Lexicon VORTEX User Manual

UDIO

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User Guide

Unpacking and Inspection

After unpacking the unit, save all packing materials in case you ever need to re-ship. Thoroughly inspect the unit and packing materials for signs of damage.
Report any shipment damage to the carrier at once; report equipment malfunction to your dealer.

Notice

This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, may cause
interference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in
Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designated to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee
that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment
OFF and ON, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: reorient the receiving antenna; relocate the computer with respect
to the receiver; move the computer away from the receiver; plug the computer into a different outlet so that the computer and receiver are on different branch circuits. If necessary,
the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal
Communications Commission helpful: "How to identify and Resolve Radio/TV Interference Problems." This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

Le présent appareil numérique n'émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la class B prescrites dans le Règlement sur
le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le ministère des Communications du Canada.

This triangle, which appears on your com­ponent, alerts you to the presence of unin­sulated, dangerous voltage inside the en­closure... voltage that may be sufficient to
constitute a risk of shock.

Copyright 1993, Lexicon Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Lexicon Part 070-09940

CAUTION

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

This triangle, which appears on your com­ponent, alerts you to important operating
and maintenance instructions in this ac­companying literature.

Lexicon Inc.
3 Oak Park
Bedford, MA 01730USA
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]

Printed in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents

Getting Started .........................................................................

Introduction............................................................................

Front Panel Overview ............................................................

Setting Audio Levels • Setting MIX Values

Rear Panel Connections........................................................

Footswitch and Footpedal Connections • Headphones

Audio Connections ................................................................

In-Line Processing • Using Vortex on a Mixer
Effects Return Bus

A/B Relay Switch ...................................................................

Basic Operation........................................................................

Overview................................................................................

Presets and Registers .........................................................

Effect Parameters................................................................

Adjusting Parameter Values • About the Parameters

TAP and Echo Rhythms ......................................................

Tempo and Rhythm • Tapping in a Tempo • Echo
Rhythms

Audio Morphing™................................................................

About Morphing • Trying Some Morphs • Setting
Morph Rates

Pedal Control.......................................................................

Assign a Parameter to a Pedal • Capturing Parameter
Changes Made with a Pedal • Controlling Morphs
with a Pedal

10
11

13

16

18

1

1
2

4
6

Using Registers ...................................................................

Storing Effects • Clearing Register Pairs • Using
Footswitches • Finding the Preset Used to Create
an Effect

Effect Descriptions ................................................................

Overview..............................................................................

Reflexion..............................................................................

8

9

9

Atmosphere .........................................................................

Orbits

.................................................................................30

Centrifuge ............................................................................

Aerosol ................................................................................

Mosaic
Maze
Duo

.................................................................................36

.................................................................................38

.................................................................................40

Deja Vu................................................................................

Choir

.................................................................................44

Shimmer ..............................................................................

Sweep

.................................................................................48

Shadow................................................................................

Cycloid.................................................................................

Bleen
Fractal

.................................................................................54

.................................................................................56

Specifications.........................................................................

21

25

25
26
28

32
34

42
46
50

52

58

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of Vor­tex, the world's first Audio Morphing™ pro­cessor! You are about to discover that Vortex
sets new standards for sound processing —
for both the type and variety of effects it
produces, and for the musical way in which it
lets you control effects.

Unique effects and exciting performance
capabilities provide lots of room for individual
expression and experimentation. More like a
musical instrument than a passive effects
"black box," Vortex will change the way you
make music.

Vortex effects are organized into sixteen
pairs of presets. Each consists of multiple
modulation and delay functions, and each
has its own distinctive sonic signature. Some
are based on combinations of classic effects,
such as echo, rotary speaker, autopan, and
chorus, while others defy verbal description.

All 32 effects share a common set of
sixteen parameters. Changing settings to
customize an effect is fast and easy, and 32
user registers are provided for storing your
own Vortex creations.

Audio Morphing™ allows you to control
dynamic transformations between any two
effects. While this can produce truly mind­boggling effects, it couldn't be easier to con­trol — requiring only a single button push.

1

Getting Started

Some of the other exciting features of

Vortex are:

• Flexible processing paths: true stereo,
dual mono, dual mono in/stereo out

• Envelope follower for dynamic control of
each effect

• All echo rhythms synchronized to your
master tempo

• Cross-feed and feedback/cross-feed mix
paths for spatial effects and complex echo
rhythms

• Register step and chains via footswitch

• Analog relay for musical instrument ampli-

fier channel switching

To make sure you get the most out of

Vortex, be sure to read the manual.

PEDAL/TAP

If a footpedal is connected, assigns footpedal
control to any parameter selected by Parameter
knob (except

ECHO 1

÷ and

ECHO 2

÷). LED

indicates pedal assignment.
When no pedal is connected, or whenever Pa-

rameter knob is set to

ECHO 1

÷ or

ECHO 2

button enters timing information. Two pushes
define a tempo for all effects. LED indicates 1st
TAP received, waiting for 2nd TAP.

OVLLVL

INPUT

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PEDAL/TAP

ENVELOPE

MORPH A/B

ECHO FX LVL

MOD FX LVL

ECHO 2
ECHO 1

OUTPUT

MIX

STORE

Stores the current effect to whatever register is indi­cated by settings of A/B and REGISTER/PRESET.

CLEAR

Clears register pairs (A and B) to allow effects to be
skipped for a footswitch step sequence, or footswitch­activated chains to be created. Repeat to restore the
register pair.

÷,

A/B

Activates rear panel A/B relay, and
toggles selection of A and B banks of
presets and registers. A and B LEDs
indicate current selection.

FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2
RATE 1
DEPTH 1
RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2

CLEAR

A
B
VALUE

A/BSTORE VALUE

Front Panel Overview

REGISTER/PRESET

Button selects preset or register mode.
LED lights when register mode is selected,

turns off in preset mode.
Knob will select presets 1-16 or registers

1-16, depending on button setting.

Note using a footswitch to step
through registers will cause a dis­crepancy between the REGISTER/
PRESET knob setting and the dis­play (which will show the number of
the register that is actually running.)

REGISTER/PRESET

DUO

MAZE

MOSAIC

AEROSOL

CENTRIFUGE

ORBITS

ATMOSPHERE

REFLEXION

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

DEJA VU
CHOIR
SHIMMER
SWEEP
SHADOW
CYCLOID
BLEEN
FRACTAL

INPUT

Sets the level of the incoming signal. LEDs
indicate acceptable signal level (LVL), and
overload (OVL).

PARAMETER

Selects among 16 parameters for adjustment
with the VALUE knob, or pedal assignment.

DISPLAY

Numeric display of digits 1-64, and decimal point. Dis­played digits indicate ID number of currently running
effect. Digits accompanied by lit VALUE LED indicate
parameter values. Decimal point lights to show an effect
has been modified since it was stored.

2

VALUE

Adjusts values of selected parameter.
All parameter values are displayed
with a range of 1-64 and are accompa­nied by the VALUE LED.

Setting Audio Levels

1. Turn Vortex INPUT all the way down (fully
counter-clockwise).

2. Connect Vortex inputs to an audio
source, and Vortex outputs to an ampli­fier or mixer.

3. Apply an input signal at a level that you
typically use.

4. While sending audio to Vortex, gradually
turn up the INPUT control until the LVL
LED* lights green. Continue to advance
INPUT until the OVL LED lights on only
the loudest peaks. If the OVL LED is lit
continuously, turn the INPUT control
down.

5. Adjust amplifier or mixer levels for opti­mum signal-to-noise performance.

* The LVL LED is off when the incoming signal is
low; it lights to indicate acceptable levels (6dB to
30dB below overload). The OVL LED lights red
when the signal approaches overload. Acceptable
signals will light the LVL LED almost continuously,
and the OVL LED only on peaks.

Setting MIX Values

The sound of each Vortex preset is highly
dependent on the mix of dry (unprocessed)
and wet (processed) signals. MIX settings
are stored with each effect. If Vortex outputs
are connected to amplifier or mixer channel
inputs, you should not have to adjust this
parameter to use any of the presets.

If Vortex outputs are connected to a
console's returns (and Vortex output is,
therefore, mixed with dry signal from the
console), you should select each effect and
raise the MIX parameter to its maximum
value. (64=100% wet)

Be aware that several Vortex effects are
meant to be used at 100% wet (

CENTRIFUGE, MOSAIC

, etc.) When using
Vortex with a console, you will get the stron­gest effect by connecting Vortex outputs to
channel inputs.

ORBITS,

3

Rear Panel Connections

A/B

Relay-switched Tip/Ring/Sleeve phone
output for remote channel switching of
musical instrument amps via front panel
or footswitch A/B control.

A/B RELAY

SPECIFICATION

< 100V, < 100mA

:TIP

:RING

:SLEEVE

A/B

A
B

COM

BYPASS

STEP

TAP
A/B

FOOTPEDAL

STEREO

PLUG
ONLY

FOOTSWITCHES

FOOTSWITCHES

Two Tip/Ring/Sleeve phone inputs, for momentary
contact footswitches, allow footswitch control of
front panel functions.

FOOTPEDAL

Tip/Ring/Sleeve 1/4" phone input for
expression pedal control of selected
parameter.

THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH PART

15 OF THE FCC RULES.
OPERATION IS SUBJECT TO THE
FOLLOWING TWO CONDITIONS:
(1) THIS DEVICE MAY NOT CAUSE
HARMFUL INTERFERENCE, AND

(2) THIS DEVICE MUST ACCEPT ANY

INTERFERENCE RECEIVED<

INCLUDING INTERFERENCE THAT

MAY CAUSE UNDESIRED OPERATION.

POWER

9V~, 1A,
50-60Hz

USE LEXICON

MSA AC ADAPTER

POWER

Use Lexicon MSA power pack,
or 9VAC 1 amp equivalent.

4

VORTEX

LEXICON, INC.

WALTHAM MA 02154

MADE IN U.S.A.
P/N 021-09504

SERIAL #

OUPUT

Single-ended (unbalanced) stereo outputs provide

-2dBu nominal output level. Use the right output
connector for mono output. If no connection is made
at the right output, the left output can be used to drive
high-efficiency headphones at modest volume.

OUTPUTS INPUTS

L

(HI-Z PHONES)

(MONO)

L

R

R

(MONO)

INPUT

Single-ended (unbalanced) inputs accept levels
as low as -30dBu. Input impedance is 50 kΩ in
stereo, 25 kΩ in mono. Use the right for mono
input.

Footswitch and Footpedal
Connections

Footswitches connected via the rear­panel footswitch jacks allow you to perform
register STEP and BYPASS functions and/
or to control TAP and A/B effect morphing.
Two momentary foot-switches can be wired
to a tip-ring-sleeve connector. A stereo Y­connector allows two identical single
switches to be used.

One footswitch is provided with your unit,
along with a set of labels to identify footswitch
functionality. If you are only going to be using
one footswitch,connect it to perform TAP and
A/B functions, or register STEP and BYPASS
functions, and label it accordingly.

Headphones

A stereo signal which is adequate to drive
high-efficiency headphones is available at
the left output,

made through the right output

provided as a convenience for practice pur­poses, and is intended to provide only mod­est volume.

provided no connections are

. This feature is

Tip Sleeve

Ring

Tip Sleeve

Ring

TIP
RING

SLEEVE

TIP
RING

SLEEVE

STEP

A/B

BYPASS

TAP

An expression pedal connected via the
rear panel pedal jack allows continuous con­trol of selected front panel parameter.

Tip Sleeve

Ring

TIP
RING
SLEEVE

Typical Pot(entiometer)

10-50K

PEDAL

Sleeve Ring

TAPA/B

BYPASSSTEP

Use a second (optional) footswitch to control
the remaining footswitch functions.

Tip

5

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

Stereo In

Stereo Out

Dual Stereo In

Stereo Out

Dual Mono In

Stereo Out

Dual Mono In

Dual Mono Out

Mono In

Stereo Out

Maze B

Shadow A

Bleen B

Orbits A/B

Duo B

Duo A

Centrifuge A/B

Mosaic B

Maze A

Choir B

Shadow B

Reflexion A/B

Atmosphere A/B

Aerosol A/B

Mosaic A

Deja Vu A/B

Choir A

Shimmer A/B

Sweep A/B

Cycloid A/B

Bleen A

Fractal A/B

Audio connections to Vortex are unbal­anced and should be made with high quality
shielded cables with 1/4" tip-sleeve phone
jacks at the Vortex end.

Vortex is a true stereo processor. Left and
right inputs are processsed separately. The
chart to the right shows the processing path
of each preset.

Even if you are using a mono input, take
advantage of the stereo outputs. All Vortex
effects are designed to be mono compatible
and to maximize the spatial characteristics
of each effect. If mono output is required, use
the right output jack. The left and right sig­nals are summed internally when only the
right output is used.

Audio Connections

6

In-Line Processing

Note that MIX settings are stored with
Vortex effects. The presets have been de­signed with specific MIX settings for each
effect which should not need adjustment
when the unit is used in-line.

Mono In

(R)

TM

AUDIO MORPHING PROCESSOR

OVLLVL

INPUT

Mono Out

Effects Send

Effects Return

PEDAL/TAP

FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2

ECHO 2

RATE 1

ECHO 1

DEPTH 1

ENVELOPE

RESONANCE 1

MORPH A/B

RATE 2

ECHO FX LVL

DEPTH 2

MOD FX LVL

RESONANCE 2

OUTPUT

MIX

Guitar

Amp

A/BSTORE VALUE

CLEAR

A
B
VALUE

Stereo Instrument

or

Stereo Mixer (Effects Sends)

Out

In

OVLLVL

INPUT

PEDAL/TAP

FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2

ECHO 2

RATE 1

ECHO 1

DEPTH 1

ENVELOPE

MORPH A/B

ECHO FX LVL

MOD FX LVL

OUTPUT

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MIX

Out

(panned hard right)

CLEAR

RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2

Ch 1

(panned hard left)

Ch 2

A/BSTORE VALUE

A
B
VALUE

In

Mixer

REGISTER/PRESET

CENTRIFUGE
ATMOSPHERE

REGISTER/PRESET

MOSAIC

AEROSOL

ORBITS

REFLEXION

AEROSOL

CENTRIFUGE
ATMOSPHERE

REFLEXION

Using Vortex on a Mixer
Effects Return Bus

If Vortex is using a console’s returns,
select each effect's MIX parameter, then
use the VALUE knob to set it to its maximum
value (64).

Some Vortex effects are meant to be
heard 100% wet, with no dry signal added.
Adjust your console's wet/dry mix accord­ingly.

FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2
RATE 1
DEPTH 1
RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2

Stereo

Mixer

CLEAR

A
B
VALUE

A/BSTORE VALUE

Effects Returns

REGISTER/PRESET

CENTRIFUGE
ATMOSPHERE

REFLEXION

DEJA VU

9

DUO

8

CHOIR

10

MAZE

7

SHIMMER

11

MOSAIC

6

SWEEP

12

AEROSOL

5

SHADOW

13

4

CYCLOID

14

ORBITS

3

BLEEN

15

2

FRACTAL

16

1

DEJA VU

9

DUO

8

CHOIR

10

MAZE

7

SHIMMER

11

6

SWEEP

12

5

SHADOW

13

4

CYCLOID

14

3

BLEEN

15

2

FRACTAL

16

1

AUDIO MORPHING PROCESSOR

DEJA VU

9

DUO

8

CHOIR

10

MAZE

7

SHIMMER

11

MOSAIC

6

SWEEP

12

5

SHADOW

13

4

CYCLOID

14

ORBITS

3

BLEEN

15

2

FRACTAL

16

1

In

R

OVLLVL

INPUT

TM

Effects Sends

L

PEDAL/TAP

ECHO 2
ECHO 1
ENVELOPE

MORPH A/B
ECHO FX LVL
MOD FX LVL

OUTPUT

MIX

RL

Out

7

A/B Relay Switch

Vortex is equipped with an electrically iso­lated analog switch that allows remote con­trol of guitar amplifier lead/rhythm channel
selection. Simply connect a standard 1/4"
guitar cable between the Vortex rear panel A/
B relay switch and the A/B switching input on
your amp.

Both the front panel A/B button, and the
footswitch A/B control will activate this
switch, allowing you to simultaneously
switch effects and amplifier settings.

For example, if your amp channel A corre­sponds to lead, and channel B to rhythm, you
can load Vortex's A registers with effects you
want to use on leads, and load the B registers
with rhythm effects. Now, a single tap on the
A/B footswitch will coordinate switching be­tween lead effects on your A channel and
rhythm effects on your B channel.

8

Any amplifier with a channel switching
feature and a footswitch connection can be
connected to the rear panel A/B relay con­nector on Vortex. The switch functions as
follows:

Mono plug* Stereo plug

A switch closed sleeve tied to Tip
B switch open sleeve tied to Ring

* To switch polarity, use a stereo plug into
Vortex, with a mono plug going into the amp.
Attach the two wires to the connector sleeve
and ring so that A = open and B = closed.

Overview

Vortex provides a rich set of performance
and programming features — all of which are
simple and straightforward. Effect selection,
editing, store, and morph functions are easily
accomplished with dedicated knobs and but­tons.

In Vortex, the tedious process of entering
delay times which have to be recalculated for
every tempo change is replaced by simple
rhythm controls.The unique combination of
the front panel TAP and ECHO÷ controls
makes it easy to set up precise echo rhythms
— and to synchronize the echo rhythms of

every effect

to

any tempo

— on the fly!

Audio Morphing™ gives you unprec­edented real-time control of parameter val­ues, effects ordering and control routing.
While the dynamically changing sounds can
range from subtle to extreme, you control
morphing with simply a button push or a
pedal sweep.

An expression pedal can be assigned to
control any one of fourteen parameters in
each effect with a single button push (and
pedal assignments can be stored with your
effects.)

Basic Operation

A dual footswitch, provided with your unit,
allows you to bypass effects, step through
your registers, or cycle through chains of
effects.

Each of these functions is described in
detail in this section.

9

Presets and Registers

Vortex is loaded with 32 permanent pre­sets, arranged in two banks, and numbered
1A-16A and 1B-16B.

Vortex also has 32 memory locations,
called registers, where you can store your
own effects. When first shipped, Vortex has
a duplicate set of the presets loaded into the
registers. Although these are grouped into
register pairs which match the preset A/B
pairs, you can store any effect you want into
any register space.

Vortex has 32 presets and 32
registers for storing your
customized effects. Pressing the
REGISTER/PRESET button ...

REGISTER/PRESET

DUO

MAZE

MOSAIC

AEROSOL

CENTRIFUGE

ORBITS

ATMOSPHERE

REFLEXION

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

LED indicates register selection.

DEJA VU
CHOIR
SHIMMER
SWEEP
SHADOW
CYCLOID
BLEEN
FRACTAL

.

..determines whether presets

(REFLEXION ... FRACTAL),

or registers (1 ... 16) will be

selected by the knob.

The REGISTER/PRESET button deter­mines whether the knob will load registers or
presets. The LED lights to indicate register is
selected.

Turn the REGISTER/PRESET knob to
select and load the preset or register number
you want.

10

Each preset and register has an A and a B
version. In the presets, A and B versions are
matched into specific effect pairs. You can
set up your own pairing system in the regis­ters.

The front panel A/B button determines
which version of an effect will be loaded.
When this button is pressed with an effect
running, it will initiate a dynamic transition, or

morph

from one effect to the other. (The
ability to make these transitions is one of the
most exciting features of Vortex and is ex­plained fully under

Morphing

later in the

manual. )

The setting of A/B deter­mines whether the A or B
versions of presets and
registers will be loaded.

LEDs indicate A/B selection.

A
B
VALUE

A/B

Adjusting Parameter Values

Each effect in Vortex has sixteen adjust­able parameters. Control over these param­eters is simple — select a parameter with the
PARAMETER knob, then adjust it with the
VALUE knob. All parameter settings made
from the front panel can be stored with the
effect.*

Select a parameter.

PEDAL/TAP

ECHO 2

ECHO 1
ENVELOPE
MORPH A/B

ECHO FX LVL

MOD FX LVL

OUTPUT

MIX

Parameter values (1-64)
will be displayed when
VALUE is turned.

The decimal point indicates changes have
been made since the last store operation.

* Parameter changes made with an expression

pedal are
fect. See

not

automatically stored with the ef-

Pedal Control

FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2
RATE 1
DEPTH 1
RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2

.

The VALUE knob is always active, and will
adjust whichever parameter is indicated by
the PARAMETER knob. The first turn of
VALUE will display the current parameter
setting and light the VALUE LED. Subse­quent adjustments will increment or decre­ment parameter values along their entire
range (1-64).

Use the VALUE knob to adjust
the selected parameter.

A/B VALUE

A
B
VALUE

The VALUE LED lights whenever
parameter values are displayed.

11

Effect Parameters

The decimal point on the display will light
when a parameter is adjusted to indicate that
the effect has been modified since the last
store operation. If no further adjustments are
made with VALUE, the display will revert to
showing the number of the currently running
effect. The edit indicator will remain on until
the effect is stored, or until changes are lost
by selecting another effect with the REGIS­TER/PRESET knob.

About the Parameters

Vortex parameters, in addition to providing
familiar mix and level controls, allow you to
access dimensional, rhythmic, and dynamic
aspects of each effect. These controls make
Vortex much more like a musical instrument
than a simple effects box — they let you
Vortex's unique effects.

The MIX and OUTPUT controls, which
have the same function in each effect, are
described here. Certain other parameters,
such as the modulation controls (Rate,
Depth, etc.) affect different aspects of the
modulation in each effect. These are marked
with an asterisk (*) and described for specific
effects in

Effect Descriptions.

Other param­eters, such as the ECHO÷ controls and
Morph A/B, are described fully in sections of
their own.

Each parameter has a range of control
which is displayed as 1-64. The general
behavior of each parameter is as follows:

MIX

Controls the balance between Vortex effects (the
combination of ECHO FX LVL and MOD FX LVL)
and the dry audio signal. 1=100% dry; 64=100%
wet.

play

OUTPUT

Controls the output level of the MIX signal.

*MOD FX LVL

Controls the level of the modulation portion of an
effect. 1=off.

*ECHO FX LVL

Controls the level of the echo portion of an effect.
1=off.

MORPH A/B

Controls the rate of morphing between A and B
effects. 1=10 seconds; 64=.01 second. See

Morphing.™

*ENVELOPE

All Vortex effects are dynamically sensitive. EN­VELOPE controls the amount of sensitivity applied
to the effect. 1=off; 64=maximum sensitivity.

Note: When both inputs are used, ENVELOPE is
derived from the left input.

ECHO 1÷ and ECHO 2÷

Vortex has two delay lines dedicated to echo
effects. The ECHO ÷ controls allow selection of
rhythmic divisions of the tempo you've set. See

TAP and ECHO Rhythms.

12

Audio

*FEEDBACK 1 and 2

Control feedback to the two delay lines (ECHO 1
and 2). Several configurations of feedback and
cross-feedback are used in the effects.

Vortex has two LFOs which are used to
control different types of modulation (such as
vibrato, rotary, pan, etc.) The RATE,
DEPTH, and RESONANCE controls provide
access to different aspects of the modulation
portion of each effect.

*RATE 1 and 2

Control the speed of the modulation effect.
1=0.1Hz; 64=100Hz. Higher speeds are capable
of producing "ring modulation" effects.

*DEPTH 1 and 2

These controls are generally associated with
RATE 1 and RATE 2, and control the amount of
modulation.

*RESONANCE 1 and 2

Control aspects of the resonance around the
modulation effect, such as level, cross-resonance
level, tuning. etc.

TAP and Echo Rhythms

Tempo and Rhythm

Vortex has two independent delay lines
(ECHO1 and ECHO 2), which are configured
in a variety of ways to create rhythmic effects.
The configuration and extent of control over
these echoes is one of the things that gives
Vortex effects their exciting rhythmic pat­terns, and their dimensional quality. The
other unique component in creating Vortex's
echo effects is

Other effects processors require you to
slave your tempo to their preset delay times,
or to calculate and set an absolute tempo in
milliseconds, then use that number to calcu­late delay times for appropriate rhythms,
then to enter those delay times into the box.
Changing tempo requires repeating the en­tire process.

Vortex will slave echo rhythms to any
tempo you want. Setting tempo is as easy as
tapping your foot, and you can change tempo
as often as you like — even on the fly.

you

.

In Vortex, tempo is set simply by pressing
TAP twice. Because every effect in the box is
synchronized to the current tempo, all effects
are always rhythmically compatible. You can
tap with a footswitch, or with the front panel
PEDAL/TAP button. (If you have a footpedal
connected to Vortex, you must select one of
the ECHO÷ parameters in order for the but­ton to function as TAP. See

The ECHO 1÷ and ECHO 2÷ controls
allow you to easily set up extraordinary
polyrhythms within any effect. These rhyth­mic divisions are automatically stored with
the effect .

Pedal Control.

13

Tapping in a Tempo

Setting the tempo for Vortex couldn't be
easier — simply press TAP twice in rhythm to
establish the tempo you want. The front
panel LED will light on your first press of TAP
to indicate a tap interval is being calculated.
Your second TAP defines the tap interval
and turns off the LED. Now, any effect you
select will be synchronized to your tempo. To

)

select a new tempo at any time, just TAP
twice. Vortex will update the tempo through­out the box on receipt of the second TAP. (If
a second TAP is not received within approxi­mately 30 seconds, Vortex will remain at the
current tempo and turn the LED off.)

This simple method of setting tempo really
frees you to experiment. Try running through
the presets and simply tapping different in­tervals. Some effects will sound markedly
different with the tempo altered. — Try listen­ing to an effect, then TAP in a whole note
interval and listen again. TAP in 3 beats, then
4 beats, to get an idea of the changes that
can be made to a single effect.

Tap intervals in Vortex can be as long as
28 seconds, allowing long phrases of music,
rather than single beats, to determine tempo.

Whenever Vortex is turned on, the tap
interval will return to the default value. (1=a
quarter-note at 65 bpm)

Echo Rhythms

Echo rhythms are divisions of the tap inter­val you've selected for Vortex. The ECHO 1÷
and ECHO 2÷ controls allow you to set
independent rhythms, which will always be
related to the tap interval, for each of Vortex's
two delay lines.

For example, if you tap in a whole note
interval (4 beats between taps), the param­eter value 4 corresponds to quarter-note
echoes, 8 corresponds to eighth-note ech­oes...64 to sixty-fourth-note echoes.

The ability to set different rhythmic divi­sions for Vortex's two echoes allows you to
set up some very interesting patterns. For
example:

1. Load any effect with a dual echo configu-

ration, such as preset 8.

2. Tap in a whole note interval (4 beats

between taps).

3. Turn the Parameter knob to ECHO 1÷,

and set the VALUE knob to 16. This will
give ECHO 1 a sixteenth-note rhythm.

4. Select ECHO 2÷, and set its VALUE to 8,

giving ECHO 2 an eighth-note rhythm.

Now, you can tap any interval, and the
relationship between ECHO 1 and ECHO 2
rhythms will be maintained — and still be
synchronized with the tempo. (ECHO 1 will
always have a rhythm which is twice as fast
as that of ECHO 2.)

DUO B.

14

Vortex echo divisions are calculated with
16-bit acuracy. This ensures that the rhyth­mic relationships between ECHO 1 and
ECHO 2 are highly accurate and stable, even
for unusual polyrhythms such as 2 against 9,
or 11 against 13 — patterns that would be
extremely tedious, and perhaps impossible,
to set up on another effects processor.

Try setting up some patterns such as 3
against 2, 7 against 9, etc. — they're all a
snap with Vortex.

ECHO Value

12345 678

Rhythmic Divisions

1
2

1

3

1

1

2

2

Tap Interval

3 5 6 7

3

(Number of Beats between TAPs)

4

3

6

6

53 7

65

5:4 7:4

5:4 7:4

5 6 7

5:4 7:4

The maximum delay time for one echo in

Vortex is 923 milliseconds. The maximum

•••

delay time for configurations which use
Vortex's two delay lines in series is 1846 ms.
In theory, this would require you to calculate
the allowable tap interval/rhythmic division to

7

make sure the times you enter fall below the
limit. Vortex, however, not only performs this
tedious calculation for you, but lets you ig­nore the whole issue of maximum delay
times, by intelligently processing whatever
combination you enter.

If a tap interval/ rhythmic division combina­tion is selected which exceeds the maximum
delay, Vortex will divide the selected delay
time in half until it falls below the limit. For
example, if a whole note won't fit, Vortex will
give you a half note. If a half-note won't fit, it
will give you a quarter note, and so on, until
a compatible value fits. This way, no matter
what tap interval and rhythmic division you
select, the musical relationship between
them is preserved.

15

About Morphing

One of the most exciting controls that
Vortex gives you is the ability to continuously
transform one effect into another. This fea­ture, which we call Audio Morphing,™allows
you to transform closely related, or wildly
dissimilar effects — and to set the time period
over which the transformation occurs.

As this concept is completely new to audio
effects, it will be helpful to keep a few things
in mind when using this control.

Morphing is accomplished with the A/B
switch.

When you press A/B, Vortex doesn't simply
switch back and forth between Banks A and
B. It

transforms

The rate at which this transformation occurs
is determined by the MORPH A/B param­eter.

MORPH A/B allows you to determine the
time it takes for one effect to transform into
another when A/B is pressed. Morph rates,

one effect into another.

like other parameters, are stored as part of
the effect.

Morphs are performed between register
pairs. To set up a morph, store one effect into
an A register, then store another effect into
the corresponding B register. You can store
any preset, or any modified preset into any A
or B register.

Because you can store any effect you want,
in any register, you can select morphs to
perform subtle, smooth parameter changes,
or radical shifts between effects.

When you morph between two versions of
the same effect, all of the parameter values
move smoothly from one version to the other.

When you morph between two different ef­fects, the entire structure of the effect trans­forms to the other effect. Everything changes
— rates, levels, audio routing, routing of the
LFOs and envelope, etc.

16

Audio Morphing™

An expression pedal gives you dynamic con­trol of morphing — and allows you to create
dramatic new effects.

The ability to morph from any effect, or effect
variation, in the box to any other effect gives
you an infinite number of possible new ef­fects, as a new effect is created at virtually
every point in the morph. Assigning control of
the morph to an expression pedal allows you
not only expressive control over the morph,
but allows you to halt the morph at any point.
This is one of the most dramatic features of
pedal control and is explained in detail in the
next section,

Pedal Control.