EchoBoy

EchoBoy separates the structure of an echo from the character of the device producing it. Echo Mode determines whether the result is a single delay, independent left/right delays, alternating repeats, or a programmed rhythm of taps. Echo Style supplies the coloration, ranging from tape- and pedal-inspired behavior to more diffuse or deliberately distorted effects.

This separation makes it useful for much more than a tempo-synced vocal repeat. Short delays and stereo offsets can thicken instruments; longer feedback patterns provide rhythmic counterpoint; diffusion can blur echoes toward reverberation. Groove and Feel let a pattern sit around the beat rather than merely on a rigid grid.

Begin with a mode, time or note division, and a Style that fits the source. Set the number of repeats and filter their bandwidth before opening the deeper editors. The mode-specific Tweak panel handles stereo and rhythmic relationships, while Style Edit changes the processing inside the echo itself, including frequency-dependent decay and pitch wobble. Work at moderate feedback until those interactions are understood.

Manual, The EchoBoy Control Panel, pp. 8–15; Echo Modes, pp. 16–32; The Style Editor, pp. 33–38.

Main panel

• Mode selects Single, Dual, Ping Pong, or Rhythm Echo. Echo Time sets a millisecond value or a musical division using Time / Note / Dot / Trip. Tap Tempo and MIDI determine the timing reference.
• Feedback increases repeating echoes and can reach runaway oscillation. Mix blends dry and delayed signal; use fully wet on a conventional send return.
• Echo Style chooses the modeled tonal behavior. Saturation drives its compression/distortion character. Input / Output manage gain around the effect.
• Low Cut / High Cut trim the echoes' bandwidth. Prime Numbers slightly changes repeat timing to reduce resonant buildup, especially in short, dense delay structures.
• Groove shifts even beats toward shuffle or swing. Feel moves the overall echo pattern ahead of or behind its reference beat.

Mode-specific editing

Single offers one echo time with Width, L/R Offset, and Accent in Tweak for stereo spread, timing asymmetry, and alternating repeat emphasis.

Dual has independent Echo 1 and Echo 2 times. Its Tweak panel adds Balance, individual Accent controls, FB Mix for cross-feeding the channels, and FB Bal for unequal regeneration. Equal delay times are not required.

Ping Pong starts on the left and then feeds the right, so the second arrival includes both Ping and Pong times. Its Tweak controls are Width and Balance. This mode sums the input to mono before producing stereo echoes.

Rhythm Echo places up to sixteen taps on an editable grid. Move a tap horizontally for timing and change its height for level. Shape imposes an overall amplitude contour, PATT recalls/saves patterns, and Tweak supplies Pan Shape, Accent/Warp, Rhythm Grid, and Length for further pattern shaping.

Style Edit

EQ Frequency / Gain / Decay separately determine the starting tone and how low, mid, and high regions evolve with repeats. Decay changes require feedback to be audible. Diffusion smears individual echoes; Size changes that smearing's character. Loop / Post places diffusion inside regeneration or after it.

Wobble, Rate, and Shape add controlled pitch movement. FB / Out select where it acts, while Sync relates modulation between echo paths. These are sound-design controls, not another host-tempo switch. Make small changes before increasing feedback, because tone, diffusion, and modulation accumulate inside the echo structure.

Manual, Common Controls, pp. 8–15; Single/Dual/Ping Pong/Rhythm Echo Modes, pp. 16–32; EQ, Diffusion, Wobble, and Saturation in The Style Editor, pp. 33–38.