Delay for Drum Machine?

JezWynd

I use a couple of old Roland Drum Machines for jamming and practice (TR-66 & CR-68). Up to now I've been expanding their sound using a Boss Micro Rack Delay but it maxes out with a delay time of 400ms with minimal fine tuning and no tap capability. Any of the settings 100ms or less just impart a slight reverbish timbre, so it sits on the 400ms setting most of the time; it's nice but I think it could be a lot better.

I plugged in a Boss RE-20 which has many more options and longer delay times and it sounds a lot better, creating more complex rhythms with some good harmonic overtones but I'm really looking for a rack/box style unit rather than a pedal. It would be nice to go with a real Space Echo unit but it's a bit beyond my budget.

So, I'm hoping for recommendations for a suitable delay to run after a drum machine for dub and ambient type stuff. On board reverb would be excellent but recommendations for suitable reverb boxes also very welcome. New or used, budget around 300, could stretch for the right unit.

Heartfeltdawn

£300 offers plenty of scope for fun. 

For your needs, I'd be thinking slightly scuzzy delays, cleaner reverb. Classic dub delay territory, that kind of thing. The problem is that the analogue delay rack stuff is getting harder and harder to find in good condition. I'd keep a search on Ebay for a Yamaha E1005 or E1010. Resellers tend to be £200 to £250: you might get lucky with a private seller for £100 to £150. Generally the E1010 is easier to find. 300ms max so not long times but great vibe. 

For your budget, the Lexicon MPX1 is the one you need to find. Delays and reverbs a-plenty, lots of fun programs in there, and you can get them sometimes for under a ton (I got lucky years ago: £50). Light years ahead of the current cheapie Lexicon units and they sound better than the TC M300/350/M-One racks. They aren't instantly user friendly, it does take a bit of time getting used to the UI but they're still absurdly cheap on the s/h market. For outright delay, try the TC D2 manual and see if it'd suit you. 

Off the wall: Sony DPS D7 delay unit (about £150 s/h) and the Ensoniq DP2 and DP4 (£200 to £600 but sometimes they go silly cheap but not so much now. Resellers and availability and all that). 

JezWynd

Thanks @Heartfeltdawn, that's just the sort of detailed rundown I was hoping for. Did a YouTube search on the Lexicon unit, it sounds incredible, a very polished sound. The Yamahas are good too but I think the 300ms max delay might be too limiting, it's certainly what I've found with my current Boss unit, though the Yamaha1010 does have a lot more grind and personality in the repeats which is nice. The Ensoniq's are also wonderful (a name that's new to me).

I generally prefer old style buttons and knobs when it comes to music kit; I find the menu based systems with display a bit complicated (hence my pref for old drum boxes despite their obvious limitations) but I'll keep an eye out for the Lexicon unit  because it sounds so good.

wave100

What about guitar peals? 

Heartfeltdawn

I suspect the M100 suffers the same problem as the M300 in that you have very limited parameter control. For some units like the Alesis Midiverb, it works: I found it very restricting with the M300. The M350 does seem to offer more parameter control. 
Now if you want to get away from the menu driven boxes, then have a gander at things like the Alesis Microverb and Nanoverb. I'd suggest looking at the Lexicon MX200 as it does offer a good balance between simple knobs and button operation and some depth with paramater control. New they're £150: some of the Ebay s/h prices are more expensive than new so keep an eye out for some reasonably priced ones. 

So if it were me...

Lexicon MX200 - under £100 s/h
Alesis Midiverb II - for lower bit reverbs. £50 to £75 s/h. 

There's such little choice with rack effects now since computer recording took over. Not surprising that some of the s/h prices for the classic units has gone through the roof. Now something like the Kemper for classic effects units would be great... 

revsorg

A bit of a tangent, but this delay time calculator might be of interest, if you haven't seen it before.

JezWynd

Heartfeltdawn said:

I suspect the M100 suffers the same problem as the M300 in that you have very limited parameter control. For some units like the Alesis Midiverb, it works: I found it very restricting with the M300. The M350 does seem to offer more parameter control. 
Now if you want to get away from the menu driven boxes, then have a gander at things like the Alesis Microverb and Nanoverb. I'd suggest looking at the Lexicon MX200 as it does offer a good balance between simple knobs and button operation and some depth with paramater control. New they're £150: some of the Ebay s/h prices are more expensive than new so keep an eye out for some reasonably priced ones. 

So if it were me...

Lexicon MX200 - under £100 s/h
Alesis Midiverb II - for lower bit reverbs. £50 to £75 s/h. 

There's such little choice with rack effects now since computer recording took over. Not surprising that some of the s/h prices for the classic units has gone through the roof. Now something like the Kemper for classic effects units would be great... 

The MX200 looks good; a nice balance between Lexicon sound and simple operation plus you can stack two fx.

I'd decided to pass on the M100, as you say, a little too simplistic with just the single adjustment parameter.

JezWynd

revsorg said:

A bit of a tangent, but this delay time calculator might be of interest, if you haven't seen it before.

A bit beyond my skills range but looks useful. Does it mean that if I input the ms value for a given bpm into a DD-20 for instance, that I'd get perfectly matched repeats?

maltingsaudio

I've got a TC Electronics M One up for grabs bit beaten up so £50 if you want it not the XL version

JezWynd

maltingsaudio said:

I've got a TC Electronics M One up for grabs bit beaten up so £50 if you want it not the XL version

Thanks for the offer but I've picked up an MX200 on eBay.