Lexicon VORTEX User manual

TM
UDIO AORPHING M ROCESSOR P
User Guide

Unpacking and Inspection
After unpacking the unit, save all packing materials in case you ever need to re-ship. Thoroughly inspect the unit and packing materials for signs of damage.
Report any shipment damage to the carrier at once; report equipment malfunction to your dealer.
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, may cause
interference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in
Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designated to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee
thatinterferencewillnotoccurinaparticularinstallation.Ifthisequipmentdoescauseinterferencetoradioortelevisionreception,whichcanbedeterminedbyturningtheequipment
OFF and ON, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: reorient the receiving antenna; relocate the computer with respect
to the receiver; move the computer away from the receiver; plug the computer into a different outlet so that the computer and receiver are on different branch circuits. If necessary,
the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal
Communications Commission helpful: "How to identify and Resolve Radio/TV Interference Problems." This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.
Notice
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
This triangle, which appears on your com-
ponent, alerts you to the presence of unin-
sulated, dangerous voltage inside the en-
closure... voltage that may be sufficient to
constitute a risk of shock.
Thistriangle,whichappearson yourcom-
ponent, alerts you to important operating
and maintenance instructions in this ac-
companying literature.
Le présent appareil numérique n'émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la class B prescrites dans le Règlement sur
le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le ministère des Communications du Canada.
Lexicon Part 070-09940 Printed in the U.S.A.
Lexicon Inc.
3 Oak Park
Bedford, MA 01730USA
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Copyright 1993, Lexicon Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents
Using Registers ................................................................... 21
Storing Effects •Clearing Register Pairs •Using
Footswitches •Finding the Preset Used to Create
an Effect
Effect Descriptions ................................................................ 25
Overview.............................................................................. 25
Reflexion.............................................................................. 26
Atmosphere ......................................................................... 28
Orbits .................................................................................30
Centrifuge ............................................................................ 32
Aerosol ................................................................................ 34
Mosaic .................................................................................36
Maze .................................................................................38
Duo .................................................................................40
Deja Vu................................................................................ 42
Choir .................................................................................44
Shimmer .............................................................................. 46
Sweep .................................................................................48
Shadow................................................................................ 50
Cycloid................................................................................. 52
Bleen .................................................................................54
Fractal .................................................................................56
Specifications......................................................................... 58
Getting Started ......................................................................... 1
Introduction............................................................................ 1
Front Panel Overview ............................................................ 2
Setting Audio Levels •Setting MIX Values
Rear Panel Connections........................................................ 4
Footswitch and Footpedal Connections •Headphones
Audio Connections ................................................................ 6
In-Line Processing •Using Vortex on a Mixer
Effects Return Bus
A/B Relay Switch ................................................................... 8
Basic Operation........................................................................ 9
Overview................................................................................ 9
Presets and Registers ......................................................... 10
Effect Parameters................................................................ 11
Adjusting Parameter Values •About the Parameters
TAP and Echo Rhythms ...................................................... 13
Tempo and Rhythm •Tapping in a Tempo •Echo
Rhythms
Audio Morphing™................................................................ 16
About Morphing •Trying Some Morphs •Setting
Morph Rates
Pedal Control....................................................................... 18
Assign a Parameter to a Pedal •Capturing Parameter
Changes Made with a Pedal •Controlling Morphs
with a Pedal

To make sure you get the most out of
Vortex, be sure to read the manual.
1
Getting Started
Introduction
CongratulationsonyourpurchaseofVor-
tex, the world's first Audio Morphing™pro-
cessor!YouareabouttodiscoverthatVortex
sets new standards for sound processing —
for both the type and variety of effects it
produces,and forthemusicalwayin whichit
lets you control effects.
Uniqueeffects andexciting performance
capabilitiesprovidelotsofroomforindividual
expressionandexperimentation.Morelikea
musical instrument than a passive effects
"black box," Vortex will change the way you
make music.
Vortex effects are organized into sixteen
pairs of presets. Each consists of multiple
modulation and delay functions, and each
hasitsowndistinctivesonicsignature.Some
arebasedoncombinationsofclassiceffects,
such as echo, rotary speaker, autopan, and
chorus,while others defy verbal description.
All 32 effects share a common set of
sixteen parameters. Changing settings to
customize an effect is fast and easy, and 32
user registers are provided for storing your
own Vortex creations.
Audio Morphing™allows you to control
dynamic transformations between any two
effects. While this can produce truly mind-
boggling effects, it couldn't be easier to con-
trol —requiring only a single button push.
Some of the other exciting features of
Vortex are:
•Flexible processing paths: true stereo,
dual mono, dual mono in/stereo out
•Envelope follower for dynamic control of
each effect
•All echo rhythms synchronized to your
master tempo
•Cross-feed and feedback/cross-feed mix
pathsforspatialeffectsandcomplexecho
rhythms
•Register step and chains via footswitch
•Analogrelayformusicalinstrumentampli-
fier channel switching

Front Panel Overview
2
REGISTER/PRESET
Button selects preset or register mode.
LEDlightswhenregistermodeisselected,
turns off in preset mode.
Knob will select presets 1-16 or registers
1-16, depending on button setting.
INPUT
Setsthelevel of theincomingsignal. LEDs
indicateacceptable signal level (LVL), and
overload (OVL).
Note using a footswitch to step
through registers will cause a dis-
crepancy between the REGISTER/
PRESET knob setting and the dis-
play (which will show the number of
theregister thatisactually running.)
VALUE
Adjustsvalues of selected parameter.
All parameter values are displayed
witharangeof1-64andareaccompa-
nied by the VALUE LED.
PARAMETER
Selects among 16 parameters for adjustment
with the VALUE knob, or pedal assignment.
DISPLAY
Numeric display of digits 1-64, and decimal point. Dis-
played digits indicate ID number of currently running
effect. Digits accompanied by lit VALUE LED indicate
parameter values. Decimal point lights to show an effect
has been modified since it was stored.
INPUT
A
B
VALUE
A/BSTORE VALUE REGISTER/PRESET
OVLLVL
CLEAR
PEDAL/TAP
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
DEJA VU
CHOIR
SHIMMER
SWEEP
SHADOW
CYCLOID
BLEEN
FRACTAL
DUO
MAZE
MOSAIC
AEROSOL
CENTRIFUGE
ORBITS
ATMOSPHERE
REFLEXION
FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2
RATE 1
DEPTH 1
RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2
ECHO 2
ECHO 1
ENVELOPE
MORPH A/B
ECHO FX LVL
MOD FX LVL
OUTPUT
MIX
TM
UDIOA ORPHING M ROCESSOR P
PEDAL/TAP
If a footpedal is connected, assigns footpedal
controltoanyparameterselectedbyParameter
knob (except ECHO 1 ÷and ECHO 2 ÷). LED
indicates pedal assignment.
When no pedal is connected, or whenever Pa-
rameter knob is set to ECHO 1 ÷or ECHO 2 ÷,
button enters timing information. Two pushes
define a tempo for all effects. LED indicates 1st
TAP received, waiting for 2nd TAP.
CLEAR
Clears register pairs (A and B) to allow effects to be
skippedforafootswitchstepsequence,orfootswitch-
activated chains to be created. Repeat to restore the
register pair.
STORE
Stores the current effect to whatever register is indi-
cated by settings of A/B and REGISTER/PRESET.
A/B
Activates rear panel A/B relay, and
toggles selection of A and B banks of
presets and registers. A and B LEDs
indicate current selection.

3
Setting Audio Levels
1. TurnVortexINPUTallthewaydown(fully
counter-clockwise).
2. Connect Vortex inputs to an audio
source, and Vortex outputs to an ampli-
fier or mixer.
3. Apply an input signal at a level that you
typically use.
4. While sending audio to Vortex, gradually
turn up the INPUT control until the LVL
LED* lights green. Continue to advance
INPUT until the OVL LED lights on only
the loudest peaks. If the OVL LED is lit
continuously, turn the INPUT control
down.
Setting MIX Values
Thesoundof each Vortexpresetis highly
dependent on the mix of dry (unprocessed)
and wet (processed) signals. MIX settings
are stored with each effect. If Vortex outputs
are connected to amplifier or mixer channel
inputs, you should not have to adjust this
parameter to use any of the presets.
If Vortex outputs are connected to a
console's returns (and Vortex output is,
therefore, mixed with dry signal from the
console), you should select each effect and
raise the MIX parameter to its maximum
value. (64=100% wet)
Be aware that several Vortex effects are
meant to be used at 100% wet (
ORBITS,
CENTRIFUGE, MOSAIC
, etc.) When using
Vortex with a console, you will get the stron-
gest effect by connecting Vortex outputs to
channel inputs.
5. Adjust amplifier or mixer levels for opti-
mum signal-to-noise performance.
* The LVL LED is off when the incoming signal is
low; it lights to indicate acceptable levels (6dB to
30dB below overload). The OVL LED lights red
whenthesignalapproachesoverload.Acceptable
signalswilllighttheLVLLEDalmostcontinuously,
and the OVL LED only on peaks.

FOOTSWITCHES POWER OUTPUTS INPUTS
9V~, 1A,
50-60Hz
LEXICON, INC.
WALTHAM MA 02154
MADE IN U.S.A.
P/N 021-09504
SERIAL #
THIS DEVICE COMPLIES WITH PART
15 OF THE FCC RULES.
OPERATION IS SUBJECT TO THE
FOLLOWING TWO CONDITIONS:
(1) THIS DEVICE MAY NOT CAUSE
HARMFUL INTERFERENCE, AND
(2) THIS DEVICE MUST ACCEPT ANY
INTERFERENCE RECEIVED<
INCLUDING INTERFERENCE THAT
MAY CAUSE UNDESIRED OPERATION.
:TIP
:RING
:SLEEVE
BYPASS
STEP TAP
A/B L
(HI-Z PHONES)
L R
(MONO) R (MONO)
USE LEXICON
MSA AC ADAPTER
VORTEX
A
B
COM
A/B
A/B RELAY
SPECIFICATION
< 100V, < 100mA
STEREO
PLUG
ONLY
FOOTPEDAL
Rear Panel Connections
4
A/B
Relay-switched Tip/Ring/Sleeve phone
output for remote channel switching of
musicalinstrumentampsviafrontpanel
or footswitch A/B control.
FOOTSWITCHES
TwoTip/Ring/Sleevephoneinputs,formomentary
contact footswitches, allow footswitch control of
front panel functions.
POWER
Use Lexicon MSA power pack,
or 9VAC 1 amp equivalent.
OUPUT
Single-ended (unbalanced) stereo outputs provide
-2dBu nominal output level. Use the right output
connector for mono output. If no connection is made
attherightoutput, theleftoutputcan beusedtodrive
high-efficiency headphones at modest volume.
FOOTPEDAL
Tip/Ring/Sleeve 1/4" phone input for
expression pedal control of selected
parameter.
INPUT
Single-ended (unbalanced) inputs accept levels
as low as -30dBu. Input impedance is 50 kΩin
stereo, 25 kΩin mono. Use the right for mono
input.

TIP
RING
SLEEVE
Tip Sleeve
Ring
TAP
A/B
TIP
RING
SLEEVE
Tip Sleeve
Ring
BYPASS
STEP
5
Footswitch and Footpedal
Connections
Footswitches connected via the rear-
panel footswitch jacks allow you to perform
register STEP and BYPASS functions and/
or to control TAP and A/B effect morphing.
Two momentary foot-switches can be wired
to a tip-ring-sleeve connector. A stereo Y-
connector allows two identical single
switches to be used.
Headphones
A stereo signal which is adequate to drive
high-efficiency headphones is available at
the left output,
provided no connections are
madethroughtherightoutput
.Thisfeatureis
provided as a convenience for practice pur-
poses, and is intended to provide only mod-
est volume.
One footswitch is provided with your unit,
along with a set of labels to identify footswitch
functionality. If you are only going to be using
one footswitch,connect it to perform TAP and
A/B functions, or register STEP and BYPASS
functions, and label it accordingly.
TAPA/B
BYPASSSTEP
Use a second (optional) footswitch to control
the remaining footswitch functions.
TIP
RING
SLEEVE
Tip Sleeve
Ring
PEDAL
10-50K
Typical Pot(entiometer)
TipSleeve Ring
An expression pedal connected via the
rearpanelpedaljackallowscontinuouscon-
trol of selected front panel parameter.

Audio Connections
6
Audio connections to Vortex are unbal-
anced and should be made with high quality
shielded cables with 1/4" tip-sleeve phone
jacks at the Vortex end.
Vortexisatruestereoprocessor.Leftand
right inputs are processsed separately. The
chart to the right shows the processing path
of each preset.
Even if you are using a mono input, take
advantage of the stereo outputs. All Vortex
effects are designed to be mono compatible
and to maximize the spatial characteristics
ofeacheffect.Ifmonooutputisrequired,use
the right output jack. The left and right sig-
nals are summed internally when only the
right output is used.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Stereo In
Stereo Out Dual Stereo In Stereo Out Dual Mono In Stereo Out Dual Mono In Dual Mono Out Mono In Stereo Out
Maze B
Shadow A
Bleen B
Orbits A/B
Duo B Duo A
Centrifuge A/B
Mosaic B
Maze A
Choir B
Shadow B
Reflexion A/B
Atmosphere A/B
Aerosol A/B
Mosaic A
Deja Vu A/B
Choir A
Shimmer A/B
Sweep A/B
Cycloid A/B
Bleen A
Fractal A/B

7
In-Line Processing
Note that MIX settings are stored with
Vortex effects. The presets have been de-
signed with specific MIX settings for each
effect which should not need adjustment
when the unit is used in-line.
Mono In
(R)
INPUT
A
B
VALUE
A/BSTORE VALUE REGISTER/PRESET
AUDIO MORPHING PROCESSOR
TM
OVLLVL
CLEAR
PEDAL/TAP
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
DEJA VU
CHOIR
SHIMMER
SWEEP
SHADOW
CYCLOID
BLEEN
FRACTAL
DUO
MAZE
MOSAIC
AEROSOL
CENTRIFUGE
ORBITS
ATMOSPHERE
REFLEXION
FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2
RATE 1
DEPTH 1
RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2
ECHO 2
ECHO 1
ENVELOPE
MORPH A/B
ECHO FX LVL
MOD FX LVL
OUTPUT
MIX
Mono Out
Effects Return
Effects Send Guitar
Amp
Using Vortex on a Mixer
Effects Return Bus
If Vortex is using a console’s returns,
select each effect's MIX parameter, then
usetheVALUEknobtosetittoitsmaximum
value (64).
Some Vortex effects are meant to be
heard 100% wet, with no dry signal added.
Adjust your console's wet/dry mix accord-
ingly.
In
Stereo Instrument
or
Stereo Mixer (Effects Sends)
Out
Out
In
Mixer
Ch 1
(panned hard left)
Ch 2
(panned hard right)
INPUT
A
B
VALUE
A/BSTORE VALUE REGISTER/PRESET
TM
OVLLVL
CLEAR
PEDAL/TAP 9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
DEJA VU
CHOIR
SHIMMER
SWEEP
SHADOW
CYCLOID
BLEEN
FRACTAL
DUO
MAZE
MOSAIC
AEROSOL
CENTRIFUGE
ORBITS
ATMOSPHERE
REFLEXION
FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2
RATE 1
DEPTH 1
RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2
ECHO 2
ECHO 1
ENVELOPE
MORPH A/B
ECHO FX LVL
MOD FX LVL
OUTPUT
MIX
UDIOA ORPHING M ROCESSOR P
INPUT
A
B
VALUE
A/BSTORE VALUE REGISTER/PRESET
AUDIO MORPHING PROCESSOR
TM
OVLLVL
CLEAR
PEDAL/TAP
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
DEJA VU
CHOIR
SHIMMER
SWEEP
SHADOW
CYCLOID
BLEEN
FRACTAL
DUO
MAZE
MOSAIC
AEROSOL
CENTRIFUGE
ORBITS
ATMOSPHERE
REFLEXION
FEEDBACK 1
FEEDBACK 2
RATE 1
DEPTH 1
RESONANCE 1
RATE 2
DEPTH 2
RESONANCE 2
ECHO 2
ECHO 1
ENVELOPE
MORPH A/B
ECHO FX LVL
MOD FX LVL
OUTPUT
MIX
Out
R
Effects Sends
Stereo
Mixer
L
In
RL
Effects Returns