Universal Audio launches UAFX Compacts line with Orion Tape Echo
November 7, 2023 · 2 sources
Universal Audio released the UAFX Orion Tape Echo as one of four pedals in the launch of its Compacts line, according to a November 7, 2023 report1. The Orion carries the Echoplex-inspired EP-III algorithm from the UAFX Starlight, with expanded voicing from a three-way toggle and a lower price than the Starlight, the report said1.
The pedal is a compact emulation of the Maestro Echoplex EP-III tape echo1. A three-position switch selects Mint, Worn or Old tape types, which the maker describes as sonically distinct versions of the EP-III1. Controls are Delay, Mix and Feedback, plus a Rec Level knob for adding saturation and a Wonk knob for wow and flutter1. Two switches on the back turn the echo trails and the preamp section on or off; the preamp is based on the solid-state unit in the vintage Echoplex1.
GuitarPlayer reported that the four pedals are the company's first in compact enclosures and share a single on/off foot switch, a status LED, mono input and output, a USB-C port for firmware updates, and a nine-volt center-negative power jack for an adapter of 250mA minimum, not included2. On the Orion, the delay knob sets echo rate, mix adjusts echo level (100 percent wet at maximum), and feedback sets repeats, self-oscillating at maximum; the Wonk knob interacts with the tape-age switch, and the record level control increases tape color as it is turned clockwise2. The front bypass switch offers trails or true bypass, and the preamp switch keeps the preamp active in either bypass mode when on2.
"Emerging from our flagship Starlight Echo Station, Orion Tape Echo gives you the magical hazy delay effects of vintage '70s Maestro Echoplex EP-III tape delays, in a classy, compact package."
GuitarPlayer's reviewer called the Orion "an Echoplex EP-III in a box, with great features that include a tape-age switch"2. Neither source gave a US price.