Lexicon Vortex.....anyone use it?

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 12 Aug 2006 9:39 pm

Has anyone had experinece with the Lexicon Vortex unit? This unit is no longer in production. It sounds like it might be useful (it morphs between different setting), but I'd like to hear from someone who knows the quality of the sound, the practical uses, etc.

Thanks!
Cliff

Mike Pace · Post by **Mike Pace** » 13 Aug 2006 8:11 am

Hey Cliff,

I have a Vortex unit. I was working a venue a few years back, and it was sitting idle in a front of house rack.... I swapped it out with an Alesis Microverb, thinking that the Vortex would get more use in my guitar rig, but once again, it's sitting idle....

Compared to other Lexicon units, I think this one is at the bottom of the barrel.... Lexicon has always been known for their excellent reverb algorithms, and there arent too many of them in this unit. The Vortex also has a high noise floor.... For a steel rig, I think the MPX or PCM models are much more useful.

just my 2 cents,

-Mike

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 13 Aug 2006 10:01 am

The Vortex is actually very cool, but it's a weird and special fx kind of box. It's not real friendly for just dialing up something normal. But for interesting and complex delay and modulation effects with extreme stereo width, it can be very fun. You MUST have the book to understand what it's doing. I think they dropped it because it was so hard to understand. It can get very spacey and trippy if used right. I think of it as more of an extra studio effect. I wouldn't use it in my guitar or steel rig.

Brad

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 13 Aug 2006 5:41 pm

Thanks for the info, guys. Maybe if one comes along cheap I'll try it. I just got a cool DeltaLab Effectron, and I was thining of adding something fun in the rack (now that I've got a rack unit again).

Scott Appleton · Post by **Scott Appleton** » 13 Aug 2006 6:25 pm

Had one for years in my studio rack not good
out in my field rigs. Needs a board to get the
impedances correct. Line level only.

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 13 Aug 2006 7:11 pm

Thanks, Scott: is the signal coming out my effects loop send on my Evans amp line level? My Effectron sounds good when I plug my guitar straight into it, but the noise floor is higher than I would like with it. Perhaps because the input signal is too low? Then again, I've got a Goodrich MatchBox preamp between my guitar and the Effectron: is the signal coming out of the MatchBox line level?

David Rich · Post by **David Rich** » 14 Aug 2006 7:30 am

If you're a tweaker who likes to experiment with sounds, you'll love it. There are no reverbs, it's all echo and modulation effects, but it takes those effects to the nth degree with all the possibilities. I like the chorus, leslie and modulated echos effects, but you can also sound like a spaceship if you want to.