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The Vi Series Lexicon FX are divided into three categories:
REVERBS, DELAYS and MISC.
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Reverberation (or “reverb” for short) is the complex effect created by the way we perceive sound in an
enclosed space. When sound waves encounter an object or boundary, they don’t just stop. Some of the
sound is absorbed by the object, but most of the sound is reflected or is diffused. In an enclosed space,
reverb is dependent on many features of that space, including the size, shape and the type of materials
that line the walls. Even with closed eyes, a listener can easily tell the difference between a cupboard, a
locker room and a large auditorium. Reverb is a natural component of the acoustic experience, and most
people feel that something is missing without it.
Hall Reverbs - Stereo
SMALL HALL, LARGE HALL, DRUM HALL, VOCAL HALL.
A Hall reverb is designed to emulate the acoustics of a concert hall – a space large enough to contain an
orchestra and an audience. Because of the size and characteristics,Halls are the most natural-sounding
reverbs, designed to remain “behind” the direct sound – adding ambience and space, but leaving the
source unchanged. This effect has a relatively low initial echo density which builds up gradually over time. Vocal Hall and Drum Hall reverbs are specifically tailored for those uses. Vocal Hall has as lower overall
diffusion which works well with program material that has softer initial transients like a voice. Drum Hall has a higher diffusion setting which is necessary to smooth out faster transient signals found in drums and
percussion instruments.
In addition to general instrumental and vocal applications, the Hall program is a good choice for giving
separate tracks in a mix the sense of belonging to the same performance.
Plate Reverbs - Stereo
SMALL PLATE, LARGE PLATE, DRUM PLATE, VOCAL PLATE.
A Plate reverb is a large, thin sheet of metal suspended upright under tension on springs. Transducers
attached to the plate transmit a signal that makes the plate vibrate, causing sounds to appear to be
occurring in a large, open space. The Plates in the Vi6 FX units model the sound of metal plates with high
initial diffusion and a relatively bright, colored sound. Plate reverbs are designed to be heard as part of
the music, mellowing and thickening the initial sound. Plate reverbs are often used to enhance popular
music, particularly percussion.
Chamber Reverb - Stereo
Historically, recording studio chambers were oddly shaped rooms with a loudspeaker and set of microphones
to collect ambience in various parts of the room. Chamber programs produce even, relatively
dimensionless reverberation with little color change as sound decays. The initial diffusion is similar to the Hall programs. However, the sense of size and space is much less obvious. This characteristic, coupled
with the low color of the decay tail, makes these programs useful on a wide range of material - especially
the spoken voice, to which Chamber programs add a noticeable increase in loudness with low colour.
Room Reverb - Stereo
Room produces an excellent simulation of a very small room which is useful for dialogue and speech
applications. Room is also practical when used judiciously for fattening up high energy signals like electric
guitar amp recordings.
Ambience Reverb - Stereo
Ambience is used to simulate the effect of a small or medium sized room without noticeable decay. It is
often used for voice, guitar or percussion.
Gated Reverb - Mono In/Stereo Out
Gated reverb is created by feeding a reverb, such as a metal plate, through a gate device. Decay Time is
set to instant, while Hold Time varies duration and sound. The Gated reverb provides a fairly constant
sound with no decay until the reverb is cut off abruptly. This program works well on percussion - particularly
on snare and toms.
Reverse Reverb - Mono In/Stereo Out
Reverse reverb works in the opposite fashion from normal reverb. Whereas a normal reverb has the loudest
series of reflections heard first that then become quieter over time, the Reverse reverb has the softest
reflections (essentially the tail of the reverb) heard first, and then grows louder over time until they abruptly
cut off.
Spring Reverb - Mono In/Stereo Out
A Spring reverb is created by a pair of piezoelectric crystals—one acting as a speaker and the other acting
as a microphone—connected by a simple set of springs. The characteristic ‘boing’ of a spring is an important
component of many classic rock and rockabilly guitar sounds. |
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Reverb Controls
Pre Delay
Creates an additional time delay between the source signal and the onset of reverberation. This control is
not intended to precisely mimic the time delays in natural spaces, as the build-up of reverberation is
gradual, and the initial time gap is usually relatively short. For the most natural effect, the Pre Delay values
should be set in the range of 10-25 milliseconds. However, if a mix is very busy or overly cluttered, increasing
the Pre Delay time may help clarify it, and set each instrument apart from each other.
Mid RT
Controls the amount of time the reverb can be heard. Higher settings increase reverberation times which
are usually associated with larger acoustical environments, but can decrease intelligibility. Lower settings
shorten reverb times and should be used when a smaller apparent space or a more subtle effect is desired.
Size
Size sets the build-up rate of diffusion after the initial period (which is controlled by Diffusion). The Size
control changes reverb sound from very large to very small. Generally, set this control to the approximate
size of the acoustic space being created, before adjusting anything else. The size in meters is roughly
equal to the longest dimension of the space. Audio is temporarily muted when Size is changed.
Diffusion
Controls the initial echo density. High settings of Diffusion result in high initial echo density, and low
settings cause low initial density. In a real-world situation, irregular walls cause high diffusion, while large
flat walls cause low diffusion. For drums and percussion, try using higher Diffusion settings.
Shape & Spread
In the Hall reverbs, Shape and Spread work together to control the overall ambience of the reverberation.
Shape determines the contour of the reverberation envelope. With Shape all the way down, reverberation
builds explosively, and decays quickly. As Shape is advanced, reverberation builds up more slowly and
sustains for the time set by Spread. With Shape in the middle, the build-up and sustain of the reverberation
envelope emulates a large concert hall (assuming that Spread is at least halfway up, and that Size is
30 meters or larger). Low Spread settings result in a rapid onset of reverberation at the beginning of the
envelope, with little or no sustain. Higher settings spread out both the buildup and sustain.
RT High Cut
Rt HC sets the frequency above which a 6dB/octave low-pass filter attenuates the reverberated signal. It
does not attenuate the reflections. High frequencies are often rolled off with this parameter, resulting in
more natural-sounding reverberation. Setting a low frequency for this parameter can actually shorten the
reverb time, as it damps the audio as it recirculates.
Hi Cut
Adjusts the amount of high frequency content in the reverberation tails. Higher frequency settings increase
high frequency response, creating brighter reverbs; lower frequency settings create darker reverbs with
more bass frequency emphasis.
Bass Boost Frequency
Sets the frequency at which the transition from Mid Rt to Low Rt takes place. This control should be set at
least two octaves higher than the low frequency you want to boost.
For example, to boost a signal at 100Hz, set Bass Boost Frequency to 400Hz. (This setting works well for
classical music.) Crossover works best around 400Hz for boosting low frequencies, and around 1.5 kHz for
cutting low frequencies.
Bass Boost Ratio
Bass Boost boosts or cuts frequencies below Bass Boost Frequency. The amount of boost or cut required
is highly dependent on the material being processed.
ER Time
Adjusts the amount of time before reverb early reflections occur.
ER Level
Adjusts the level of early reflections within the reverb.
Feedback Delay
Changing this parameter changes the resonant frequencies of Plate reverb.
Feedback Level
Adjusts the Plate reverb’s presence and prominence.
Boing
This is a unique parameter to the Spring reverb, designed to increase or decrease the amount of spring
rattle that is a physical characteristic of spring tank reverbs.
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Delays repeat a sound a short time after it first occurs. Delay becomes echo when the output is fed back
into the input (feedback). This turns a single repeat into a series of repeats, each a little softer than the
last.
Studio Delay - Stereo
The Studio Delay features up to 1 second of stereo delay and offers a built-in ducker that attenuates the
delay output whenever signal is present at the input. This can be used to keep the original signal from
being muddied up by delay repeats.
2-Tap Delay - Stereo
The 2-Tap Delay is probably best described as an adjustable pong delay where each tap can be individually
set in relation to the delay time. The 2 taps are a calculated percentage of the actual delay time from
1-100% (for example, if the delay time is 500ms and Tap 1 is set to 50% and Tap 2 is set to 100%, Tap 1
time would be 250ms and Tap 2 time would be 500ms). Narrow spacing of the tap percentages can widen
the stereo image of the delay while wider tap spacing can create rhythmic delay lines.
Modulated Delay - Stereo
The Modulated Delay is enhanced by an LFO (low frequency oscillator) that produces a chorusing effect
on the delay repeats. This is a great delay for guitar and instrument passages that need that “special
something.”
Mono Delay - Mono In/Stereo Out
The Mono Delay is the cleanest, most accurate of the delay programs, with up to 1 second of mono delay
with panned output, and the built-in ducking feature.
Pong Delay - Mono In/Stereo Out
This delay effect pans the delay repeats from left to right, while the input signal remains at its original
(center) position.
Tape Delay - Mono In/Stereo Out
In the days before digital, delays were created using a special tape recorder in which the magnetic recording
tape was looped, with closely-spaced recording and playback heads. The delay effect was created by
the tape moving in the space between the record and playback heads – while delay time was adjusted by
changing the speed of the tape loop. Although very musical-sounding, wow and flutter combined with a
significant loss of high frequencies, and to some extent also low frequencies, are all elements commonly
associated with tape recordings.
Reverse Delay - Mono In/Stereo Out
This delay effect emulates the old studio trick of flipping a tape over, playing it backwards through a tape
delay, and recording the effect. The delays “build up” from softer to louder – creating the sensation that the
delays come before the signal. |
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Delay Controls
Tempo
The actual delay time, as tapped in by the Tempo button. This time is expressed as tempo in BPM (beats
per minute). Tempo works in conjunction with Delay Time to set the actual delay time that is heard.
Delay Time
Controls the length of the delay time relative to Tempo. At the middle of its range, delay repeats are synchronous
with the Tempo button; lower values create faster repeats, while higher values increase the time
between repeats.
Feedback
Controls the number of delay repeats by feeding the delay output signal back into the delay input. This
creates a series of delay repeats, each slightly attenuated until they become inaudible. Higher settings
create more repeats; lower settings reduce the number of repeats. When this knob is turned fully clockwise,
it engages Repeat Hold – delay repeats play back in an infinite loop, but no further input signal is
introduced into the delay effect. Repeat Hold is available only on Studio, Mono and Pong Delay.
Lo Cut Filter
Frequencies below this level are attenuated.
Hi Cut Filter
Frequencies above this level are attenuated.
Ducker Threshold
The Studio, Mono and Pong delays offer a “ducking” feature, which causes the delay repeats to be attenuated
by a variable amount (between 0 and 18dB) when an input signal is present. As the performance
pauses, the delay signal level returns to its normal setting.This allows the delay to remain as an effect, but
not clash with the original signal. For example whilst a vocalist is singing, the level of delay is kept down,
but in the pauses the level of the repeats is brought up to provide a smooth tail to the vocal phrases. The
Ducker Threshold sets the level at which the input signal has to be at for ducking to cut in – the higher the
threshold, the louder the signal has to be for ducking to occur.
Ducker Level
Ducker Level sets the amount of attenuation once the signal has exceeded the threshold. 0dB is no
ducking, 18dB is the maximum amount of ducking to the delayed signal.
Smear
Available only for Tape and Reverse Delays, this parameter controls the amount of “smear,” or signal
degradation and frequency loss. The higher the setting, the more each delay repeat loses intelligibility
compared to the original signal.
Level 1 & 2
Adjusts the output level of Tap 1 and Tap 2.
Pan 1 & 2
Adjusts the pan position in the stereo field of Tap 1 and Tap 2.
Mod Depth
This controls the intensity of modulation, or “depth” in the Modulated Delay. Lower settings produce a
more subtle chorus effect, while higher values give a more lush chorusing of the delay repeats.
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The MISC category provides primarily modulated and pitch-varying effects.
Chorus - Stereo
Chorus creates a lush, full sound by combining two or more signals together where one is unaffected and
the other signals vary in pitch ver y slightly over time. Chorus is commonly used to fatten up tracks and to
add body to guitars without coloring the original tone. Chorus can also be used with discretion to thicken
a vocal track.
Flanger - Stereo
This effect was originally created by simultaneously recording and playing back two identical programs on
two tape recorders, then using hand pressure against the flange of the tape reels to slow down first one
machine, then the other. The result was a series of changing phase cancellations and reinforcements, with
characteristic swishing, tunneling, and fading sounds.
Phaser - Stereo
The Phaser automatically moves frequency notches up and down the spectrum of the signal by means of
a low frequency oscillator (LFO), creating an oscillating “comb filter” type effect. This effect is very useful
on keyboards (especially pad presets) and guitars.
Tremolo/Pan - Stereo (Wet Only)
Tremolo/Pan creates rhythmic changes in signal amplitude. Tremolo is obtained by setting Phase to 0
degrees, and affects both channels’ amplitude simultaneously.
If the Phase is set to 180 degrees, an AutoPanner effect is generated, with the amplitude of one channel
being raised whilst that of the other channel is lowered. Speed settings below 1Hz are recommended in
this case.
Vibrato - Stereo (Wet Only)
Vibrato is obtained by smoothly varying the pitch of the signal just sharp and flat of the original at a
determined rate. Phase controls whether the pitch of both channels is modulated together, or in an opposite
direction.
Rotary - Mono In/Stereo Out (Wet Only)
Rotary speaker cabinets were designed to provide a majestic vibrato/choir effect for electronic theater and
church organs. The most well known rotary speaker is the Leslie™ Model 122, which has two counterrotating
elements: a high-frequency horn and a low-frequency rotor with slow and fast speeds. The sound
generated as the spinning elements change speed is truly magical. The swirling, spacious effect is difficult
to describe – but clearly recognizable.
The Rotary effect is modeled after a Leslie-style cabinet. The input signal is split into high and low-frequency
bands. The rotation effect is created by a synchronized combination of pitch shifting, tremolo, and
panning. Like the physical cabinet, the high (horn) and low (rotor) frequencies are “spun” in opposite
directions. Horn and rotor speeds are independent, and designed with acceleration and deceleration
characteristics to simulate the inertia of the original mechanical elements.
A virtual necessity for organ music, Rotary also sounds remarkable with guitar and electric piano rhythm
parts. In fact, this program is a great alternative to the Chorus and Tremolo effects for any sound source.
Pitch Shift - Stereo
This effect shifts the frequency spectrum of the input signal. Altering the pitch of a sound produces a wide
range effects - from subtle detunes to full interval shifts up or down a two octave range. The Pitch Shift effect is a chromatic shifter, meaning all notes of the scale are shifted by the same interval. Pitch Shift is
very useful with guitar tracks, monophonic synth lines, or where special vocal effects are needed.
Detune - Stereo
Detune adds a slightly pitch-shifted version of the original source, thickening the sound. This creates a
particularly effective simulation of “double-tracking.” This effect is also a great alternative to the Chorus
effect, adding the richness of a chorus without the audible sweep caused by the chorus rate. It is also
useful for creating a wide stereo signal from a mono source, by setting a small detune amount up on one
output and down on the other, and panning the two outputs hard left and right. |
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MODULATED EFFECT CONTROLS
Speed
Sets the speed at which the modulated effect cycles.
Depth
Scales the intensity of the effect. This control affects the output of the LFO only. It has no effect on the
outputs of the individual waveforms.
Voices
Controls the number of additional Chorus voices.
Regen
Controls the amount of modulated signal being fed back into the input, creating feedback. Higher amounts
add more resonance to the signal.
Diffusion
Creates a time-smoothing effect similar to diffusion in reverb. Diffusion can be a subtle effect to add a
little warmth to the chorus.
PreDelay
Determines the amount of offset between the two signals that create the flange effect. Lower values create
a tighter effect, higher values result in a more extreme “whooshing” sound.
Waveform
Selects the wave pattern used by the modulated effect.
Phase
Controls whether amplitude or depth change occurs in both left and right outputs simultaneously or
alternates between left and right outputs.
Phase Stages
Selects between a 4, 8, or 12 state phase shifter.
Stereo Spread
Increases or decreases the stereo imaging of the Rotary effect.
Drive
Provides overdrive gain to the preamp section of the rotary speaker effect.
Minimum Speed
Sets the minimum speed at which the effect will oscillate.
Maximum Speed
Sets the maximum speed at which the effect will oscillate.
Doppler
Increases or decreases the Doppler pitch effect that is created by the physics of a rotating speaker.
Shift 1 & 2
Determines the amount of pitch shift or detune shift from the original signal source. Works best with
individual notes.
Delay 1 & 2
Sets the delay time before the pitch shift or detune effect is heard in the Pitch Shift and Detune effects.
Feedback 1 & 2
Adjusts how much of the shifted signal is sent back through the delay line in Pitch Shift and Detune for
creating cascading arpeggio type effects.
Pan 1 & 2
Sets the pan position in the stereo field for each tap in the 2-Tap Delay.
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