Catalinbread Belle Epoch Tape Echo Manual Download Page 12

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DESIGN NOTES

The development of the Belle Epoch was a team effort at Catalinbread and we really wanted to come up with a

pedal that incorporated all the key compelling attributes of the EP-3, as we noted in the introduction of this

guide. We felt that a “tape echo” pedal was much more than just a standard digital delay with some “filtering” on

the repeats. There are a lot of subtle and not-so-subtle traits of the Echoplex that need to be implemented in

order to be authentic. The preamp, the self-oscillation character, the ability to play the pedal as an instrument

unto itself, the ability to control the “record level” of the signal hitting “tape”, the wow and flutter, the way the

repeats decay, the way the circuit interfaces with the amp and other pedals - all these things were important to

get right.

Thanks for getting the Belle Epoch and we’re sure it will inspire many epic musical moments for you!

Summary of Contents for Belle Epoch Tape Echo

Page 1: ...ds so authentic you d swear there was tape inside the pedal Inspired by the Maestro Echoplex EP 3 model perhaps the most famous tape delay ever it helped define the sound of 70 s rock guitar and was u...

Page 2: ...he first half of its rotation you ll get a fixed number of repeats with a perfect decay Then around 1 00 to 2 00 you can dial it in so that the repeats go on almost indefinitely without building up Be...

Page 3: ...he Echo Sustain up until it self oscillated and then play it by manipulating the Echo Delay slider This is where many other attempts at a tape echo pedal fall short Not only does the unit not self osc...

Page 4: ...uneven motor speed bumpy capstan wheels and other mechanical issues would cause the tape speed to vary resulting in random slight fluctuations in the pitch of the echoes With shorter delay times it co...

Page 5: ...wanted to incorporate all the attributes that made the EP 3 compelling and then some The Echoplex is a musical instrument unto itself and we wanted the Belle Epoch to be too So then here s what we di...

Page 6: ...e you re moving a tape head laterally across the tape instead of merely rotating a knob We paid close attention to the sweep of the Echo Sustain repeats control going from a single repeat all the way...

Page 7: ...the tape or delay line is hit It does not affect your dry signal and only affects the initial first repeat Turning the knob while repeats are playing will not affect them In practice you ll want to u...

Page 8: ...The Echoplex did this too and this was an important attribute for us to dial in You ll notice that up until the self oscillation point the repeats get successively thinner as they decay But from the s...

Page 9: ...POCH CONTROLS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 DC power input 2 Echo Sustain 3 Sway Mod 4 Tone Rec Lev 5 Mix 6 Echo Delay 7 Input Jack 8 Output Jack 9 Bypass Footswitch 10 Silkscreen Faceplate 11 Catalinbrea...

Page 10: ...EP 3 did not really boost so much as color and saturate the sound slightly The all discrete preamp in the Belle Epoch gives you the same benefits but with added gain control and more touch sensitivity...

Page 11: ...amics in his rig will appreciate the difference of not having the buffer Having said that the Belle Epoch will perform great in almost any pedal stacking situation But for the most authentic Echoplex...

Page 12: ...peats There are a lot of subtle and not so subtle traits of the Echoplex that need to be implemented in order to be authentic The preamp the self oscillation character the ability to play the pedal as...