Lexicon VORTEX Quick start Guide

OVLLVL

INPUT

UDIO

ORPHING

ROCESSOR

PEDAL/TAP

MORPH A/B

ECHO FX LVL

MOD FX LVL

ECHO 2 ECHO 1

ENVELOPE

OUTPUT

MIX

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

Presets and Registers

CLEAR

A B VALUE

A/BSTORE VALUE

Basic Operation

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

Vortex is loaded with 32 permanent presets, arranged in two banks, and numbered 1A-16A and 1B16B. Vortex also has 32 memory locations, called registers, where you can store your own effects.

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.

Editing Effects

Each Vortex effect consists of multiple modulation and delay functions, and each has its own distinctive sonic signature. All 32 effects share a common set of 16 parameters which allow you to access dimensional, rhythmic, and dynamic aspects of each 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.

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

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

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

ATMOSPHERE

LED indicates register selection.

DUO

MAZE

MOSAIC

AEROSOL

CENTRIFUGE

ORBITS

REFLEXION

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

DEJA VU CHOIR SHIMMER SWEEP SHADOW CYCLOID BLEEN FRACTAL

To adjust a parameter, select it with the PARAMETER knob, then turn the VALUE 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.

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

morph

dynamic transition, or

...determines whether presets

(REFLEXION ... FRACTAL),

or registers (1 ... 16) will be

selected by the knob.

from one effect to the other.

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

A B VALUE

A/B

LEDs indicate A/B selection.

Storing Effects

Vortex presets cannot be erased or overwritten by parameter changes; the original version will always be restored when loaded. If you make changes to a preset and want to save the changes as a custom effect, or if you want to match certain effects as A/B pairs, you must store your new versions into registers.

You can store any effect you want into any register space. To store the currently running effect:

1. Press STORE.

2. If you were in preset mode, the register LED will go on, indicating that Vortex has automatically switched to register mode — selecting whatever register is indicated by the position of the REG-

ISTER/PRESET knob and the A/B button.

3. Releasing STORE will store the currently running effect into the register indicated on the display, overwriting the effect previously stored there. The display will flash briefly to indicate the store operation was successful.

4. Store operations are executed on release of the STORE button. If you want to store to a different register, or to a different register bank, than the one displayed, turn the REGISTER/ PRESET knob to the register number you want, and check the setting of the A/B button releasing STORE.

before

TAP and Echo Rhythms

Vortex allows you to set the tempo for all effects, simply by pressing TAP twice. You can tap with a footswitch, or with the front panel TAP button.*

To set tempo in Vortex, just 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.

Vortex has two independent delay lines which are configured in a variety of ways to create rhythmic effects. 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, the parameter value 8 corresponds to eighth-note echoes...64 to sixtyfourth-note echoes.

* 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 — footswitch TAP function is always active.

ECHO Value

12345 678

Rhythmic Divisions

1 2

Tap Interval

(Number of Beats between TAPs)

Tap intervals 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)

53 7

5:4 7:4

3 5 6 7

5:4 7:4

5 6 7

5:4 7:4

•••

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 preset 8. DUO B.

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 ECHO 1 will always have a rhythm which is twice as fast as that of ECHO 2.

A/B RELAY

SPECIFICATION

< 100V, < 100mA

:TIP

:RING

:SLEEVE

A/B

A B

COM

BYPASS

STEP

TAP A/B

FOOTPEDAL

FOOTSWITCHES

Audio Morphing™

Vortex gives you 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.

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

Morphing is accomplished automatically when you press the A/B switch. The MORPH A/B parameter allows you to set the time it takes for one effect to transform into another when A/B is pressed. The combined morph rates set for A and B determine the total length of time a morph will take. The total duration of the morph can be varied from 10 seconds to .01 second. (1=slowest rate; 64=fastest rate) Morph rates, like other parameters, are stored as part of the effect.

Pedal Control

Any one of 14 parameters can be assigned to pedal control — and pedal assignment can be stored as part of an effect. A and B effects can each have different pedal assignments. To make use of the many features available through pedal control, simply connect a pedal via the rear panel FOOTPEDAL connector. Each time an effect is loaded, Vortex checks this connection. When a pedal is connected, the PEDAL function of the PEDAL/TAP button is activated.

When a pedal is plugged into Vortex, the PEDAL/TAP button assigns any one of 14 parameters* to pedal control.

The LED will light when you assign a parameter and whenever an assigned parameter is selected with the knob, until the assignment is changed or removed.

If you unplug the pedal, load a new effect to make sure that Vortex recognizes the disconnection.

Morphing with a Pedal

When you assign the MORPH A/B parameter, the pedal immediately acquires control over the morph, and the morph jumps to the current pedal position. (Toe up=1=effect B; toe down=64=effect A.)

Now, PEDAL/TAP functions as a TAP button ECHO 2÷ is selected. (Footswitch TAP function is unaffected.) When the Parameter knob is turned to any other position, pressing this button assigns the selected parameter to pedal control.

1. Plug a pedal into Vortex, and

A/B still selects the A or B effect, and the A and B LEDs indicate which effect is available for editing. Edits can be made via the front panel to either A or B effect parameters, but the pedal determines which effect is being

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

STEREO

PLUG ONLY

only

when ECHO 1÷ or

INTERFERENCE RECEIVED<

INCLUDING INTERFERENCE THAT

MAY CAUSE UNDESIRED OPERATION.

load a new effect (so that Vortex will recognize pedal connection.)

PEDAL/TAP

ECHO 2 ECHO 1

ENVELOPE

MORPH A/B

ECHO FX LVL

MOD FX LVL

OUTPUT

MIX

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

heard

Basic Operation

POWER

9V~, 1A, 50-60Hz

USE LEXICON

MSA AC ADAPTER

VORTEX

LEXICON, INC.

WALTHAM MA 02154

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

SERIAL #

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. Try listening to some of the preset effect pairs to get an idea of what morphing can do with different effect combinations.

2. Turn the Parameter knob to select any assignable parameter — for example, MIX.

3. Press PEDAL/TAP. The LED will light to indicate that the pedal has been assigned to that parameter.

4. When the pedal is moved beyond the displayed value of MIX, the pedal will acquire control over the parameter's full range.

The PEDAL/TAP button performs TAP functions when ECHO 1÷ or ECHO 2÷ is selected.

PEDAL/ TAP

ECHO 2

ECHO 1

ENVELOPE MORPH A/B

ECHO FX LVL

MOD FX LVL

OUTPUT

MIX

When you deassign the pedal, Vortex will immediately switch to whichever effect, A or B, is indicated by the front panel LEDs.

If either the A or B effect has been stored with the pedal assigned to MORPH A/B, (and a pedal is connected) pedal control is immediate when the effect is loaded.

OUTPUTS INPUTS

(HI-Z PHONES)

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

(MONO)

Preset 3 ORBITS

A and B in this preset are variations on a single effect, B having slow orbital paths, and A having faster orbits. This is a good example of using morphing to produce subtle changes in the overall sound of an effect.

Preset 15 BLEEN

A and B are completely different from one another. A is based on envelope detune, while B is based on "ring modulated" echo feedback. The sound is completely transformed as the effect morphs from A to B.

Once a parameter is assigned to a pedal, pedal control of the parameter is always active, even if you move the Parameter knob to select another parameter for editing.

While an assigned parameter is selected, value changes made with the pedal will be displayed. When pedal motion stops, the display will return to display of the register or preset number.

When the Parameter knob is turned to another position, the Pedal LED will turn off, and the value of the new parameter will be displayed. The new parameter can be edited with VALUE; the pedal will continue to control its assigned parameter.

To remove a pedal assignment, select the assigned parameter and press PEDAL/TAP, or select another parameter for assignment and press PEDAL/TAP. When a pedal is deassigned, the parameter returns to its original value (as set prior to pedal assignment.)

Other Features

Vortex offers many other features you'll want to explore:

• All Vortex effects are dynamically sensitive.

• Vortex has a CLEAR function which allows registers to be skipped in any effect sequence you create.You can also set up chains which use cleared registers as loop points.

3 Oak Part, Bedford, MA 01730 • Tel: (781) 280-0300 • Fax: (781) 280-0490

• One footswitch is provided with

Vortex for control of either TAP and A/B functions, or register STEP and BYPASS. A second footswitch can be connected to control the remaining footswitch functions.

Contact Lexicon, or your local dealer for more information on this, or any Lexicon product.

• Vortex is supplied with an electrically isolated analog switch that allows remote control of a 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.