User Guide / Owners Manual

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THE BASICS - ABOUT PRIMALTAP

PrimalTap — Version 5

Inspired by the classic Lexicon Prime Time Model 93 Digital Delay

Processor (ﬁrst introduced in 1978), PrimalTap recreates and expands

on the unique features and sound of this wonderful oddity of a vintage

delay. The Prime Time, as you would expect, was capable of a wide

range of rich delay, chorus, and ﬂanging sounds all of which have been

included within PrimalTap. But in addition to being an all around full-

featured delay unit the Prime Time featured a host of unique features,

some borne out of technological necessity, which really set this unit

apart from the crowd.

The ﬁrst of these was the Multiply control, designed to extend delay

times by as much as 8 times the displayed amount. However, in the

late 1970s digital technology was limited and memory was expensive,

so to accomplish this extended delay, the sample rate was halved each

time the delay length was doubled. This meant that at the maximum

8X multiply setting, the bandwidth was a very low-ﬁ 1.5kHz. Turning the

knob with audio playing resulted in drops in octaves, and crazy pitch

effects. Over time these oddities became the character of the unit. It

sounded like nothing else out there. We really like odd and character.

The other unique feature from the original was the “Freeze” control

(they called it “Repeat Hold”). It was basically grabbing the delay time

and looping it, with whatever was captured in it at the time. Essentially

a digital tape loop. Really cool, and eventually discovered by audio

experimentalist like Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, David Byrne - you know,

guys who think outside the box.

PrimalTap pulls from and expands on many features from the original

hardware with two independent delay taps, a time-dividing ‘Adjust’

control and LFO for mod, mix and feedback controls, and we even

modeled the very unique sound of driving hard into the original unit.

Because it’s good to be able to push things too hard. That, and the

sound was a totally different character than normal saturation or

overdrive.

PrimalTap is more than just a simple delay plug-in to toss into your mix:

it’s a dynamic and inspiring effect with real personality. It’s meant to be

played with and manipulated to warp, mangle or reshape whatever goes

in. So jump in and play, and if you need some hints, come back here and

use this manual to guide you to the next level.