Sam Bell takes a closer look at Universal Audio's Orion Tape Echo. This meticulously crafted effect unit recreates the warm, lush delays of classic tape echo machines. Featuring authentic tape modulation and adjustable delay times, it brings a rich, analogue warmth to your tone. The Orion Tape Echo boasts a rugged, road-ready design with intuitive controls for easy tweaking on the fly. Whether you're looking to add subtle depth or expansive, atmospheric delays, this pedal delivers with precision and character. Perfect for studio recordings or live performances, the Universal Audio Orion Tape Echo is your gateway to timeless, echo-drenched soundscapes.
Universal Audio is well known for their high-quality effects for DAW and hardware. The Orion series brings these high-quality effects to the stage with their series of compact pedals. In this review, I'm going to take a look at the UAFX Tape Echo. This is a '70s tape echo delay effect pedal with tons of personality, and it's not going to totally break the bank. Let's dive in.
The UAFX Tape Echo allows users to get an authentic tape echo sound in their signal chain. Back in the '70s, studios would create delay/echo effects by feeding signals into tape machines, which would create the echo effect. Because of the use of tape, the repeats would be modulated slightly, and depending on the age, condition, and recording level of the tape, these repeats would have all kinds of natural inconsistencies that sound musical!
The pedal is fairly straightforward, but there are lots of subtle variations we can dial in thanks to its interesting controls. The Delay control changes the speed of the repeats up to 700 ms. The Mix allows us to gradually bring in the delay effect as a wet/dry control, so on full settings, you'll only hear the delayed effect.
Below these two main controls, there's a Tape Switch. This allows us to choose between Mint, Worn, and Old tapes. A Mint tape would be a brand-new '70s tape, Worn means it would have been recorded over a few times, and Old means it is old and worn, perhaps subject to environmental damage. Using the Wonk and Rec Level controls, we can change how extreme the tape's artifacts are on the repeats. Wonk changes the intensity and randomness of the Wow and Flutter, which in layman's terms could be seen as modulation. This changes the pitch and EQ of the repeats, adding a warm, almost 'record'-like sound. The Rec Level adds a bit of natural distortion to the repeats, so if the level into our virtual tape deck was too hot, it would lead to some grit on the delayed repeats. Finally, we have the Feedback control, which allows us to choose how much the delay repeats after a note is struck. Turning this up will enable it to repeat forever, which can lead to some interesting textures when combined with creative use of the Delay and Mix controls.
On the back of the pedal, we have two switches. The Bypass switch for Trails means if the pedal is turned off during its use, the trails will continue for whatever was being played right up to the moment it was switched off. Alternatively, you can have it so it cuts off the delay the moment you switch the pedal off. There's also a Preamp switch, which is meant to emulate the preamp of a '70s tape deck. This adds a different characteristic to the overall delay sound.
The pedal is well built, looks modern, and is powered by 9-volt DC power. Users can also plug the pedal into their computers for firmware updates from Universal Audio. It's really top-notch. The sounds are great for ambient swells on chords, single-note melodies, and much more. To be able to get an authentic '70s tape echo sound on your pedalboard with a small footprint is superb! It's not too complex; it does what it says on the tin and does it incredibly well. It works best with cleaner sounds, in my personal opinion, especially as this is meant to be emulating a more vintage effect. However, it's a tool to be used however you wish. It's a really great thing that UA is doing with this Orion series of pedals, and I think they are lighting a fire under other companies making high-end products for much higher costs. The Orion series makes these quality effects available to more guitarists, and that's a great thing.
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