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Thanks for the reply on that. I really need my effects on auxes and returning to their own channels so I can control the amount of send and EQ the returns. I’m never going to want the kick having the same reverb or delay as a pad sound. I’m using my A&H 14:4:2 for a lot these days, it has 6 auxes.
They can be found used pretty cheap, sound great and have a ton on I/O.
I checked some of your music BTW, sounds really lovely…

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630

I haven’t been that excited for an fx pedal for way too long. This is amazing! The natural modulation of the repeats is so unique. So simple to use with great UI and quite interesting functions (freeze/21sec delay-looper). Manifacturers are usually focusing on adding shitloads of boring delays on complex interfaces. Polyphase is different. The price tag too haha! I mean it costs almost the same as the Microcosm.

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Thanks! I appreciate it! Yeah I’m in this weird zone where I’m like focusing mostly on my live setup and I don’t really want a huge mixer, cause then Ill get used to it and want to bring it with to a show and I’m trying to not bring a million things, ha. I’m considering getting some kind of small matrix mixer solution just to route effects though.

Yeah I’m really excited too! It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow! I also have been really moving towards modeless designs with just a few really powerful features and great sounds. I think that’s the beauty of Vongon, at least the Ultrashear, it’s one type of reverb but it truly sounds gorgeous in every setting. I don’t have to waste time flipping through a bunch of modes to find the sweet spot in one or two that I like.

Also I like how there is this move towards a rediscover of the early digital rack stuff. I haven’t owned much of it but from my understanding it sounded good because the analog sections were really well designed, with some inherent harmonic distortion, compression or color built it. I think that’s what’s lacking from a lot of these new digital pedals, they sound fine, but almost too clean.

Also, I was pleased to discover that Lanois and Eno used the Lexicon Prime Time, which the Polyphrase is based on. I’m big fans of both!

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I’m a big fan too. It’s funny how these magic instruments are forgotten for a while and then they come back many years later.

I also have a mixwizard for the studio but a small Mackie VLZ mixer for live performances. It’s a flexible little thing that can easily take modular signals.

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Eno and Lanois or both reverbs?

:sunglasses:

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Also I like how there is this move towards a rediscover of the early digital rack stuff. I haven’t owned much of it but from my understanding it sounded good because the analog sections were really well designed, with some inherent harmonic distortion, compression or color built it. I think that’s what’s lacking from a lot of these new digital pedals, they sound fine, but almost too clean.

Is there any info from Vongon that states the feedback path and input/output stage is all analogue (it would be really cool if it was)?

I can’t find any info on what is going on internally on the device… it could be pure DSP from what I can see on technical info.

Also, I was pleased to discover that Lanois and Eno used the Lexicon Prime Time, which the Polyphrase is based on. I’m big fans of both!

Lanois makes big use of the Primetimes multiply control (which adjusts the sample rate to give Octave jumps) and A/B delay input and output mixers… and I can’t see that this is implemented in Vongon’s delay.

It looks like a beautifully designed device (and I’m sure it sounds great), but it would be good to know a little more on what is going on under the hood to see how close it is in execution to the old delays it’s inspired by.

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635

Yeah it’s my bad for stating what the analog sections are like. I actually don’t know. I was assuming, but shouldn’t do that. I think in my head I was confusing with the OTO stuff that definitely has those types of analog sections. Regardless, the Ultrashear sounds great, better than any other reverb I’ve owned. So even if it’s all dsp, I guess I don’t care, lol. I’m hoping the delay will deliver. I will report back later today.

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Daniel Lanois playing the Prime Time :

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Oh I watched this a bunch when this came out. I love the record that this is from. I remember My wife and I making fun of the bass player’s leather duster, lol.

There’s also this, which I watched then as well:

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This is fascinating, thank you.

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So I just got the Polyphase, I hate to say it but initial impressions are slightly underwhelming. My main delay atm is the Zoia, so I spent the last hour comparing the two. I have been through quite a few delays such as the Polymoon, Oto Bim, Deluxe Memory Man TT, Rubberneck, Eventide Max, Carbon Copy Deluxe, Pigtronix Delay, Ibanez AD80, Strymon Volante, Strymon Magneto, MakeNoise Mimeophone, 4ms DLD, Akai Headrush, Boss DD-7, Fulltone Solidstate Tape Echo…

I’d say tonally it sits between the Polymoon, Oto Bim and Mimeophone, and maybe the DD-7. It sounds good, but there’s nothing spectacular about the quality of the repeats, but that’s to be expected for a digital delay. They are very clean but not as clean as the Polymoon which I think has no character at all. It probably sounds closest to the Mimeophone without the noise floor. The Zoia’s repeats sound similar but better only because I have them seasoned to taste with a band pass filter.

The the modulation sounds good, it goes from really subtle to semi extreme. You can do a chorus at very high repeat rates. The tone is very useable at every point but maybe wish it was slightly more extreme on each end.

The best part is the doubling of the delays when they are not in sync. Much Eno / Frippertronics fun to be had.

The biggest disappointment is the midi clocking, when you clock it, it locks both delays in the sync mode and the sliders become inoperable. You get divisions of the clock on the main mode but you can’t multi tap in sync. The other thing that is kinda disappointing is that when in sync to midi the delays drift from the clock when they are frozen. I remember the Mimeophone and the Oto did this as well, so maybe it’s really hard to work. This does work with the Zoia though. I can perfectly loop something and come back ten minutes later and it will still be in sync.

My hope with the Polyphrase is that it would relieve some of the delay duties of the Zoia, so I could use it more for granular and other abstract stuff, but idk if that’s going to happen.

If you are not trying to loop to clock I think this would be a great hands on pedal, as everything is very easy to grasp right out of the box.

I’m unsure If Ill keep it… but I need to give it some more time.

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Woah, you’ve been thru a LOT of delays. I’m feeling like a balanced non obsessed person…:laughing:
Thanks for the report tho.

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Yeah I can’t believe I hadn’t been on this thread till now. Ha. I forgot to add these as well to the list:

Cocoquantus, Timeline, Malekko Lofi Delay, BBE Two Timer, Regular Carbon Copy, EHX Canyon, Caitlinbread Echorec, EHX Memory Boy

I’m quite obsessive about delays as you can tell, I just have been into the synth stuff for a bit and chilled for a second.

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I’ve have the Polyphrase since Saturday now, and I would say that it might be a bit niche, but if you are its target market, then there are few delays that do what it does better.

Most of the music I make these days is very wall-of-sound / sound-bath-y: loops => delays, etc. For this purpose, I find the Polyphrase to be amazing. Send it a simple sequence or a loop or two, increase the delay time, offset the stereo field, turn up the mix, and the result is magical.

Part of reason that this works so well is also something that some might consider a downside: the delay itself is clean / not very characterful, beyond the dark / bright control. Which again, for me, perfect: I’ve struggled with many delays because the delayed signal sounds so separate from the source.

So yeah, I love it, but I am not sure it is something I personally would rely on for traditional / beat-synced delay-duties.

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Just got mine today and I would agree completely. It does its niche thing so, so well. For me, I love setting it to receive cue out audio from my Octatrack, from which I can sample bits and pieces of long, phased loops. Pretty similar to how I was using Primal Tap in the DAW so it feels right at home on my desk. Doesn’t replace my Timeline or El Capistan - I am extremely happy with it as another unique option to choose from.

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The MXR Echoplex EP103 is a total sleeper of a pedal.
For ~$149 used you get a STEREO delay via TRS with FOUR SECONDS of delay.
Its small and has adjustable tape character mode can instantly switch to clean sterile echo.
Self oscillates and does the tape pitch shift smear when you play with the delay time.

Cons:
Long delay times can only be set with the tap tempo
Power hungry and gets really warm. If underfed it will whine.
Requires the other echoplex preamp pedal to get “that” sound the EP103 is just delay.
There’s no stereo intermodulation the two delay lines stay separate.

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Ahoy! Here’s a little patch from scratch/informal exploration of Nautilus.

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Are you sure it’s stereo? I can’t find that info.

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It is, from the manual:

STEREO MODE
The EP103 can be run in either Mono (default) or Stereo modes, selectable via internal switch, which determines tip/ring input connection. For a stereo setup, run a TRS splitter cable to the EP103’s INPUT jack and another from the EP103’s OUTPUT jack to your amplifier. Next, set internal STEREO/MONO switch to its LEFT position. Note: When EP103 is bypassed, output ring connection will only receive signal if EP103 is set to Trails Bypass mode (see TRAILS BYPASS MODE section).

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There are few states to keep in mind but the UI is otherwise simple for muscle memory beyond a few manual references here and there.

What sort of flexibility are you not finding?

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