#1

It feels like there are more Eurorack delay options than ever. As my GAS is beginning to subside with the Strymon Magneto (i’m concerned about the general lack of modulation possibilities and I seem to be more drawn to its tone than anything, something I could always patch in with the Capistan pedal), i’m hoping to have a clearer sense of the field. However, the module that continues to pique my interest is the 4MS Tapographic Delay but I haven’t seen a ton of impressions/reactions. At 18hp, there seems to be a ton of playability and modulation experimentation to be had. I’m also happy to see it get continued support with the 1.1 update.

Anyone using this as a central delay effect? Impressions? Concerns? Comparisons?

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#2

I had the luck to get it showcased by Matthias himself (who I’ve known for some time) at Superbooth last year, and was really impressed. I might be a bit biased (because, as previously mentioned, I know Matthias) but it feels like such a simple yet powerful concept, and the gestural component really adds to it. This said, I’ll let the people who actually own one say more about it.

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#3

Well, I do own one and I’m not biased (I don’t know anyone who had anything to do with it) and I love it. Super intuitive, as regular or wonky as you want it to be (irregular taps seems a very rare feature in the delay world), and the variety from the velocity is crazy, low pass, resonant and volume per tap, and at the same time! I’ve owned lots of delay and this feels very different. Hope that helps.

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#4

https://soundcloud.com/russell-john-683977282/swansea-harbour

This was just some very sparse rings strikes into tapo I think. Lots of resonant taps sound watery.

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#5

@Puscha posted this in the Rainmaker thread:

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#6

I work at a music store (Found Sound in Melbourne, Australia) and had the pleasure of taking the Tapo home to play around with to make this video, as requested by 4ms. I didn’t get to spend too much time with it, but the time that I did have with it I felt very impressed. It can be a very musical module, and can make all kinds of strange sounds if you want to. I think it’s something that would get better over time once you learn about its details hidden within its idiosyncrasies and nuances, and is better used with restraint and deliberation. But even out of the box it can sound fun and great! Recommended if you want something a bit different that is more interactive than an end-of-chain effect. I think it would really shine in a small, focused rack (but that’s not to say that it wouldn’t be great in a bigger rack too).

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#7

I love the 4ms Tapographic Delay. It can take the simplest of sounds and make it richer and wider. A common use for me is to have the stereo panning set to Alternating, and a programmed tapo of 6 or so delay lines with different filter resonances. Modulation is set to about 85% to give a bit of swim. With the dry/wet mix at 50/50, I use the feedback control to dial the intensity up and down.

It’s extremely good at building up a simple drone into a lush wall of sound. It’s distinctly digital sounding, but the filters add a nice colour to the sound.

I run three signal chains in my euro, the 4ms is at the end of one of those chains, used to create lush pads. There’s a Belgrad inserted in the path just prior, which allows me to add interesting (not too harsh) timbral modulations to the sound. The 4ms picks that up and lushifies it. :smiley:

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#8

I love tapo, but I wish it had a stereo input, would be so much interesting.

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#9

How timely! I was just wondering on this point and was going to look it up. Is it a stereo out though? If so is it per tap/repeat panning?

#10

Its indeed stereo out. There are two modes of panning - either alternating or random pan. I don’t remember tho if either of these settings is applied when you’re creating your tapography (i.e. baked in the tapography) or can be switched afterwards. The manual knows for sure)

Its a lovely module and the only effect in my system, as I tend to do most of my fx via ES-8 and computer or ipad.

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