Vintage Digital

1980s Dream Rack

Classic Recording Studio Equipment

The AMS DMX 15-80S is a true stereo microprocessor controlled digital delay line. Originally designed to meet specifications laid down by the British Broadcasting Corporation for equipment to be supplied to them, it offers two completely independently delayed channels with precisely controlled delay times.
There have been many digital reverbs over the years, but few are as revered as the AMS RMX 16, which you will still find in studios the world over, some 40 years later. That in itself is enough to indicate just how good this reverb unit is, but it is also the only ‘old’ digital reverb that is being remade now.
The Lexicon PCM42 improved on the PCM41 and became a studio staple, even today you will find this nearly 40 year old digital delay in use aorund the world. The Lexicon PCM42 combines Lexicon’s reliability with features for musician. Unique in concept and execution, the Lexicon PCM-42 performs all of the functions you would of a high quality digital delay line, while the door to realms of musical expression that were only a dream now.
The Yamaha SPX90 was released in 1985 as an affordable multi-effects processor for the masses. It remains today a true classic digital effects processor. It is also the most looked at effects processor on this website.
The Roland SRV-2000 is one of those classic old Japanese reverbs that while not perfect, is certainly perfect in some situations, and in particular for snare! Yes it is grainy at times, perhaps a little too bright and the reverb tails are not the smoothest, but it is these characteristics that give the Roland SRV-2000 it’s mojo and a place in your studio.
The Lexicon PCM 70 has become something of a legend of late, with good examples selling for the same money or more, than what they sold for when new. It is ironic really…when the Lexicon PCM 70 was released everyone said it was not a ‘real’ Lexicon. While it may not be a 224X, released the same year, it does offer a taste of the Lexicon sound.
Often referred to as the poor man’s AMS RMX 16, the Klark Teknik DN 780 is a great reverb in it’s own right, and has maintained a loyal following over the years. The Klark Teknik DN 780 digital Reverb is not simply a reverberation device. The Klark Teknik DN 780 gives the user a unique and flexible means of producing realistic acoustic simulations for environments of all types and sizes.
When the TC Electronic TC 2290 arrived in 1986, it change the landscape for digital delays forever and it is still in use around the world today because of it’s unique abilities. The TC Electronic TC 2290 was so iconic during the mid to late eighties, and it continued to show up everywhere in both studios and on stage with some of the biggest guitarists in history.
The Sony MU-R201 was released following the comparatively high-priced Sony DRE-2000 and marked Sony’s initial foray into stereo processing for their reverbs. Although it gained limited traction in the western market, it achieved popularity in Japan. Despite this, Roger Nichols was an ardent proponent of the MU-R201 and employed it extensively in his mixing, including some of the Steely Dan mixes.
The Yamaha Rev5 was a digital effects marvel upon release. It skillfully emulated natural and plate reverberations, granting precise control and superior sound quality. With a 44.1 kHz sampling frequency, it delivered clear, transparent sound across the 20 Hz to 20 kHz spectrum. This was groundbreaking in its time.
There is perhaps no more revered effects box in history, as the Eventide H3000. To many it has never been bettered, and never will. More than thirty years since it was first introduced, the Eventide H3000 is still used in studios around the globe and on stage by musicians everywhere.
Roland made chorusing their thing, and cemented their place in history with the Dimension D, but by all accounts, it is the SDX-330 that is the best chorus processor. The sad thing is, by the time it was released in 1994, chorusing had pretty much run it’s course in recording and the sales of this processor must have been very low as they rarely ever come up for sale.
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