LIVE LOOPING has become increasingly popular in recent years. In response, several manufacturers have created devices designed specifically for looping. One of those products, the Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro, is considered by many loopers to be the most fully featured unit on the market.
Entirely unrelated to the original U.S.-built Echoplex — the tape-delay device made popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s — the Echoplex Digital Pro is much more than a simple looping device. It provides very sophisticated real-time recording and editing functions, allows you to create and store up to nine individual loops, has fairly extensive MIDI implementation, and can sync to other devices. Those features, especially when combined with the live-performance possibilities offered by the optional EFC-7 footswitch controller ($165), put the Echoplex Digital Pro in a class by itself.
BYTES AND BUTTONS
At the heart of the Echoplex Digital Pro is a 16-bit/41.5 kHz digital RAM recorder that can record and play simultaneously, much like a digital audio sequencer. It comes loaded with 16 MB of RAM, for a total recording time of 198 seconds.
The Echoplex Digital Pro's user interface is fairly straightforward, and though there are layers beneath the surface — most controls change function depending on which “mode” you're in — the basic functions are easy to access, and you can begin looping within minutes of setup by following the instructions in the Quick Start section of the manual.
There are seven function buttons on the front panel, along with a Parameter button, and a large and useful six-character LED display. The seven buttons perform different functions, depending on which of four operating modes (Loops, MIDI, Keys, and Timing) are selected. Small LEDs under each of the seven function keys show which is active, and four small LEDs under the Parameter button indicate which mode you are in. All of the functions and modes are clearly labeled on the panel, so it's easy to know where you are at a glance (see Fig. 1). Four knobs on the far-left side of the panel control input and output levels, mix and feedback, and two LEDs indicate input signal and feedback levels.
The unit has seven ¼-inch jacks on the rear panel: Input, Output, Footpedal (for the optional EFC-7), Overdub (in case you don't have an EFC-7), Feedback (for controlling regeneration with a passive volume pedal), and jacks for the BeatSync and Brother Sync functions (which we'll get to in a moment). There are also MIDI In/Out/Thru connectors, and a three-way switch for selecting 100V, 115V, or 230V operation.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
The Echoplex Digital Pro's MIDI implementation is relatively extensive. Note On messages can be used to trigger loops (with or without Velocity affecting playback level), volume and feedback levels can be controlled using Continuous Controllers, most front-panel operations can be controlled with (and can transmit) Note On or Control Change messages, and MIDI clocks can be used to sync the Echoplex Digital Pro to sequencers and drum machines.
Loops may be dumped and loaded to and from sequencers and samplers using MIDI Sample Dump Standard. The unit can sync to external sync pulses (such as those from a sequencer or drum machine) using the BeatSync function and can sync to multiple Echoplex Digital Pros (for sample-accurate stereo operation) using the Brother Sync function.
SUPER LOOPER
Recording a loop is as simple as pressing the Record button (or the corresponding EFC-7 footpedal switch), playing a phrase, and pressing Record again to exit Record mode. The loop continues playing, and its length is displayed in seconds and tenths-of-seconds on the LED display. If you wish to add another layer (or layers) to your original loop, simply press the Overdub button and play along until you have what you want; then press the Overdub button again to exit Overdub mode. If you are unhappy with your overdub, press the Undo button to remove it, or press the Mute button until you decide whether to keep it.
The Multiply button functions similarly to Overdub but allows you to extend the total length of the loop by multiples of itself. For example, if you have recorded a two-bar musical phrase as your original loop and you want to overdub a four-bar melody line, you press Multiply, play the melody for four bars, and then exit by pressing Multiply again. That gives you a loop that is four bars in length, with the original two-bar loop repeated twice and the four-bar melody overdubbed on top of it. Very cool!
The Insert function is a bit more complex and comes in three flavors: Replace, Rehearse, and Reverse. Replace functions like Record, replacing the existing content of a loop with new content from the time the Insert button is pressed until it is pressed again. Rehearse allows you to experiment with new parts and either keep or discard them. Reverse reverses playback of the loop.
I've just described the basic functions of the various controls. Most of them, however, also have alternate functions, depending on which operating mode you are in and on the order in which you press the buttons. For example, after you enter Record mode you can exit by pressing the Undo, Insert, Overdub, or Mute buttons, with very different results in each case. Some buttons also change function depending on how long they are held down; for example, pressing and holding the Record button erases the entire loop.
There's not enough space in this review to thoroughly cover all of the Echoplex Digital Pro's features, but I'll briefly mention a few of the more interesting ones: MoreLoops lets you divide the Echoplex Digital Pro's memory up into as many as nine separate loops you've recorded and LoopCopy copies the audio or timing of one loop into empty loops. You can switch between loops in various ways — Quantize determines whether they are switched immediately or at the end of the current cycle — and the LED display indicates the total number of loops you have and which one is currently loaded or playing.
StartPoint allows you to change the point at which a loop starts. The Record and Overdub buttons can be put into Toggle mode, so that they function only as long as the button is held down. Delay mode causes the Echoplex Digital Pro to perform like a conventional digital delay, with the Overdub button triggering a “Hold” function.
FULL CIRCLE
I used the Echoplex Digital Pro extensively both live and in the studio, and found it to be an extraordinarily well conceived, versatile, and musical tool. In addition to offering a vast array of creative options, it sounds really good, and even after multiple overdubs it produces only a negligible amount of noise. My only reservation concerns the small plastic buttons on the EFC-7 footpedal. They are located fairly closely together (which could be a problem for people with wide feet), and though I have a fairly light “stomp,” the buttons could prove to be a little fragile in typical live-performance and touring situations.
There are lots of other loopers out there, and at $1,150 the Echoplex Digital Pro is far from inexpensive. But if you are serious about creating loops, particularly for live performance, it's worth every penny. And if you do plan to use the unit live, purchase the EFC-7 footpedal — unless you have more than two hands, you'll need it!
