Little PrimalTap

Little PrimalTap takes its character from the Lexicon Prime Time's unusual method of extending delay time. Multiplying the available time also lowers the operating sample rate and narrows the bandwidth, so a longer echo becomes a different sound rather than a transparent copy placed farther away.

The interface distinguishes two kinds of timing change. Time selects the stored delay interval and can produce audible discontinuities when moved. Adjust varies the effective rate smoothly, bending the pitch while shortening that interval. Multiply changes the time scale in steps, making it useful for deliberate octave-like jumps and lo-fi transitions. Feedback returns the resulting signal for repeated, increasingly colored echoes.

Use it for a rough short repeat, a degraded long echo, or a performed sound-design part with automated timing changes. Start with conservative feedback and input gain, then explore Adjust and Multiply while audio is circulating. Unlike the full PrimalTap, this edition does not expose two independently controlled delay lines, a Freeze button, or an advanced routing panel.

Manual, About Little PrimalTap, p. 4; The Little PrimalTap Control Panel, pp. 5–6.

Time and rate

Time sets the base delay in milliseconds. Moving it during playback can create glitches, which are part of the documented hardware-like behavior. Use it to establish the rough interval before setting the other time controls.

Adjust smoothly shortens the Time setting by as much as half. It changes the delay's effective sample rate, so moving it produces pitch change rather than a purely silent repositioning of the repeat. It is the appropriate control for a continuous bend or tape-speed-like gesture.

Multiply extends the selected interval by factors of 2, 4, or 8 relative to the base setting. Each doubling halves the sample rate and reduces bandwidth. Switching factors while audio is present can produce discontinuities and pitch jumps; this is a creative feature, not a tempo-sync facility. Choose the factor with tone as well as delay length in mind.

Regeneration and level

FB returns delayed audio to the input. Small amounts provide decaying repeats; large amounts can sustain a saturated loop and become very loud. Reduce the monitoring level before using high feedback and automating timing controls together.

IN sets input gain into the modeled front end. Increasing it can add a distinctive saturation, not merely more clean echo volume. Decide whether the desired degradation should come from input drive, time multiplication, or both.

Mix balances original and delayed audio. Its highest position is fully wet and its lowest position is dry. For an insert, retain enough dry sound to make the part intelligible; for a send, use the wet result and balance it externally.

There is no separate Freeze or dual-channel Tweak panel in this smaller edition. Build sustained textures with its documented feedback and time controls rather than assuming the full PrimalTap interface is present.

Manual, Time and Adjust, p. 5; Multiply, FB, IN, and Mix, p. 6.