Line 6 | Echo Pro Rack

One of three units in Line 6’s new Studio Modeler line, the Echo Pro incorporates technologies from the company’s DL4 Delay Modeler stompbox and Echo Farm vintage echo plug-in, adds several new algorithms and performance features, and fits it all into a 1U-rackmount box. The Echo Pro covers a lot of ground: in addition to its seven vintage echo-unit simulations, the Echo Pro provides eight Line 6 original echo algorithms, a versatile loop sampler with as much as one minute of loop time, and a bevy of controls for tweaking — and “tweezing” — sounds to taste.

LIGHTS, ACTION

Not exactly known for subtle design, Line 6 stayed the course with the Echo Pro, outfitting the unit with a lime green faceplate and a florid array of lights that includes two bright-red LCDs, a pair of five-segment LED-display level meters, and eight clear-plastic buttons that glow orange when engaged. In addition, three of the Echo Pro’s nine knobs are flanked by a host of LEDs that light to show the currently selected setting for their respective knobs. When you power up the Echo Pro, the whole system temporarily goes into Las Vegas mode, creating quite a light show. The overall look is pleasing and fun.

More important than lights, the Echo Pro provides a generous number of controls. Just about every parameter that is likely to be used in everyday operation has an assigned knob or button. That makes the system intuitive and lightning fast to work with. As a result, the Echo Pro is suitable both for studio duties and for real-time performance.

On the left side of the Line 6 Echo Pro are input- and output-level trim knobs and, above them, the aforementioned pair of five-segment input-level meters. To the right of those are three buttons labeled (from top to bottom) Save, MIDI/Sys, and Bypass. (There is also a user-selectable, buffered, all-analog bypass path that is convenient for those using the Echo Pro in front of a guitar amp.) Next up is the Program Select section, which comprises a round LED display and a large knob. The Echo Pro’s Program Select section also controls MIDI and system functions. You can save and recall 99 programs and specify particular programs as being the default settings when a particular delay algorithm is chosen — that’s a nice feature.

Next is the Model Select knob, which is surrounded by 16 indicator LEDs. Choosing a new algorithm changes the program instantly, without glitching or hiccuping.

To the right of the Model Select knob is the Time/Note window. This display typically shows the delay time in seconds or the tempo in bpm. When you turn other knobs, it changes momentarily to reflect the selected knob’s value and then, after a few seconds, returns to showing delay time.

Beneath the Echo Pro ‘s Time/Note window are three buttons labeled Seconds, Note, and BPM, which are used to control display of time or tempo as well as to select note division of the tempo. That means you can quickly dial in, say, a tempo of 118 bpm and then set the delay to eighth-note triplets. (These three buttons also perform additional roles as record and playback controls for the loop sampler.)

The Echo Pro ‘s next knob, labeled Time, sets the decay time in seconds or bpm (depending on which you selected in the previous section). To the right of that is the Tap tempo button. I am accustomed to tap-tempo buttons that derive a tempo by averaging the time between the last three or four taps. The Echo Pro’s Tap button, however, feels as though it derives a tempo from only the last two taps. That makes it more difficult to set a tempo accurately on the fly.

Beneath the Tap button is a button labeled Global. Pressing this button overrides the time/tempo that is stored within each program with the current time/tempo. (The Global button also doubles as the Half/Speed Reverse button for the unit’s Loop Sampler.)

The Echo Pro’s next knob, labeled Repeats, controls the number of echo repeats (also known as feedback). The Echo Pro’s Repeats are measured on a scale ranging from -90 to +2, which corresponds to the feedback-loop gain expressed in decibels (delay feedback is typically measured as a percentage). Values greater than 0 drive the system into a feedback loop.

Next up are two groovy knobs labeled Tweak and Tweez. These affect parameters of the delay algorithm based on the model selected. One parameter is available to each button per model; when you select a model, the corresponding parameter-indicator LED within the an arcing vertical row of LEDs to the left of each knob lights. In the Tube Echo model, for example, Tweak controls the amount of tape wow and flutter that is being modeled and Tweez controls the amount of tube overdrive. In the Digital Delay algorithm, Tweak and Tweez control bass and treble, respectively. The combination of the various delay algorithms and these two controls allows a wide range of interesting effects to be dialed in quickly.

Finally, a Mix knob provides control of the wet/dry mix, and the Power button turns the unit on and off. A minor quibble: the throw of the power button is shallow, making it possible to inadvertently switch the unit off while adjusting the mix level.