Description
This Deltalab Super Time Line ADM 512 has been refurbished in our workshop. The pots & switches have been cleaned & lubricated and the leak-prone Nicad memory backup battery replaced with a modern alternative. The power supply has been recapped & upgraded with new Panasonic caps throughout. Tested & working 100%. Photos show the Super Time Line 512 for sale
See our Effectron page for more background on these devices
The Effectron was part of the first wave of digital gear to hit studios in the early 1980s. RAM was super-expensive so many units had short delay times and were designed for chorus, flanging, phasing and doubling. The more expensive devices had more RAM and longer maximum delay times
Deltalab was part of the booming Massachusetts hi-tech audio industry of the 1970s and 80s which included Lexicon & Bose. In 2016, Akamai, Analog Devices, B&W and THAT Corporation are prominent Mass manufacturers
Founder of Deltalab, Richie DeFreitas, holds a number of patents for “An electrical system of the type in which a digitally encoded signal is determined at least in part by the difference between a present value of an input signal and a reference signal representative of a past value of the input signal”. Otherwise known as Delta-encoding, this was one of the key technologies enabling digital audio
Effectrons are quirky, entertaining devices with lots of character. By varying the modulation depth & speed they produce effects from a slow phase, via a deep flange & warbling chorus right through to pitch-bending, gargling, modulated delays. They have a unique sound and definite mojo!
There are multiple Effectron and Super Time Line models & versions. See our Deltalab info page, Hail the Effectron!
The ADM models have more delay memory than the other Effectrons, allowing longer delays and more complex effects. They will all do the killer flanging & phasing effects that Effectrons are famous for, but you’ll need a 512, 1020 or a 2048 for longer dub delays
The Super Time Line models have other differences to the Effectrons: the time delay pot sweeps from minimum to maximum delay at the 12 o’clock position. Past that it becomes an envelope-driven modulation control. This gives more possibilities for strange effects
The Super Time Line also has an Infinite Repeat button to loop around the sample in memory. In this mode the delay time pot can be used to pitch-bend the sample and the modulation section can be used to warp & modulate it
It’s hard to describe the difference between an Effectron and, say, a Lexicon PCM42 but, if you had both in your effects rack, you’d head off in a different sonic direction with each one. The result with the Effectron would be madder than the Lexicon – which explains why I like them so much!
Hail the Effectron!
“OH man , I have stumbled upon this wicked awesome unit… i think this piece is amazing”
“Great thing about Effectrons is playing the knobs as your track is printing… especially for weird modulation stuff… think bauhaus’ “bela lugosi’s dead” or reverend horton heat’s “gin and tonic blues” and you’ll get it… LIQUID, baby = effectron”
“Good sounds, it’s digital, but in an analog way! The modulation is off the hook crazy”
“Great unit, the envelope mode on the delay factor is worth the price of admission”
“I don’t know about the differences, but those old DeltaLab delays sound GREAT, at least if your idea of “great” is “warm and funky” rather than “completely accurate”. I’ve used one for years. Lots of aliasing noise and bandwidth limitations, but it’s in no way cold or uninvolving”
“Deltalabs units use delta modulation instead of the usual PCM method of encoding/decoding. They definitely sound different!”
“If you cannot come up with an interesting effect on this box then just get out of the business”
“Good clean sound? Hell NO…. good clean fun?… HELL YES!! Every studio should have at least one. Imparts a vibe that a plug-in certainly can’t”
“The unit makes a great flanger, excellent chorus and a great freakout anti-music device”
“The EFFECTRONS Rule ! I have all 3 and the amount of creative sound you can derive from them is intense. HAIL THE EFFECTRON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Effectrons are just plain cool”
