 George
Shilling reviews:
Lexicon
MPX1
Hot
on the heels of Lexicon's mid-range multi-fx PCM80 came tc's reply:
the M2000. This incorporated many of the PCM80's innovative
features, along with the much vaunted Wizard feature, and a price
lower than the Lexicon unit. Before you can say EkoVerbSweep Lexicon
retorted with the MPX 1.
Buy a Lexicon MPX1 in our studio shop.
When I wrote my review of the PCM80 I
liked it immensely. I criticised the slightly complicated preset
numbering, the lack of XLR connectors (now rectified), and the lack
of distortion effects. This unit fixes all those criticisms, boasts
many of the PCM80's features, adds some new M2000 inspired features
such as morphing, and has an asking price lower than the tc. The
most obvious difference between this unit and its big brother the
PCM80 is the lack of a PCMCIA card slot. However, this unit gains
illuminating switches labelled with fx types: Pitch, Chorus, EQ,
Mod, Delay and Reverb. These give an immediate visual guide to the
effects in use for the current preset, and enable instant bypass and
editing of each section in the chain. Each effect subdivides into
different categories, some not normally associated with the main
effect type: for example Delay includes ducking effects. Similar to these buttons are those for Mix, Bypass, and Patch, which enables
any control to adjust any parameter (up to 5 patches
simultaneously).
There
is not only an input level pot but usefully an output pot too.
Included are a number of dual mono effects for live use, and presets
optimised for PA use. One limitation is that you cannot overwrite
the 200 supplied presets, but then I used to think the 9 programs on
an AMS RMX16 were plenty! There are 50 Store locations for saving
user edits, and of course you can do MIDI SysEx dumps. A wonderfully
huge LED display shows the preset number, using straightforward
numerology: 1 to 200 for presets, plus 201 to 250 for user memories.
Adjacent is a less clear illuminated LCD screen for editing
parameters and system information. This is very poor compared to the
PCM80's LED matrix, and it took me a while to find the contrast
adjust parameter in the depths of the menu system. A database sort
function enables you to categorise programs in many ways.
Physically
the MPX1 is several inches shallower but not much lighter than the
PCM80, and includes both jack and XLR sockets for inputs and
outputs. You also get S/PDIF digital input and output. There are
jack sockets for footswitch and foot controller, and comprehensive
MIDI implementation even includes an arpeggiator function. A tone
generator is included, accurate to a quarter of a cent, useful for
tuning and also creative effects, such as "Big Bottom"
which adds a deep sinewave to the signal. Some inventive pitch-shift
programs are present, which is not true of the PCM80 until you
obtain the new card (see accompanying article), and also Overdrive
effects, which have yet to make their PCM80 debut. However, the MPX1
does not share any of the Surround-type effects of the PCM80.
There
are endless routing possibilities through and around the different
effects "blocks", and to make it less confusing you can
display the entire signal path onscreen.
The
A/B button switches between two variants of many of the presets. Any
control can be patched to the A/B function, so all sorts of effects
can be achieved, such as M2000-style morphing from, say, a reverb to
a delay, triggered by the input level. Glide times can be set from
instant to taking several minutes, but in typically perverse
fashion, 0 is long and 100 is short. A display in seconds would be
of more use. The effect is more a smooth crossfade than a true
morphing effect.
By
pressing Value you instantly come to the Soft Row which contains the
most important parameters for any given preset. This is like the
PCM80's Go Mode. For all of the finer tuning of obscure parameters,
you press Edit and then the relevant effect button (e.g. Reverb) to
access all the settings, buried in layers of menus, where you can
also change for example the type of reverb. The menu system can at
times be slightly confusing: I was expecting to find the Meter
Assign setting in the System menu, but strangely it is in the Edit
menu.
The
unit comes setup in a 'screensaver' display mode: if you do not
press any buttons for a short while the MPX1 starts scrolling a list
of its features. This is all very well, but when you press a button
such as A/B you find that nothing happens other than the rolling
advert stops. Irritatingly, a second press of A/B is needed to
activate the change. Fortunately, this feature can be turned off.
A
Tap button sets up delay times, which can alternatively be MIDI
clock controlled, and set Globally or separately for each preset.
However, not all the obvious possibilities have been utilised: In a
few programs where, for example a pitch shifter modulates the input,
the Tap tempo has not been patched to the LFO Speed. There is a way
of setting this up, using the comprehensive patching facility, but I
am surprised Lexicon missed this.
One
potential for confusion is that the rotary knob can be used either
as a parameter selector or adjuster, depending on whether the value
button is lit - slightly confusing on first encounter, but useful
when you have mastered it. The manual unnecessarily repeats itself
in one or two places, and has no alphabeticised index, but is
otherwise excellent, explaining every detail.
There
are some wonderful reverb programs - the Small, Medium and Large
halls are not dissimilar from their 480L counterparts, with all the
familiar parameters such as Spread and Shape. Programs such as Miked
Cab EQ are not as good as the real thing, but useful if you do not
have an amp/speaker setup to hand. There is a preset called Tape
Echo, but sadly you do not get all the pitch changing madness as you
change the delay time that you would with, say, an Echoplex.
Included are rotor-cabinet, wah-wah, telephone and loudspeaker
effects and a few new gimmicky remix effects worth checking out.
There
is no discernible loss in sound quality, compared to the PCM80.
Compared to the tc M2000 the effects have a more rounded and rich
sound, and I much prefer the Lexicon's user interface, which while
not being entirely intuitive, has a more professional feel. Even if
you have a PCM80 this unit is worthy of further investigation.
Buy a Lexicon MPX1 in our studio shop.
Reproduced
with kind permission from www.George.Shilling.Com. Copyright ©1997
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