Lexicon Vortex

Well it's not to be understood without the manual. Though you can't really be confused about 4 knobs and 4 buttons. It has a very analogue feeling while editing the sounds, that is, because you have to know what you're doing. Just like some old analogue synth. Don't get this if you dislike knobs. (Thats why I have it, I really am a knob admirer.)

It has 32 patches, in 16 pairs of related settings. Patches are always combinations of 2 echoes and 2 modulators, which can be edited in 16 parameters. Modulation sources are 2 LFOs and envelope. Depending on the patch used there are additional feedback and resonance parameters, but they behave different in every patch. There are plugs for 4 foot switches and one eypression pedal.
I use it as the only effect gear after my Oberheim OB-8. Inlined. There is no noise. Just care about the right input gain. Sounds are brilliant, and I am especially excited about this morphing thing. That means, you can morph any effect into any other just by button tapping in a previously defined time, or even by foot pedal. This really makes a great difference, you can add dramatic effects on your solo play.
Sometimes there are, however, nasty overload distortion sounds when morphing certain sounds into another. I noticed it when morphing the Aerosol A sound into Aerosol B, both of them edited. Seems to me thet there is some internal problem of the morphing procedure, for this ocurs only if I use some real extreme settings. No Problems ever with the pure effects.
Plus, I used it one time on a fender rhodes, and with the cycloid A effect and some special editing I had exactly the rhodes sound of Pink Floyd's 'Sheep' on 'Animals'. (Did anyone know that Stakka Bo used sequences of this great intro in some dance remix?) It simply uses a stereo filter with ping-pong cutoff frequency modulation.
Also, this gear has envelope in every effect. I got a great rhodes sound when using a vibrato effect with frequence moduation on volume, i.e. faster vibrato at louder tones. Really great.

No prob until now.

I love this for it's unusual sound molding properties and for it's analogue feeling. I placed it on my analogue knob monster and it just does feel the same.

4.5 Some preset have to work in serie and others in parallel, so you can't set the machine at last...! We less MIDI, of course. Moreover some effects are dangerous for u and the other dsp unit bcause some peaks are very strong. U need a compressor tu use it correctly. The manual is good, but not easy.

I usually use a les paul custom to play it. The Vortex is a little noisy, but it's enough for the year of construction and the price i get it. Some possibilities are great, (try register 13A...), no machine on this earth can do what it does, (may be the Eventide Orville, but i have to check it out. However u can buy it at 4500$...)
Some effects are too much similar each other but, I repeat: buy it if u need a 'different' low cost sound possibilities.

If u use pedals u r ok, great freedom of playing your favourite loops or gigs. But Lexicon should make another upgradated version, this is sure, w/ midi, new converters and new outputs. At the same price, of course...

I play a punch of psychedelic, Vortex is great. I have been using it, with a Jamman, for 2 years. I'd buy it again in everytime. Morphing its my favourite feature. A lot of musician didn't undertand the way to use it, what a pity! Overall a great, littele difficult, machine. Stay tuned!!

The interface is easy enough to understand, though it requires lots of knob spinning. Like any decent processor, getting the most out of it takes some work.

One feature I haven't seen mentioned in the reviews is the Vortex' ability to channel-switch an amp. The idea is you have one effect for clean and another (or the same one altered) for drive, and the amp and the effect footswitch together. Works great; and it's a snap to set up.

I think this is a great sounding unit. I disagree with other reviewers who think it isn't for everyone: I've used it as my only processor many times and I've always been more than happy. No, it doesn't give you your average dimestore chorus and flange, and OK, the reverb -- well, it doesn't do reverb. But who wants dimestore effects? Who would rather have, say, typical flange when organic flangelike ecstasy is available? Are you kidding me? I'll never use chorus again; I have CHOIR. The delays are great, the tremolo is to die for, and those workaday effects are just the beginning. Go as deep as you want, as bizarre or sublime as.... Well, you get the picture.

You will need reverb, however. And I've noticed a quirk or two: I can see why some people think it sucks tone, especially those who give it 30 seconds of audition. I found that when I run it in the loop of an amp I need to have the mix control maxed or I get some strange sort of phasing sound -- a clash that disappears completely with the entire signal going through the Vortex. And yes, it would be nice to have true bypass. That ought to be a law.

No idea why anyone would complain about noise. Maybe theirs is defective.

It's never quit, but it's behaved exceeding strange a number of times. Sometimes the wierdnesses even persist through reboot, which maybe tells me it's supposed to behave that way. I don't know, but it's the kind of thing that gives you the creeps at a gig.

I'm presently using the Vortex in the loop of my new Yamaha DG60 combo, which has nice reverb, and I can't imagine a better match. In the past I've tended to include it in my racks, running the signal straight through, eg, preamp>Vortex,etc.>power amp, as opposed to using the preamp loop. Any way I hook it up, rack or combo, stereo or mono, it always sounds just great.

At a gig a few years ago I actually ran into the guy who designed the Vortex. This was around the time it was being discontinued, and he seemed to be rather bitter about the whole business. His reaction to my use of his box was to sort of roll his eyes and allow as how toggling between delay and choir was hardly a thorough implimentation of the technology. Fair enough: the Vortex is capable of marvels that are just a bit beyond the ken of your typical strummer, which is why it flopped. But even at the preset level it's one of the best processors I've ever heard.

Once you understand the basic concept of the Vortex, using is a 'snap'. Setting parameters is quick and easy. Don't' bother will the manual. Close your eyes, turn some knobs, and the effect will open to you. I've used the Vortex with bass and keyboard. In both instances, setup and use was not a problem. The two switch pedals that Lexicon provides (same as Jamman) are not the best. If you have big feet, you will want to find a substitute. However, if your fingers are feeling especially sensitive, you can make use of the envelope control and forgo the pedal.

Due to the nature of the effects of the Vortex, it would probably not be an effect for everyone. If you want a selection of cool distortions, flanges, and echoes, don't buy this. If you want a set of effects that you can vary in intensity, this is your piece of gear. Effects can be very subtle or overpowering. The Vortex works best in true stereo, so it may not be the ideal choice for guitar and bass players. However, many of the effects in mono are still quite unique and worthwhile. I've never experienced any additional noise from use of the Vortex. Whatever instrument you are using, you will want to invest in an expression pedal. This will allow you to control the rate of change between effects, and the difference in sound is phenomenal.

I haven't had any problems. However, the Wall Wart stinks.

Lexicon is only providing limited support for the Vortex (according to their web site). When you purchase one, you may want to ensure that the condition is good.

Limited support from Lexicon is a little disconcerting, and the Wall Wart is an abomination. However, the construction seems sturdy enough. Just place it in a rack and don't worry.

all knobs,...a LOT of knob "twiddling" required to edit sounds,...but i LIKE THAT. easy to use,...requires a bit of "familiarity" with the functions but it beats those "@$&%!#!" menus (and subsequent SCROLLING) any time!!!!

sounds great. keep your ears on the gain and you're fine. this unit can add crystalline sparkle or lurking murkiness,...it's all in the knob twiddling. you won't find the world's most "devastating jet plane flange" here or the earth's most "mirror-imaged delays",...but what you will find are extremely musical variances in modulation and delay that "encourage" inter-mingling with sound sources and signal lines and,...and...........well,..this module is the "spice" that can turn a bowl of boring soup into an interesting and exotic meal,...IN THE RIGHT HANDS. the "morphing" concept (especially with an expression pedal)can unlock infinite "sound doors".

never had one problem.

called Lexicon on several other issues. always helpful,..but will not hesitate to pop you with a huge repair fee to fix glitches.

this effect is not for everyone. upon first inspection a person might think that there is "not much under the hood". it IS NOT midi-able,..and there is no graphic display screen. BUT,...it should appeal to those of the "analog knob-twisting/tweaking" mentality. if i lost it i'd immediatly seek out a new one.

Interface is awful - seeing as how it is only a few years old.

Having read other reviews on this product I did have second thoughts - several times. However, the sound quality is suberb - with no noise floor increase added to my setup - used in a Send/Return Roland GP-100 system.
I was also expecting something that might be too "whacky" - however the sounds are lush and as subtle or as over-the top as you like.

No comment - just bought it used.

I have other Lexicon rack units and have found their customer support second to none.

It will definitley be used within my sound most, if not all of the time.

I bought mine used, but luckily it came with the manual. Without the manual you'd be programming pretty much blind. The manual is good and explains alot. The preset names are cool, but can be deceptive as to what they actually do;"Fractal", "Bleen", "Centrifuge"? You can't program your own algorithm, but you can edit most important parameters. It is essential to use this unit with an expression pedal.

I am using my Vortex with a Line 6 Pod, a Gibson SG, a Korg Prophecy synth, Yamaha TG77 synth, Technics WSA1R synth, Behringer 2004A mixer, and a Pentium 2 computer with an Echo Gina soundcard. I have the Vortex permanently routed to my mixer's insert points, so I just attach it to the channel I want. I sounds great on both guitar, bass and synths. Using an expression with the morph feature is like using a suped-up wah pedal on steroids. The sampling rate isn't that great (32kHz) and really should be at least the current industry standard (44.1kHz). There is a bit of noise as this is by no means a super clean multi-effect, but rather a maker of extreme cool weird noises. Polyrhythm delays are interesting and experimental.

I do mostly studio work, so whether it can withstand me kicking and smashing it has yet to be tested. The value knob skips sometimes. Aside from that I haven't encountered any problems.

I make weird sonic landscape sound textures and the Vortex is an essential tool for this. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who doesn't have a use for the morphing feature or the polyrhythm delays, as aside from these features, other machines in the price range are just as good. If you make sound structures, or want to hear your guitar solo whirl down a hole and then morph back up into a ring modulator, this is the effects rack for you.

Ease of use is a big problem. I can't help but think that a better user interface could have been included. My biggest problem is that the parameter settings, don't neccesarily control what they say they do. Ex. depth 1 controls a filter cut off frequency in one preset, and something completely different in the next preset. With out a manuel, this would be impossible to program. If anybody needs one, let me know.

For the record, my setup is: Ibanez 885 5 string bass>Mesa Boogie M-2000 bass head> parametric eq> DMC GCX 8 loop switcher w/ several pedals> Lexicon Vortex> BBE 262 Sonic Maximizer> back to the M-2000> out to a SWR Goliath III and Trace Elliot 15 cab. Noise wise, at first I thought it was awful hissy, then I tweaked the input gain, and everything was nice and silent. The effects are great, morphing and envelope control are everything I dreamed they would be and more. Effects are very full, smooth, and lush. Much more natural sounding than any other rack effect I have tried, ie. Intellifex, Replifex, Digitech, Nightbass, etc. It sounds like it's all analogue vinyage pedals. All the other rack mounts sounded very digital, harsh, and processed to my ear, the Vortex is the complete opposite, all the effects sound "real" for lack of a better term.

Seems like it shouldn't be a problem. Nothing that looks like it will break now that it's in the rack. It does seema little flimsy though.

No idea, I haven't needed it yet. I may contact them and find out what I'm doing wrong when I'm trying to set a expression pedal to control the A/B morph.

Overall, it's a incredible peice of gear for the price. It's inspired me to try a lot of things I otherwise wouldn't have. It sounds amazing, it's cheap, and it does things that nothing else can even approach doing. BUT, it is a pain in the butt to program, and it isn't midi controllable. If it had a better user interface and midi, I would consider it perfect. I hope Lexicon re-releases these someday with midi incorporated, I would be camped out waiting for the music store to open waiting to get one.

First of all: people who wrote reviews on this processor should let us know what rig they're using it through and what it is they normally play because I see two complaints here: ''it sucks my tone'' and ''it's noisy''. Depends on what rig you use. If you have a cheezy strat copy with microphonic single coil pickups, an MXR distortion + and a Crate 12 watt practice amp you will get noise no matter what you do - you get what you pay for. On the other hand, my rig is a lot more elaborate and so serves as the preable for the ease of use issues. I'm using this processor in the effects loop of my Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp. It is very noiseless in many respects, using full on distortion as well as clean tones. I've processed guitars, keyboards/synths, drums, voices and much more through the vortex and it is very easy to get a good sound out of it. Editing patches is a breeze - I'm a computer person though, so if you're not computer oriented maybe this is hard for you to figure out. The manual is actually very good. Firmware? Who knows - the LED display consists of a two digit display with two leds and two other leds on the front panel. It's even got a feature that will switch the channels on your amp for you when you go to a certain effect - that is a very cool and almost unmentioned feature of this box. The morphing effect is great, but you can do stereo looping, chorus, delays, flanges, effects that I can't even name. It's a good all purpose box that is simple to use.

This thing really gives a smooth, warm, non-tone sucking, almost analog sound quality. Guitars: Jackson neck-thru soloist and Heartfield EX-2 (with EMGs) into the Mesa preamp and the Vortex is then inserted in the FX loop of the Mesa, then out into a power amp or a Roland JC-120. Those who claim this thing "sucks their tone" must be on drugs or have low-end setups because the sound is really corpulent. Noise floor is very low (unless you're standing under a flourescent light with a Univox strat copy with microphonic single coils) - you can hear the VCAs kind of burbling a bit quietly depending on whatever signal you have on it. The one thing I'd change is that the effects are a bit on the conservative side in terms of source to effect ratio - crank those effects up so you can hear them. Being conservative, audio-wise gets you nowhere. Editing the presets are a must (see my Lexicon Vortex page at this URL http://www.waste.org/~crash/index.html and click on the Loop link) in order to get the best out of this unit. The coolest thing about it is that after you get used to editing it, you can get very Eno-esque sounds for pads. The A version of the chorus with lead guitar fattens the tone somewhat and gives you a faux Les Paul tone. The B version gives this delayed Leslie effect that is killer. The leslie like patch from A to B is particularly impressive - you can hear the rotors slowing down and speeding up proportionally. Some of the first few effects are great for heavy metal guitar. Some of the others work great on synths or voices. The sound quality is so good that you can put a stereo drum machine through the unit, then use the tap tempo to create a complementary counter-rhythm and the sound quality is the same as the input signal and it makes your drum rhythms sound much more realistic - more like a real drummer. Try it! I also have a lot of custom patches I've made myself. Since I was in a two guitar band, having some textures that would give a faux keyboard sound was very welcome and you can go to mars with this effect. On one CD project someone asked me "who played the synthesizer?" It was my guitar through the Vortex. One of the effects even gives you the exact flanging tone on Frank Zappa's "Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch" (studio album version). Some of the looping effects are great for creating an eerie, Eric Johnson kind of mood where you can solo over the backing loop. Plugging my $90 Casio keyboard into the thing it actually made it sound like it was worth ten times what I paid for it - really amazing. If you have a synth with a B3 sound the Orbits rotary speaker emulation will blow your mind.

Well, the effect itself is made of metal and plastic. It's screwed into my rack. It uses a wall wart power supply with a tiny, thin, spindly jack. I'd beef that up if I were them. It comes with a tiny, plastic footswitch with two different momentary switches that is just begging to be glued to something heavy since it's very light and probably easy to break. Maybe a better third party switch is warranted. Also, to get the most out of the thing you need a pedal capable of sending out a control voltage to control the morph yourself - I do not have one as yet. The ultimate system would be two 2-position footswitches and the pedal to get the most out of the effect. One nice thing - it seems to weigh under a pound - really lightweight so you're not lugging around a giant, heavy piece of gear. Using it without a backup? I suppose, I only have one but this thing does things that no other effect does. I suppose if I played live with it and it went down I could do some of the delays with my Boss DD-3 but many of the time-delay effects that use modulation are just so unusual that nothing else does 'em. This effect sadly didn't sell, probably because guitar players are very conservative and if it sounds WEIRD they won't like it.

Never dealt with 'em, although one of the main customer service guys shows up on the Looper's Delight mailing list from time to time so it wouldn't be hard to get a hold of them.

I play eclectic instrumental music. In order to introduce variety and keep interest, having many interesting tones is a necessity. So having this thing available to create many interesting, warm, usable tones is a great bonus. Some of the effects are nothing that you will ever hear. Others are more conventional. Used in conjunction with other effects will probably break your brain so be careful. It's also great to do demos with the drum machine now since the counter rhythms produced by the tap tempo delay make it sound much more like a real drummer. All in all, one of the best effect purchases I've ever made (and I've made a lot). If you have a Vortex, check out my Vortex page at: http://www.waste.org/~crash/loopage.html.

This is what I percieve as the typical inner-dialogue of a first-time Vortex user:
Plug it in. Route signal through it. Turn the knobs. Listen. "How interesting! Now, how do I program it or 'morph' effects? Uh, where's that manual?"
You cannot easily decipher this unit without the manual. However, you can quickly and easily pick presets, and jack around with their parameters. The manual is extremely helpful. I got mine used, without one. Fortunately, a friend of mine lent me his manuals, and I Xeroxed them shamelessly.

I find the quality of effects to be stunning, but there's an unforgiveable noise floor that I haven't been able to eliminate. I bought the Vortex for possible guitar-experimentation, but mostly as a studio effect. The noise is tolerable in my studio, but unacceptable in even the simplest guitar signal chain (guitar, Vortex, amps). Also, it sucks the sweetness out of my strat's tone. I had thought to maybe retire my old stinky Quadraverb in favor of the Vortex. Not likely. I may use it as a special guitar-effect someday, but I doubt it.
Now for some good stuff: In my studio, I have become attached to 2 of the Vortex' presets: "Choir" sounds amazing on background vocals, especially with the delay tempo tapped-in correctly. I think the other one I use (more sparingly) is "Centerfuge," which can nicely freak-out an otherwise "normal" sounding track.
I'll provide separate ratings to qualify the arbitrary single number I chose below.
As a studio effect: 8.5 [superb quality, but slightly noisy.]
As a guitar effect: 3 [interesting possibilities, but VERY noisy, and a tone-killer]

I have not had any problems with my Vortex, so I cannot complain about it. But I have had other Lexicon scares in the past. I bought an Alex that had to be repaired within a year, and a JamMan that was bad right out of the box. Neither has given me a single problem since. The Vortex seems to be made with the same (good or bad, I don't know) quality-standards. I would be confident enough to use it without a backup.

I have found Lexicon to be courteous and helpful in the past. Haven't dealt with them on this one, though.

I am a long-time admirer of Jimmy Page's work in Led Zeppelin, more for his creative expression and unusual arrangements than his sequined jumpsuits and heroin addiction. All that aside, I use maybe 3 digital effects- delay, rotating speaker-simulation, and an occasional flanger. The latter of these two are supplied by my Quadraverb, and I hoped to replace THAT glitchy noisy thing with the Vortex. It ain't gonna happen, folks. The vortex is FAR noisier as a guitar gadget. Also, I don't care for its foot pedals. The appeal of "morphing" effects could be better satisfied if you didn't need 2 two-button pedals and an expression pedal. That's alot of floor space to absorb for one rack-gizmo.
I doubt I would replace the Vortex with another Vortex. Yes, it does cool stuff, but I'm not married to it (unfortunately, I AM married to my Quadraverb). I wish the Vortex had a better signal to noise ratio, better foot-contollers, and less destruction of guitar tone. I believe that it can be used very creatively, nonetheless. It's a shame Lexicon discontinued it. I think some minor modifications could have made it a truly breathtaking effect-unit. As a piece of studio gear, it does some really interesting things, and has superb sound quality. Studio users might love it. I predict guitarists would be disappointed.