug-in-only features like Tempo Sync, Wet/Solo, Pan, and Tape Tension
EP-34 Controls
EP-34 Tape Echo
Echo Delay
Echo Delay controls the delay time of the unit. The selected value is shown in the Echo Display.
The parameter can be adjusted by using the metallic "slider handle" or the "slider nose" (both sliders control the same parameter).
The Echo Delay sliders
The available delay range is 80 to 700 milliseconds. When Sync is active, beat values from 1/64 to 1/2 can be selected.
When the beat value is out of range, the value is displayed in parenthesis. This occurs in Sync mode when the time of the note value exceeds 700 ms (as defined by the current tempo of the host application). See the Tempo Sync chapter in the UAD System Manual for more information about tempo synchronization.
Tip: Click the control slider(s) then use the computer keyboard arrow keys to increment/decrement the sync value.
Echo Display
This panel displays the current delay time of the EP-34. Displayed values are defined by the Echo Delay parameter. Delay values can be entered here directly using the text entry method.
When Sync mode is off, delay times are expressed in milliseconds. When Sync is on, delay times are expressed as a fractional bar value.
When the beat value is out of range, the value is displayed in parentheses. This occurs in Sync mode when the time of the note value exceeds 700 ms (as defined by the current tempo of the host application).
Echo Repeats
This knob controls the repeat level (feedback) of the echo signal. At the minimum (fully counter-clockwise) position, only one repeat is heard. Rotating the control clockwise increases the number of echoes. Higher values will cause self-oscillation.
The self-oscillation of the EP-34 is one of the magic features that really makes it more than a mixing tool, it's also an instrument to be played. The effect may be used subtly, sending the unit into gentle oscillation on held notes, or can be put into "over the top" oscillation with extreme settings.
The EP-34's oscillation qualities are heavily dependent upon program material and control settings. Different sources of audio, gain, tone, repeat rate and input settings will all effect "oscillation performance." The EP-34 can also achieve oscillation with no signal, making the it a truly unique instrument.
Echo Volume
This knob determines the wet/dry mix of the delayed signal. In the minimum position, the "dry" signal is colored by the circuitry of the modeled emulation. Rotate the control clockwise for louder echo. Reducing the control to its minimum value will mute the delay.
The EP-34 models the unusual taper of this control that is found on the original hardware. It is normal operation to have the control in the 85-95% range to get a "50/50" wet/dry balance.
Note: When the Wet switch is in the On position, Echo Volume has no effect.
Recording Volume
Recording Volume adjusts the input gain and clipping characteristics of the delayed tape signal. Increasing this control will increase the tape distortion and "grit" that is an important element of the famous hardware sound. The Recording Volume is indicated by the Input Meter.
Input Meter
The Input Meter in the EP-34 is a three-segment horizontal LED array (two green, one red) that indicates the recording level at the input of the tape recorder.
The yellow LED indicates that the plug-in is active. When the Power switch is enabled, the yellow LED is illuminated.
Echo Tone
The frequency response of the delayed (wet) signal can be modified with the Echo Tone controls. These knobs are cut/boost controls; they have no effect when in the 12 o'clock position. The available range is ±10 dB of gain.
Note: The Echo Tone controls do not effect the dry signal.
Treble
Controls the high frequency response in the delayed signals.
Bass
Controls the low frequency response in the delayed signals.
Echo Pan
Pan sets the position of the delayed (wet) signal in the stereo field; it does not affect the unprocessed (dry) signal.
Tip: Click the "Echo" control text to return the knob to center.
Note: When the plug-in is used in a mono-in/mono-out configuration, the Pan knob does not function and cannot be adjusted.
Input
The original hardware unit had two inputs: Instrument and Microphone. The Input switch on the EP-34 toggles between the gain levels of these two inputs.
The "LO" position captures the gain structure of the Instrument input, while the "HI" position captures the gain structure of the Microphone input. This allows for a cleaner (LO) or dirtier (HI) sound depending on the switch position.
Important: Depending on the source material and gain structuring, switching between LO and HI may cause a significant jump in output levels.
Tension
The original hardware provides a tension adjustment screw on the bottom of the Echo Delay slider. Adjusting this tension screw varies the pitch shifting effects (technically, the slew rate) that are obtained when the Echo Delay parameter is manipulated in realtime.
The Tension switch emulates two different tension adjustments of this adjustment screw.
LO
The LO position emulates a loose tension adjustment. With this setting, realtime adjustments to the Echo Delay parameter have a faster slew rate, resulting in "snappier" pitch shifting effects.
HI
The HI position emulates a tight tension adjustment. With this setting, realtime adjustments to the Echo Delay parameter have a slower slew rate, resulting in "sluggish" pitch shifting effects.
Send
The Send switch disables the signal sent into the echo portion of the unit when set to OFF. This control is sometimes affectionately referred to as the "dub switch."
Sync
This switch engages Sync mode for the plug-in. In Sync mode, delay times are synchronized to (and therefore dependent upon) the master tempo of the host application. When Sync is toggled, parameter units are converted between milliseconds and beats to the closest matching value.
See the "Tempo Sync" chapter in the UAD System Manual for detailed information about tempo synchronization.
Wet
The Wet switch puts the EP-34 into 100% Wet mode. When Wet is on, it mutes the dry unprocessed signal.
Wet is optimal when the plug-in is used on an effect group/bus that is configured for use with channel sends. When the plug-in is used on a channel insert, this control should be deactivated.
Note: Wet is a global (per plug-in instance) control. Its value is saved within the host project/session file, but not within individual preset files.
Important: Depending on the source material and gain structuring, engaging Wet may cause a significant jump in output levels.
Power
Power determines whether the plug-in is active. This is useful for comparing the processed settings to the original signal, or to bypass the plug-in to reduce the UAD DSP load (load is not reduced if UAD-2 DSP LoadLock is enabled).
Note: The yellow LED in the Input Meter is illuminated when the plug-in is active.
EP-34 Hardware History
Originally designed by Mike Battle in the late 50's as a portable echo device as an answer to the problem of tying up studio tape machines often employed for echo effects. Legendary artists such as Jimmy Page, Miles Davis, Brian May, Andy Summers, Eddie Van Halen among many others have used the hardware to add simple slap echo effects all the way to self-oscillation chaos to their sonic creations.
The EP-3 is the favored unit by guitarists, and EP-4 is the last unit that was released and has an improved feature set over its predecessors such as metering and tone controls making it even more useful as a mix tool. Some didn't like the EP-4 because of a noise reduction circuit that was added that was not implemented correctly. Unfortunately in a production mistake, the circuit was placed in across both the direct signal and the tape playback causing the dry source signal sustain to be cut off prematurely. Most modded their units to remove the noise compressor, and Maestro quickly removed the compressor design from the design.
The Echoplex EP-3 hardware unit
*EP-34 Tape Echo is not affiliated with, sponsored nor endorsed by any companies currently using the Echoplex name. The EP-34 Tape Echo name, as well as the EP-3 and EP-4 model names, are used solely to identify the classic effects emulated by Universal Audio's product.