With REcho 4.5, Akihiko Matsumoto successfully reignites the classic analog sounds of multi-head tape echo and spring reverb, delivering it in the digital format of a Max4Live device. This crisp echo and reverb generator opens a portal to the past, allowing you to create the kind of vintage tones that nostalgically warm up any production in Ableton Live.
First things first, you need to download REcho 4.5. The plugin is commercially licensed and you can find it listed on the Max for Live website at this URL https://maxforlive.com/library/device/10304/recho. The author's website (https://akihiko-matsumoto.gumroad.com/l/AbletonREcho) includes a link to the plugin, and offers additional resource materials, other plugins, and Ableton skins.
Once you've installed the device, you’ll notice that the interface paints a clear, user-friendly image of a nostalgically engineered instrument. We’re primarily dealing with two components here: The multi-head tape echo to the left and the spring reverb to the right. Each element is designed to be manipulated separately and together for truly immersive and ethereal soundscapes.
Experimenting with the tape echo, the plugin introduces a series of 'Tape Heads' with adjustable Tape Speed, Repeat, and Echo Level. These individual heads allow you to artfully design your echoes, altering the speed to enhance the texture and warmth of the sound. The 'Edit' button further unravels the potential, granting you access to delay timing, panning, and levels.
One of the key aspects of REcho is its seamless navigation between analog warmth and digital precision. With the 'Spring Reverb' alongside the tape echo, it is straightforward to add an extra dimension to your textures. Adjusting the Size, Tone, and Mix parameters will echo your sound through a vast, lively space.
The ‘Duck’ parameter introduces an intelligent adaptive algorithm that reduces the echoes when the input volume is high. This feature, coupled with the inbuilt LFO for alluring modulation, opens up an innovative avenue for managing the dynamics of your audio.
Finally, the ‘Mono’ and ‘Ping Pong’ options help to define and diversify your stereo image, providing a wide stereo field or a more focused central output.
To top it all, the plugin boasts compatibility with the lastest Ableton Live 12 and Apple Silicon, ensuring that even the most contemporary producer can take a dive into the past and re-emerge with a cutting-edge, vintage-infused sound.
Through the merging of old and new in the REcho 4.5, Akihiko Matsumoto has provided a tool that not only reinvigorates classic tones but also reimagines them within the modern dynamics of Ableton Live. This Max4Live device enables you to erect an audible bridge between yesterday and today, infusing your tracks with the time-honored character of an analog past while leveraging the capabilities of contemporary digital production. Dive in and experiment with it. Happy time-traveling.
Example Usage
Imagine you're setting the stage for a retro-inspired track, where a guitar gently weeps into a vintage atmosphere. Your goal is to infuse this guitar with the character of old-school tape delays and the warmth of classic spring reverb using the REcho 4.5 Max4Live device in Ableton Live. Let's dive into creating that nostalgic echo effect with a step-by-step guide:
- Record or import your guitar track: Begin with a dry recording of your guitar in Ableton Live. Ensure the track is clear of any effects to start with a clean slate.
- Load REcho 4.5: Navigate to your Max4Live devices within Ableton Live and drag the REcho 4.5 onto your guitar track's device chain.
- Explore presets: REcho 4.5 comes with a variety of presets. Click through them to hear how they interact with your guitar sound. Find one that's close to your desired vintage tone.
- Adjust the Echo Time: To set the stage for that time-traveling effect, adjust the 'Echo Time' knob to taste. Slower settings can create a cascading wall of sound, while faster settings give a rhythmic pulsing echo.
- Fine-tune the Feedback: Control how many times the echo repeats with the 'Feedback' knob. A higher setting will give you more repetitions, creating a more intense effect.
- Dial in the Spring Reverb: Adjust the 'Reverb' knob to blend in the desired amount of spring reverb. This adds depth and space to your sound, emulating the vintage reverb tanks of the past.
- Play with the Intensity: The 'Intensity' knob will control how pronounced the echo effect is. Turn it up for a bold effect or down for a more subtle echo.
- Experiment with Tape Character: Use the 'Flutter' and 'Wow' controls to introduce the characteristic inconsistencies of tape machines, infusing your sound with a sense of organic movement and vintage charm.
- Refine with the Filters: Shape your tone further with the onboard high-pass and low-pass filters. These can help your guitar sit perfectly in the mix or stand out with a pronounced filtered effect.
- Adjust to suit your track: As you play back your full track, tweak the settings on the REcho 4.5 to ensure the echo effect complements the rest of your instruments. It should enhance the overall vibe without overpowering.
- Automation for dynamic changes: You might want the echo effect to evolve throughout your track. Automate parameters like 'Echo Time' or 'Feedback' to change over time, perhaps during a breakdown or crescendo for dramatic effect.
And there you have it—a hauntingly beautiful, vintage echo effect that takes your listeners on a journey through time. By harnessing the power of REcho 4.5, your guitar track glows with the nostalgia of bygone eras, all while sitting comfortably within modern production standards.
Let's create a vintage echo effect using Akihiko Matsumoto's REcho 4.5 to evoke the warm, nostalgic sound of a 60s rock 'n' roll record. We'll be working with a clean electric guitar track in Ableton Live.
First, load REcho 4.5 onto the guitar track by dragging the device from the Max4Live browser into your channel strip. Right away, you'll hear the default settings of the multi-head tape echo and the spring reverb start to affect your sound.
Since we're aiming for a specific era of sound, we will adjust the 'Echo Time' to around 300ms for that classic slap-back echo effect. The 'Feedback' parameter regulates how many repetitions we hear. We'll keep this quite low - at about 15% - just enough to hear a couple of repeats without overwhelming the original signal.
To truly tap into the 'vintage' character, we'll need to tweak the 'Saturation' control. Push this to arouse a subtle driving effect, emulating the harmonic distortion found in old tape machines.
One of the key features of the REcho 4.5 is the multi-tap delay, which allows for multiple echoes at various time intervals. Let's set 'Head 2' and 'Head 3' to different timings, like 450ms and 600ms, respectively, to create a more complex and rhythmic echo pattern.
Moreover, the 'Spring Reverb' section of REcho 4.5 is essential for our vintage sound. Dial the 'Reverb Time' to around 1.5 seconds and mix it in subtly using the 'Reverb Mix' till it surrounds the echoes without muddying them, providing an authentic spring reverb tank sound.
Since vintage equipment wasn't crystal clear, use the 'Low Cut' and 'High Cut' filters to roll off the extremes, allowing for that mid-range-focused sound reminiscent of older records. Setting the 'Low Cut' to about 200Hz and the 'High Cut' to around 5kHz should do the trick.
Finally, adjust the 'Dry/Wet' balance to taste. For a more pronounced effect that emphasizes the echos and spring reverb, set the 'Wet' level slightly higher, but be careful to maintain the essence of the original guitar tone.
Experiment with these settings while your track plays, and you'll start to hear your guitar part transformed by the warmth and wobble of tape with the metallic springiness of classic reverb units, thanks to REcho 4.5's nuanced emulation. This can be excellent for rhythms or lead lines when you want them to sing through with added weight and aged character.
Further Thoughts
In this exclusive tutorial, we dive into the profound capabilities of REcho 4.5, a Max4Live device designed by Akihiko Matsumoto, that emulates the lush, organic textures of a vintage multi-head tape echo coupled with a spring reverb. With this device's latest update, you can create distinct echoes that hark back to the glory days of analog gear, now with seamless integration into Ableton Live 12 and support for Apple Silicon.
Imagine working on a project that begs for that classic dub reggae feel. You’ve laid down a solid rhythm section and a skanking guitar chord progression, but your track lacks that spacious, repeat-bounce that you hear on old King Tubby's records. REcho 4.5 can inject this essence with ease.
First, locate the bassline track within your Ableton Live session and send a portion of its signal to a Return track hosting REcho 4.5. Crank up the 'Feedback' to about 75% to achieve that sustained echo swirl. Adjust the 'Echo Time' knob to sync with 3/16 of your track’s BPM, adding that fundamental dub delay rhythm.
Next, let’s manipulate the 'Saturation' parameter slightly to emulate the natural compression and warmth you’d find in tape-based echoes. This also helps in preventing the echo from becoming overly pristine and digital, ensuring it blends perfectly with the bassline.
Taking advantage of REcho 4.5’s 'Multi-head' feature, you can activate several virtual 'tape heads' to create complex rhythmic patterns. Enable three heads and pan them with subtle variation to craft a more immersive stereo soundscape.
Then comes the magic of the 'Spring Reverb.' With this vintage-flavored tool, dial in a small amount to the overall echo return. This will add a subtle, authentic metallic resonance and a sense of space that’s reminiscent of the spring reverb units found in classic guitar amps and outboard effects of yesteryear.
As a creative twist, automate the 'Echo Time' throughout your track, carefully speeding up and slowing down echoes at transitional points, delivering a psychedelic warp to your sound—it’s as if each bass note is bending time itself.
Make sure to tweak the 'Dry/Wet' control depending on the section of the song. In more intimate verses, you might want a drier sound with a touch of echo presence, whereas, in the chorus, you may desire a denser and wetter echo treatment for a fuller sound.
Finally, to enhance the vintage experience, automate the 'Ducking' parameter to have the echoes react dynamically with your bassline. The echoes will be more pronounced when the bass is not playing but will duck under when the bass hits, creating an articulate, living groove.
By diligently adjusting these parameters and experimenting with automation, REcho 4.5 empowers you to transform any sterile digital track into a timeless anthemic journey, all within the digital realm of Ableton Live. Whether it’s dub, psychedelic rock, or even contemporary electronic music, REcho 4.5 is a bridge to the sonic soul of the past.