Tape Delay

The History of Tape Delay

The term "echo" was first mentioned in 1950 when electronic devices entered the recording studios. Back then, producers tried to recreate the acoustic properties of different sound spaces. These devices were referred to as "echo "machines. Tape delay is one of the oldest effects originating from the decade mentioned above of the 20th century. It possesses distinct warmness and character like no other effect. Les Paul's "How High Is the Moon" is the first known example from 1951. Sam Phillips, who used this sound on Elvis Presley's early records, highly contributed to its further popularization. From that time on, tape delay, or an echo if you like, became a widely used and iconic effect.

Slapback Delay

Those first tape delay machines consisted of a rig that contained two reel-to-reel tape machines. One was used to record the audio, while others were in charge of playback. Engineers quickly discovered that a short-time echo occurred in the setup. Consequently, they coined the term "slapback "delay. The dual-machine technique was effective but awkward. It was only a short step for others to create a similar effect by slightly modifying a single reel-to-reel tape machine.  

Tape Echo

The Tape Echo machine used three magnetic heads (erase, record, and playback). The tape moves from left to right, from the Supply Reel to the Takeup Reel. The erase head ensures that the tape loop is at a blank state with each pass. The tape-recorded audio (at the Record head) takes a few milliseconds to travel to the Playback Head. This causes a slight "delay" of the tape signal from the original "real-time" audio and produces that iconic echo effect when combined with the original input signal.  

Echoplex andRoland'ss Space Echo Series

This technique became so popular that engineers devised ways to make the tape continuously loop on a machine so the tape would never "run out." Manufacturers eventually stepped in with products to make it easier. The Echoplex and Roland's Space Echo Series were some of the more popular devices. They had features and controls that were optimized for the intended purpose. Additionally, they used looped proprietary tapes in small cartridges.

Portable Machines

These machines were tremendously popular because they were easy to use and portable. Besides being great delay/echo units, they were also many musicians' first forays into looping effects. These portable, self-contained tape machines are designed solely as"echo machines." Each contains a single infinite loop of tape and added controls that allow the user to manipulate the echo and create some unique sound.  

Early Tape Machines Unreliability

Although these early portable Tape Echo machines had successfully brought the Echo effect onto live music stages worldwide, they were, in fact, notoriously unreliable. Any owner of an earlier machine would complain that they were subject to frequent breakdowns. Moreover, they required near-constant maintenance in order to keep them working properly. It wasn't until Roland developed the RE-201 Space Echo in 1982 that Tape Echo machines, for the first time, could withstand the rigors of the road.  

Additional Resources & Source Texts

• Space Echo