Lexicon MPX 200

Although the display initially looked complicated, once I started messing around with it, I found this Lexicon unit to be extreamly intuitive. All of the lights are there to indicate which effect is in use -- green for Effect 1 and red for Effect 2 -- while the knobs allow you to adjust the individual effect's parameters. The only thing that stopped me from giving this a 10 was that you must consult the User's Manual to decipher which knob controls which parameter for the specific effect you wish to work with. However, anybody who has spent more than 15 minutes with it should be able to figure it out just by listening to the sound differences sublte tweaking creates. If your unit does not have a manual, you may download it from Lexicon's website.

At present, I've only used the unit to record. I mic the instruments, send the signal to my 8-channel mixer for EQ'ing, into the Lexicon unit for processing, and then into the four track. The unit has both stero and mono ins and outs, which can add dimension to certain effects -- time-based effects most notably. I have no doubt this unit would work great either live over the PA, or if you wished to hook it directly into your amp's effects loop -- although I haven't done this yet.

Sound quality is very, very good for a unit in this price range. All of the effects are either modulation based [chorus, echo], time based [delays, reverbs] or what Lexicon calls its "dbx" [compression and de-esser]. There are no distortions or overdrives in this unit.

Up to two effects can be used simultaneously, and either or both may be cancelled with a bypass button. Independent "Mix" knobs allow you to dial in exactly how much effect you desire in your mix.

I've never known the unit to be noisy; with the exception if you remove the unit's power supply while your sound is on, you can hear a pop or a click. Changing from one effect to another is seamless -- you can either turn the main dial for presets or use the effect select pad to do it manually.

The unit has been very reliable. It is durable, but obviously you do not want to drop it on its face if it can be avoided. It is rack-mountable, so if you have a rack, do it up.

I would definitely use this at an acoustic gig, if all you needed was compression and a simple effect. But since you can only use two effects at the same time, it should not be used except for individual effects processing.

I have never had cause to deal with Lexicon customer support. Although I can say I found their website to be slightly less than intuitive to work through.

Overall, I really enjoy this unit -- sound is top-notch, it's simple to use, and you get what you pay for. Agin, my only advice is that since you're buying this for the sound, the trade-off will be that you can only use two effects at once. But I've been able to live with that.

I primarily use this for recording, and if you're curious about how it performs, you can hear it on my myspace: http://myspace.com/masterofmuppets. All of the effects are courtesy of this particular Lexicon unit. At present, I use it to record acoustic guitar and vocals, a simple set up which this simple machine is well-equipped to handle.

If for some reason it was damaged, destroyed, stolen, or lost, I would definitely consider another Lexicon unit; however, having been with it for a while and having enjoyed it, I may consider getting the next model up.

In considering the purchase of the MX 200, my primary motivation was sound quality. Other units I considered were BOSS and Alesis, however all the other units in this price range failed to impress the reviewers I researched. Once I got to the demo room at the music store, I found out why. Other companies may be able to give you more effects, but two great-sounding effects is preferable to many OK-sounding effects.

For the money I paid and the function it performs, I couldn't ask for a better-sounding unit.

very intuitive, don't need to read manual. Lack of on-off button/switch, when power off, there is a loud pop which could damage your speaker.

good lexicon reverb delay signature sound even when compare to ultra high end eventide eclipse, however the loud hum ruins it all. i give 0 for bad design. can't judge the nuance of perfumes when they're situate by big pot of shit

for a product team to release a product with this major error, reliability is in question

same as above, i agree with below input, lexicon should recall this product...

all people who rate this one high have dis-serviced all of us. check your ears, if this loud hum doesn't anoy you then your listening skill suck big time :( i have tested and owned hundreds of products and never heard any hum this loud. the specs stated very low distortion rate which is a lie, marketing scheme. shame on you, lexicon!

The ease of use was not to bad, other than I felt that Lexicon being
one of the Rolls Royce Dealers of Signal Processors, should have Illuminated the display a bit more.

I waited like most musicians for a shot at the name Lexicon and although I could not afford the PCM Line I felt like most musicians I would start off small, and work my way up, and what did I get with the MPX-200 (Hummmmmmmmm and Buzz.) I was very angry, I worked hard for that little money to buy that unit. LEXICON, IF YOU WANNA MAKE THIS RIGHT WITH THE PEOPLE, DO LIKE THE AUTOMOBILE DEALERS HAVE A RECALL ON THE MX-200 NO MATTER WHERE, OR HOW THEY GOT THE UNIT. Its ashamed to have a unit with this name and it HUMS LIKE HELL. The sounds are okay but that DAM HUM.

I DONT KNOW IF I CAN DEPEND ON IT OR NOT WE WILL SEE IF THE THING GETS HOT WILL IT QUIT ON ME.

Customer support have not contacted me on this unit. I felt like I bought a name brand car that would not run unless I got out and poured gas in the carburetor:) YOU GUYS OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, RECALL THOSE MPX-200S AND PUT IN A GOOD POWER SUPPLY AND I WILL CONTINUE TO USE YOUR PRODUCT.

Sounds are okay , now I know about the PCM LINE Because I used them,
I/E 81/91 ETC But those MPXES Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, are you guys crazy?
Alesis stuff is better than that, hell and its soooo light weight
I knew I was about to put some bullony in my rack. Recall the unit.

It is pretty easy to get some decent sounds out of the box. To really dig in, you should read the manual and experiment alot. To make it easy to switch sounds, you need to edit some sounds and program them as your own. This way they are all next to each other and easy to remember what's what. You don't want to scroll through 200 sounds on the fly. Programming your own sounds is very easy though. Editing patches is pretty straightforward. Manual is good.

I mainly use this as an effects unit for my guitar rig. I run the line right through it like a stomp box. I plan to experiment with using it in stereo with two amps. I play a strat, Heritage jazz box, and a Gibson. I also run the bass through it on bypass mode to boost the signal when I create loops and need everything to match up. I use vintage fender amps. I haven't used it yet for recording but plan to. It takes some tweaking to get a nice natural reverb sound. I generally turn the mix way down from the presets. I love the delays I can get out of this. I hit the tempo button on the fly and start jamming. Other effects can be cool too. I haven't noticed any noise or humming with my unit. Sometimes the reverbs can sound a bit unnatural, but if everything is dialed in right, you can get some great sounds.

I gig without a backup. It seems very dependable. I just put it on my amp with a towel folded underneath. I wouldn't want to drop it though.

Never had to contact

I play rock, blues, jazz, jam stuff, some acoustic stuff, this works well for my needs. I have played about 15 years and had this unit mabey 2 years. I would buy again or maybe look into upgrading to another Lexicon. I bought this because my guitar teacher used a Lexicon unit just for reverb. instead of his Fender reverb. I definitely helps. I use it in front of the Boss phrase recorder so I can control what sounds go in and get looped. It really has become an essential part of my stage rig. It took me awhile to figure out how to set the global output level, but this helped me alot. Now I can send in a strong signal and also have my amp turned up a bit without blowing people away. Hold down the bypass button and then adjust the first global control. Great unit.

Easy to use straight out of the box. The factory presets are a great place to start and usually do not need much tweaking to get the sound youre looking for.

Pretty nice, especially for the price. This is my second Lexicon unit... the first was an LXP5 half rack which although 16 bit, but still sounded excellent. Ive owned a fair share or hardware effects including some higher end TC ELectronics and Roland units and I have to say I was very impressed with the overall sound of this unit. I run mostly plugin effects in the studio but decided to pick this up for use with my keyboard (Nord Lead 2) which does not have any built in fx. This is a great sounding fx rack and although I had no plans to use the added usb plugin option, I'll probably be using this as my primary choice for reverbs from now on. The delay and other effects it comes with are equally impressive.

Pretty sturdy. I only use it for studio application but it seems solid enough to use in live settings.

Havent had a need to contact cs yet.

For the price, this is definitely one the best fx unit out on the market at the moment. Quality sound at a very affordable price. Solid buy.

This unit is simply awesome for the price!
It is easy as cake to get a good sound out of it, editing couldn't be easier even though this unit only has a 2 digit LCD display (makes life easier in a way) all you will have to do is flick through the manual for about 5 mins & off you go.

WOOOH! The sound quality is EXCELLENT! Reverbs are awesome,I own 6 FX units and this is my No. 2 Choice... I hear you ask whats No.1... another Lexicon of course the MPX550 :P
OK now adressing the hum issue... there was hum from my unit but it doesnt use a wall wart as i'm in GREAT Britian :P
The hum was easily taken care of once I place this unit at the bottom of my custom designed rack. For some reason it only produced a hum when inserted between other units (vibration). The effects sound Great, I would recommend this unit to anyone, the compressor also sounds sweet and doesn't colour the sound.
Don't wait around, go and check this amazing unit out.

Perfect so far.

Never needed them :P

I can't understand why people say this unit sounds weak or crap... Maybe they are unaware of what a Lexichip is actually suppose to do...

Right. The mpx200 sounds classy and its not hard to get a good sound out of at all. its so easy. i mean you'd have to be a leperous aardvark not to be able to operate this thing. its so goddamn easy. turn it on twirl the knob and you are laughing. i dont get why people are complaining. even the patches are easy to edit. just take 2mins to look in the manual and you can operate easily. Even without the manual im guessing that someone with a brain half the size of something eaten by an ameoba could work out how to operate this thing. so if you cant work out how to use thing you are dumb.

Manual is written in english and hey guess what - im english. Its all written there. Open your eyes and you'll be fine.

One thing i will say is that the MPX200 doesn't have as many editing options as i would have liked but thats not lexico's fault. thats my fault for not buying an MPX500.

I have a JP7 that i use through a MKIIC+ with two mesa 1x12 Mesa Cabs fitted up with Celestion Hot 100's. Also got a triaxis and 50/50 p.amp so i can put the mpx through a few setups and i always get a good sound as long as its far away from other things that will provide interference (just turn the TV off).

I have to jump to Lexicon's defence here by saying that there are people on this review page saying that their MPX 200 does not sound good. well thats crap. i think i read one guy complained cos he didnt have a good poewer cable. thats hilarious. mines fine and im guessing you can buy a new one anyway so whats the problem? Its not noisy. its damn clean and pristine. the thing i like is that this thing is subtle in the wetness of the sound. its not overly processed like other crap on the market.

You should be able to get the sound of your fave artists on this thing if you know what you are doing. The best effects are the chorus, the reverb (as always)and some of the atmospheric special effects you can get via the stereo ping pong delay effects.

One thing that was disappointing was the fact that the harmony effects were not in 'real time'. There was a slight latency between the actual sound and the modulated sound. However im still going to give this thing a 10 'cos what the hell do you expect for the price. Everything else is great.

Its Solid enough. Just don't drop it. Like with anything why the hell would it break unless you stamped on it with the force of gravity that is usually associated with rhino falling off a tall building.
I'd use it on a gig without a backup because effects aren't essential. so if anything goes wrong just bypass the thing and carry on. But no probs with it so far.

Have no idea as ive never needed to contact them. I'm very happy with my product.

I play Prog Rock. This is a good match.
However if it were lost or stolen i'd upgrade to an mpx500. they are basically the same but i think i would appreciate a higher level of editing.
I love the Chorus and the reverb effects and the stereo delay effects. Very cool when setup to rhythmically interact with the pulse of the song you are playing.

I hate nothing about this piece of gear. For the price its worth the money. Did i not mention this thing looks cool aswell? Well it does.

I won't lie but i chose this product because it was the cheapest one and it was on special offer. But it worked out well as i got a bargain. Shame I did't get the MPX500 but that may be my next investment.

It helps me achieve sounds i want to hear and it doesn't hinder me because there little to do.

Overall its a thumbs up.

Seemed Okay to use, just twirl the knob until you like the sound.

The quality was very good, except for the hum from the transformer. More about that later.

Never had a problem getting a sound. But the power transformer hummed loud enough to be heard in the background -- even with headphones on.

The customer service department answered my emails promptly. I asked them about the obvious hum caused by the vibrating transformer. Here is the exact reply:
"All of the mpx200 we have come across exhibit some hum from the
transformer. You can replace the transformer and it may lessen the hum, but you are not going to get completely rid of it. The mpx200 is
designed as an inexpensive processor usually for live applications where you can't hear the hum. You may want to look at upgrading the unit to a500 or 550. With the 500 and 550 you will also have balanced audio"
My complaint is that nowhere in the sales brochure does it mention that "The mpx200 is
designed as an inexpensive processor usually for live applications where you can't hear the hum."
connectors which will increase your head room on your effects.

I'm sorry, but why would you want ANY processor that emmits a hum. It may be "relatively inexpensive" but so is other gear I own that does not hum. Seems like to me Lexicon used their name brand to sell some slop.

OK Here. The unit only has a Number Display so its a bit cryptic but ok.

This unit sounds like garbage.Reverbs and thin and metallic. It isn't even close to the PCM line of effects. Granted the unit is about 1/6th the cost but if anyone could make a box that sounds good at this price I thought it would be Lexicon.

This unit uses a VERY cheap power supply and I wouldn't even take it on a gig if I wasn't uning a UPS(Universal Power Supply).The unit buzzes (due to the cheap PS).

Here is what Lexicon Support say's about the cheap power supply and the buzzing.

The MPX 200 has an internal power supply with manually switchable
transformer AC-input voltage. Lexicon suggests that when the MPX 200 is
mounted in a rack, make sure it is secure in the rack and that there is a
space between the MPX 200 and the other piece/pieces of gear in the rack.
Care must be taken with location in the rack, routing of audio cables and AC
power source or the unit may resonate or buzz. It will be more noticeable if
there is a piece of gear on or touching the unit.


Come on folks, This is 2003 and it obsurd to have to leave a blank space on each side of a piece of gear to get it to work properly. Come on Lexicon, charge a few $ more and use a good power supply.

All the MPX stuff is junk. Try the TC Electronics M-1 or the Roland 3030-D. All offer balanced I/O (which the LEX does NOT) and SPDIF I/O for the same money. Stay away form the Lexicon MPX stuff. The PCM line and above are GREAT!

I finally had to get rid of my ART Mulitverb II, it kept having all of those ART problems. Since I hadn't looked into a multi effector since the early 90's I did my research here. I had owned a MPX-100 in the late 90's "for mixdowns" but wasn't that impressed with its funtionality. I am a guitarist/producer, so I needed a delay for my live rig. I loooked into the T.C. M one XL, but the XLR only in and outs scared me away, I hate extra weird cabeling requirments. Basically there are only three companies making multi effectors now, Lexicon, Alesis and T.C. Electronics.. Since I had already had expereience with Lexicon "PCM42 1983, and the MPX100 1998", and the reviews for the Alesis stuff were bad, I chose the Lexicon MPX 200 and I am very glad I did. As always the Lexicons have superior sound quality, the editing of patches was a breeze, and the MIDI "learn" feature almost scared me, very intuitive, and easy, no setting up individual patch change parameters as it was with my ART, "very nice Lexicon". This is Revision Two I believe.

"Audio" Gibson Explorer, Ibanez PII, into a a/b box, into a Roland CS-2 compressor, into a Morley Power Wah, into a Line 6 POD version II, into stereo Rockman 12 band EQ's, into Lexicon MPX 200, into Behringer T-1954 tube ultrafex, into Alesis RA-300 stereo power amp, into Peavey 5150 stereo 4x12.
"Midi" ART X-11 midi switcher, into POD, into Lexicon MPX 200.
The MPX is very quiet, the effects alway's sound great unless you try using those ever present weird ass ones. Why do these companies alway's program in patches that they know no person on this planet would ever use? Maybe these companies should have some normal Musicians in there R&D departments instead of MIT grads? I can get the exact clean tones of Metallica "Enter Sandman", Creed "Never Die" and "My Sacrifice", harmonized tones via Pitch, Kiss "Detroit Rock City" etc.

Seems very reliable. "I have only had it for a week". No need for a backup here.

There online support is great ie: manual downloads etc. I havn't tried to contact them directly yet.

I play cover's live, I play instrumental rock/fusion when writing. I have been playing since 1974. Like I said, for a few extra bucks the MPX-200 is far superior to the MPX-100 or 110. Editing and storing patches,then calling them up via MIDI is a breeze. I didn't directly compare it to the T.C. M One, I just did my reasearch here. I am very happy with this unit.