Crow Tape Echo reproduces the sonic qualities and artifacts generated by tapes, tubes, and mechanics for the most accurate emulation of vintage tape-loop echo units.
Main Features:
- Authentic Tape Echo sound, with the distortion, flutter, and warmth that tape delays are famous for
- Up to three tape heads can be used simultaneously
- The rate, the level and the intensity (feedback) of the echoes can be determined
- The color of the echoes can be shaped with the bass and treble knobs
- Machine age setting
- Spring reverb can be added for a smoother echo sound
Tape Echoes are sometimes unpredictable, and each machine can sound different. For better control the ‘machine age’ of Crow Tape Echo can be set:a new machine will produce clear echo sounds that can be great for vocals, while older machines will have warmer character and increased wow and flutter.
What makes tape echoes so special?
Before digital electronics, echo was created by using tape-loop echo units. There are various reasons why tape-based systems sound so distinctive. One main reason is the restricted frequency response of a loop of tape that’s been dragged over a set of tape heads thousands of times. The tube circuitry of the original models also had a limited bandwidth and added a significant amount of harmonic distortion. In many cases the tape delay unit would also apply a tiny amount of vibrato to the repeats, because of unbalanced tape heads. This, combined with the tape’s tendency to saturate, meant that when feedback was used, successive echoes became less bright and more distorted, creating a sense of the sound receding into the distance.
