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Sound and operation I have used many real Echoplexes and can say that UA nailed both the functions and, better yet, the quirks, especially the “tape gulp” that grabs and suspends the delayed signal for a millisecond as you move the big slider. The EP-34 has a maximum delay time of 700 milliseconds, not very long by today’s standards, but absolutely authentic to the era and sound of this plug-in. UA nailed the sound, or—I should say—one sound, that of a well-maintained EP-3 / EP-4. The unit’s input path, tape repeats and eq are fantastic, and the way it saturates and distorts needs to be heard to be believed. It’s that good. But it won’t sound like every hardware unit you’ll ever hear, since in the real world no two 40+ years-old hardware units will ever sound exactly alike. EP-34 and RE-201 head-to-head The EP-34’s only real competition, at this point, is its cousin the RE-201. In case you’re wondering: I would call the EP-34 the grittier and fatter, the RE-201 smoother, more open and lush. When pushed into self-oscillation mode, the EP-34 is again grungier and more Rock’n’Roll, while the RE-201 is a bit more “Forbidden Planet” and sci-fi. The biggest difference I noticed is when manipulating the delay time controls. With the EP34 you hear the sound of the tape warbling and stretching, while the RE-201 remains completely smooth. The RE-201 has maximum of 480 ms of delay, while the EP-34 has 700, and of course the Roland gives you 3 tape heads and spring reverb and is $50 more. Also, presumably due to the complexity of the moving head and the more complex saturation algorithms, the EP-34 only gives you on average about half of the usage instances of the RE-201, three on a SOLO card, six on a DUO and twelve on a QUAD. The only thing that I wish the EP-34 had that the RE-201 does is the choice of tape quality/age. Bottom line, these are two different beasts, each with its own strengths. [Universal Audio reports that tape age was considered as a feature, but in listening tests and measurements it turned out to be a much more subtle effect on the Echoplex hardware than on the Space Echo.—Ed.] Conclusions It’s easy to become elitist and cynical when it comes to hardware emulations of vintage gear, especially tapebased... as long as you are dedicated enough and lucky enough to find a
RECORDING FEBRUARY 2011

real unit in pristine shape. And even then, well, do a search on “Maestro Echoplex” and read about what those dedicated and lucky people have to go through to keep their units running smoothly. There’s a fair bit of work involved in caring for an Echoplex!

For the rest of us, though, with the EP34 the folks at Universal Audio really did their homework and outdid themselves in every way. Its gritty, grungy, dark and syrupy delays are a treat to fiddle with, and bring the Echoplex magic to a new generation.

Delivery: Authorization file download from UA online store Format: Universal Audio UAD-2 (will not work on UAD-1 cards) License: Single user/multiple UAD cards Documentation: PDF Price: $199 More from: Universal Audio, www.uaudio.com.

http://www.uaudio.com http://www.kiqproductions.com http://www.kiqproductions.com

Recording - February 2011

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