Lord of the Verbs - Lexicon PCM81 First Impressions
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Today we explore a few sounds on the Lexicon PCM81, one of the most revered rack processors of all time. Gorgeous reverbs, glorious delays and much more await!
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Some very sumptuous sounds there Leon. Love the pillow with the pic of your cat, great touch and hope you're doing okay mate **man hug**
*MAN HUG*
Lexicon reverbs: Like an angel peeing in your ears while you're playing guitar
Leon is The Lord of the Racks. I caught him once cradling a Marshall JMP-1 saying "my precious" over and over to it.
I can pay cash immediately if you promise to withhold any more of this salacious information from the public
Sounds amazing!
But so nice to see the pillow behind in memory of your majestic furry friend 🥺😊👍🏼
My sisters got me that for my birthday last year - decided it needed to move into the studio permanently :)
Circular and Pan Dlys original presets from the PCM70 are MUUUCH darker than that. Those sound harsh. Because the two machines, 70 and 80, do sound different, any attempt to replicate the 70 tone should not be based on matching the filters frequencies. As an example if you set those delays at 8 KHz hi-cut on both PCMs, the 80/81 will still sound brighter than the 70.
So... to really nail the 70 those high frequencies should stay no higher than 4KHz... and often around 2.8KHz. That's where the match is closer.
I usually like to lose pass delays a lot anyway so I'll give those values a go!
Maybe should then pass the PCM81 though a vintage tape emulation...
Loved this presentation. I would definitely sit through a PCM-81 programming video as well!
Italo De Angelis brought my attention to the PCM 81. Its deeper than you could possibly imagine. Even one of its algorithms could keep you busy for years discovering new sounds. I'm never giving mine up. :)
You know it's good when Italo recommends it. Insanely deep unit.
@@LeonTodd #truth :)
@@LeonTodd What do you think in comparison 81 to Eclipse? Rev Delays ?
Hey Leon! Another good one!
I never got into the PCM 81 that much but it sounds like a classic Lexicon processor which is no surprise. Lexicon is the standard by which all reverbs have to measure up to. I own three of them.
I'll tell you this: you're better off with this than the PCM 70. The PCM 80 and up, have stereo inputs and ouputs. PCM 70 has a mono input, and dual outputs. When you consider that Reverb is the last effect in your signal path, that makes it a bit tricky to use when you already have a stereo signal path in front of it. That was what stopped me from getting a PCM 70 back in the day. I'm glad I waited.
The pillow with the picture of your kitty is right where it belongs, close to you , just like he was.
Rock on!
That first clean tone with the concert hall mode and middle pickup position was gorgeous.
Could have played that for hours. So good.
Spectacular effects. Even after all these years. Similar to the comment I made on your recent Eventide video, Lexicon should put PCI cards out with those DSP chips running plugin emulations. Their catalog of hardware units 🔥 Have a good day! Stay safe :)
Yeah this and the Eclipse are definitely my favourite classic rack effects that I've tried so far.
I've always thought the same but I think the answer is b/c laptops are what a large amount of musicians use these days (is: macbook pros). This would be the time to do it though given plugins are huge right now, giving the sonic capability/power of HW to a PC without the rack fuss would definitely be cool!
Catching up on videos late this week, been one of those long weeks. Lexicon has always been a major player in this market as we all know, especially for modulation. This video shows why. Such sweet, gigantic sonic goodness! 👍
And they will never sound the same as they are missing the whole hardware! THAT'S WHAT MAKES THE TONE in these boxes.... the algorithms add the juice!
I like your style of explaination of the old and new modeling processors and how if it's sounds good it is good.
I'm 8:20 in and loving every second of this. Lexicon forever! Love the pillow with your boy on it. Very nice. Going back in the lush land of Lexicon. :D
Sounds beautiful Bro! I bet you were so stoked when you ran across that nugget of joy!
Absolutely!
Todd... the taptempo delays work differently. StereoTapDly. Lexicon thinking about tempo is musical so one needs to know rhythms reading, the theory, to feel at home with that.
The system tempo should be kept on Quarter note to make things much easier. The Ratio there is Echo:Beat so number of echoes against beats (quarter notes). If System is beat value is set at 1/8th, your setting of 1:3 means you get ONE echo every 3 eight notes which is basically a dotted 1/4. If you keep System beat on 1/4, then 1:3 becomes one echo every 3 quarter notes, that is a dotted Half note. Now, since you are after a dotted eight against a quarter note... your approach is way too convoluted and may be wrong as the master Delay may not exactly scale beats as you expect. It can be tricky. That's more accurate for absolute time delays, in milliseconds than echo:beat.
The simple way for dotted eight/quarter note echo? Keep System beat at 1/4... and just leave it there. This must remain your consistent beat reference forever... unless you are into strange polyrhythms or indian music.... then set your delays as 4:3 and 1:1... with Master Delay set at 100%... that's it. Get comfortable at referring rhythms always to a consistent system beat value or you'll go crazy.
I always keep mine set to 1/4 note and use MIDIClock to sync between all time-based effects (including some where I concert clock to CV). So, on the 81 to get dotted 8th against a quarter note, you'd select 75% and 100%, correct?
@@JordanBerliant You should not change the system Beat value. Keep that at 1/4 note as it will correctly sync to MIDI Clock. use the delay's fractional values to get any rhythmic values you want... it's much easier and way better working.
@@italoop7850 Yes, agree. That's what I was trying to say. I always have it on 1/4 note and I use fractional values from there (e.g. 1/8th note = 50%, 1/8th note triplet = 33%, etc.
@@JordanBerliant 50% or 33% are not fractional values. they are percentages. Do you understand how delay fractions work on the PCM?
@@italoop7850 Well, suspending the argument that, mathematically, percentages less than 100% are, by their nature, fractional values, it would appear you know more than I so if you’d like to share, I’m all ears. I was basing the percentages off of the algorithm used in Leon’s video.
Thanks for all your videos ! You are our jedi master of fractal stuff !
Sounds so heavenly. I always wanted one of these.
You should also do a demo of the Tc electronic G Force and see how it holds up.
Did a little G-Force video a while back when I got one, I've got it racked up with an Eclipse and this to do a little comparison!
Well done Brother! Great title and Demonstration! Thanks for sharing Leon and Be Well All!
Thank you kindly Steve!
They’re a musical instrument hey. Owner of 70, 81 & 91 here. LUUUISSSSHHHH!!
Now that's a mighty collection. They redefine lush hey.
@@LeonTodd wait till you hear the 6-voice chorus and mod delays they can do! Unreal...
I think you were teasing us with some Cygnus-X1 at the beginning. Cool video thanks for posting.
Yeeeah man! Love from a Lexicon PCM70 owner.
Almost joined you but it seems the 81 chose me!
I'd love to hear you captured IRs of it then compare it with the IRs in Digit. Though enjoying your playing either way
I can't wait till my Digit gets here tomorrow! This has got me even more excited! Thanks for all the hard work Loki.
Funnily enough that's one of the reasons I got it - so many wonderful verbs which should translate really well as reverb IR's in Digit!
@@LeonTodd nice! Looking forward to hearing it.
@@LeonTodd any update on this?
All IRs captures of top level algo reverbs I tested fall on their faces as most of the good algos have some level of modulations in them.
I'm just here for the Skanky boy pillow. Oh yeah, great vid as always Leon!
Sounds great even as old as it is. I wouldn't be opposed to using it versus something modern.
BTW, I see your kitty on a pillow. Now your buddy is always there with you. Handsome little booger.
Definitely, good class stuff!
I guess I'm not the only nerd that reads old manuals to figure out algorithms and how things work. 😎👍
I know, right?! So cool!
@@LeonTodd I really can't tell you how many times I have read through the H3000 up to the Orville manuals not to mention the Lexicon units. Great stuff!
Dude that skanky pillow is glorious !! More 3tm videos please !!
Check ot italo de angelis’presets for this. I’ve got the pcm 80 with a pitch card. I would try and get the dual algorithm card also. I abaught a pcm 91 for a dedicated reverb. But I would rather have another pcm 80/81 instead of the 90/91.
Yeah I've got my eyes out for one of the cards, they're rare as hen's teeth though
The MACK Daddy. Crazy monster of a unit no matter the year on the calendar. If you want 'lush' = that box.
@LeonTodd Great video and tone and effects chasing like we love but even better Love The Pillow behind with you cat on it!!! "D"
❤️
Tiled room sounds really good on drums
Glad you managed to score the Lexicon :). I’m actually considering using my version 2.0 MPX550 as an AUX off my Studio Live 16 series 3. You really can’t beat the quality and type of sounds the better Lexicons make.
Yeah they really are the gold standard
Sounds so good! You're amazing my friend!
The pillow on the chair 😻
I have a Lexicon 300 (not the MX300!), a PCM91 and a PCM81. They are awesome units, but if you want to consider only the reverb quality, the Lexicon 300 wins hands down. If you want to hear what these units can do (among others), visit www.italodeangelis.com/it/FX_processors_libraries/
Italo is a genius! Via email communication, he guided me to also get a Lex 300 and PCM-81.
Believe it or not o prefer the Quadraverb 2 and can do wonders with it. Would love to see some advance programming on Quadraverb 2.
Dude, the real star of the show here may be that P90 neck pickup. I struggle with a good neck pickup in my LPC, but that sounds ridiculous.
Thanks so much Leon for sharing your thoughts and your test... did you compare it with the plugin versions (PCM Native Bundle)? if not, would you mind to do it so for the shake of eye opening? I guess a lot of people will appreciate that comparison coming from you man. Keep up the good work dude!
Haven't had a chance to try the native version unfortunately
The Lexicon is nice and all... but that LP Custom 🤤🤤🤤! Excellent playing and tones as always!
awesome & congrats on finding one in Oz. When you're done with it, I'd lo9ve to have first offer on it
Sounds really awsome - and Thise P90’s Wow! Both clean and dirty.
Sweet sounds man, miss my old rack gear. Maybe time for a margarita and a few hours on reverb
Don’t think I didn’t catch that world atlas of coffee in the background? Did you get a signed one?
Ayyyyye another JH fan! I didn't but it was a fantastic gift
@@LeonTodd he’s the best dude. My brother accidentally got two copies so I got one of his 😂
Ax FX to PCM81 might be close. I am pretty certain it won't make you retire your 224 or 480 though.
sounds amazing =) next up a Bricasti? ;), you can buy reverb IRs otherwise online of these fantastic units, cheaper way i guess of getting them into your setup
Hahaha all roads lead to Bricasti! I actually have a bunch of Bricasti reverb IR's in my Poly Digit and they sound fantastic.
in case anyone's looking, this place sells some great IRs of some of the aforementioned units
signaltonoize.com/?page_id=4188
@@LeonTodd exactly =) i bought a set online from the signaltonoize link below, they're fantastic, can get addictive when messing with those in your DAW, or even using IRs of real places/concert halls or strange places, can get lost in the murky atmosphere of reverb IRs , probably more addictive/rewarding than searching for Cab IRs , i mean there's only so many mic/positioning/axis possibilities you can go through before your brain turns to mush =)
Great demo! It made think about the Lexicon MPX G2 V1.1. I think that was an underrated unit and a misunderstood one...I would really like you to do a demo on it if you can get your hands on one. I think you would be able to give it the justice it deserves
Been looking for one funnily enough! Almost none for sale - did score an MPX-1 for cheap though so i'm pumped about that.
@@electronik808 agreed, it has it's own voice!
Never been much of a reverb guy, probably cause I don't have one of these. Ha! Nice sounds man & great vid. I have a question about when you changed the preset. It showed Loading Preset, does the signal drop out when it's doing this?
Great vids on the rack systems!
Have you tried winding your LP unwound strings from the peg hole up instead of down. Also uncle ben's nut sauce is great for keeping the strings from binding. I never have tuning issues anymore since I started doing this.
Man.... Every time I think I have my GAS for a PCM beat, something temps me again. My credit card is quivering in the corner! Great demo!
Running both these units the pcm 80 and lxp 15 2 I gotta say lxp 15 version 2 gives it a run for its money reverb wise
The fact Lexicon had their own chip made just for the reverbs is pretty cool - makes the LXP/MPX etc punch well above their weight!
@@LeonTodd agreed talk about a great bang for the buck I run mine with an Engl 530 and a rocktron mainline power amp which really keeps fora very tight and articulate attack )
It would be quite sad if the Axe FX3 couldn't get close to a 30 year old digital unit it is heavily inspired by.
Hi Leon, it would be great if you did a video on cab blocks in the FM3. There are so many to choose from that I get lost. I know you prefer your own IRs but an overview on options would be fantastic. For example, what is the tonal difference to using a 1x12 instead of a 4x12? It seems like a 1x12 gives a tighter sound with metal tones.
Lexicon PCM 42 is what I crave.....
Sounds great as always, Leon. True story ... twenty years ago, I bought both my Lexicon PCM81 and a 1982 Gibson ES-335 Dot Neck reissue from a guy who advertised both in the local newspaper for $500 each. Both both the same evening and didn't have to haggle over prices. I plan to keep them until I die or they do. By the way, couldn't help notice you top-wrapped the LPC. I'm interested in knowing what you think about the tonal/sustain differences because I'm considering trying it on my LP standard next string change.
Now that's surely a once (twice?) in a lifetime bargain!
@@LeonTodd Well, 20 years ago I was strapped for cash ... these days I don't give a *&%$, but yes it was a bargain. Nice dodge on the top-wrapping question. That's OK, I'm going to give it a try anyway, LOL.
@@scottcanterbury8153 if by dodge you mean I forgot about that part :p
I did it because it looks cool TBH. Worth a try to hear if you like it!
So does the MPX1 Processor has two chi[s one dedicated chip just for "Reverbs" YOUR Vanilla delays are just like the dual tap delays on the MPX1 unit setting the ratio delay time 1 @, 4-4 and delay time 2 @ 4-3 that's what "The Edge U2" uses, you can tweak here and there to get the same effect,,,,, for a lot cheaper, Great Video thanks.
The mpx1 doesn't have diffusion on the delays, and the PCM81 allows for more complex multitap patterns. The MPX1 is an awesome unit though, my favourite at that price point.
That box has the tone! The Axe-FX version of the hall reverb sounded pretty close but the circular delays on the Lexicon had some extra sauce going on that made the Axe-FX equivalent sound bland in comparison.
Cut from the same cloth bro, had that unit, was way too complicated so I got the more streamlined MP1.
Hey Leon brother! I just got my hands on a PCM 80. Can't believe I didn't buy this thing when I was a kid!...How do I get that circular delay patch without spending a week of my life in tweaking??
Hey man! I downloaded theme here - www.reddit.com/r/ak85presets/
can't wait to hear what you do with it :D
@@LeonTodd Thank you so much man! I managed to get the information to the PCM through midi but getting a sysex error. Ordered a V 1.1 Eprom...hopefully that'll solve the problem. By the way thanks for taking the time to make all the videos you make. I have a lot of the same gear, some of your videos get me excited to go back and get some of these racks running...and brush up on my racer x riffs! ;)
Do you connect it with Axe through SPDIF or analog I/O?
This sounds good!!! Have you tried the RSP Technologies Intelliverb, If not you might like it!
Love the sounds. Would you suggest using a fractal in the effects loop of a Marshall jcm800 or a pcm41/81
Hey man. You make the guitar make nice.
Why does Leon black out the brand of brown ha white guitar?
pcm 60 is really great as well
A classic module. Very known.. and it's a Lexicon.
Careful with those old boxes, if you like their type of sound they are more contagious then the covid 19 British mutation...
I know this cause I once thought "yea what the hell, I'll just get this cheap MPX-1" that was sold locally, no harm, right?
Looking on my small rack in order of purchase:
MPX-1
PCM-80
PCM-70
MPX-G2
PCM-91
300M
That might explain why I'm still with an Axe II XL+ lol
Btw, I'll deny here and now that I'm watching my local second hand boards on a daily basis... it's not true... not true I'm saying!!!
I forgot the story....why again is the Gibson logo blacked out ?
Playing authentic :p
What do you think of the old tc electronics racks, I still have a g major, I love the reverbs from it
Do you have a video of yo showing how to program this unit. I have the 81 as well. Just had gear g.a.s and purchased a 91 too. I have no clue how to use it properly.. But from the little bit you're showing here I'm learning.
Ahhh Hemispheres, F#7sus2 "THE" Big Al Lifeson chord!!!
I miss my PCM 81.
Excellent, I just got the 81. Did you get the Dual efx card? I know those are very hard to find.
Congrats! I don't unfortunately
@@LeonTodd I have been looking and there is nothing. I dig the circular delays program you did. I want to try and find that. When the whole rack thing was big I was playing in more punk type bands. It is only recently that I have been doing a deep dive into this gear. It is pretty great. Like any tool I use it in my own way for my music. Really great. Your videos have been a great inspiration. As always, thanks
This is cool! I notice prices are going up on old rack gear. I started playing guitar in 1988. At that time, if you were really professional, if you were a cool kid, you had a rack full of digital effects. A pedalboard made you like like grandpa. Things really went full circle around 1992 when vintage gear and pedals made a roaring comeback. Nowadays, I'd argue that rack never really went away. Stuff like the Strymon Timeline, Big Sky, Mobius. Hell, my MXR Reverb pedal, it's all basically what would be high-end rack gear in years past. It's just in much more player-friendly pedal form. You don't have to mess with MIDI or menu dive. Some of those user-interfaces in 80s rack gear were just painful.
Yeah I'd agree, so much "new" pedal board stuff is just rack era stuff re-jigged. So many great sounding pedals these days
3:00 Lenny :)
THAT PILLOW!
The old stuff sound WAAAAAAAAAYYYY BETTER
Now that Vanilla Delays is a sound with the Crying in the Rain riff 👌
Super stank faces all round
The riff of stank
Yep - Its a wonderful thing to have Lex PCM (any of them) at an arms reach. That said, the Axfx can match the delays and verbs and get you there, plus it has all the other elements in a guitar rig................But what I really came to say is; LEON NICE PLAYING ON THIS!!! nice articulate phrasing going on there, esp during the circular delays demo🤘🏻
Not even close chum...no substitute for the real hardware vs a software emulation. I've DONE the pepsi challenge, PCM 81 is magic...not so much with the assfx.
Is there a reverb on it that sounds like black sabbath heaven and hell song? Never heard one like that before.
Is it possible to do the circular delays with a pcm 80?
Yeah it can be done
When buying on of these used, considering the ages of the parts inside like capacitors etc, is there any concern about them wearing out, needing service, or any degrading of the sound quality or reliability? Just trying to determine if I should get the old used pcm81 or if a brand new pcm 92 would be better. Also can a PCM 92 also get that same quality concert reverb?
I own a PCM80 and 81, a 91 and a 300, an MPX1 and an MPX-G2. No problem whatsoever. Any good tech can do recap work on them. And if something major happens... they're cheap... just get another one.
Well... I also have 2 TC2290s, a BEL SDE2400, a Korg SDD1200, a Roland DEP5, several EMU samplers, an Eventide H3000 and many other Eventides....
Did any of them have problems? Nope! Rock solid and not hard to service.
Lexicon has the best reverbs. I am not sure how they do it. It's amazing, though.
The gold standard
Haha!!! Exactly how I run my verb and delays! Lol!!!
These things are still almost a thousand dollars, for that price is it really better than even run of the mill stuff today like Helix?
An excellent question. I'll do a comparison between it and some newer options soon.
History is never cheap. Lexicons will continue to appreciate but anything line 6 will not.
The Circular+Pan Dlys PCM vs Axe. I can hear a HUGE difference between the two. And considering RUclips kills audio quality dramatically, I'm sure that when listening to the real thing the difference would be even stronger and more obvious. The Lex diffusers just sound so much bigger and fat and wider wih great low end, helping the gtr bottom. The Axe diffusers are pale, thinner, low energy, bland. I hear that very very clearly.
I'm using my Genelec cabs and Sennheiser HD600 and it's obvious like night and day. These are the details that make a huge difference in a mix... lex stands out...axe is buried in a grave.
Synthesised reverb is different to convolution. It can occasionally be preferable, especially for very complex sounds buried in a mix, but probably not for guitar though.
The single unit lexicons are way better than a quadraverb, but are not really comparable to a sampling system such as altiverb.
2020 was "an ugly wet dog that got hit by a car" kind of a year..
Circular delays sounds nothing like a real PCM70. Pan delay also. Sorry but PCM70 is so much greasier, bigger, warmer then 81,91,...
*Sigh* No reverb sounds like this. You really just have to put down the $.
I'm sorry France let you down. On behalf on my country men, allow me to apologize
When my band toured France they did not let us down, trust me. Such a great place to play (and eat!).
@@LeonTodd hahaha glad to hear it!
France did give us the Publison Infernal Machine (the "Time After Time" sound!), which makes up for any shenanigans here 10x over ;)
So nice to not hear him call people legends for onces he actuelly sounds human
It's working then