ADA Depot - A Forum To Support Users of ADA Amplification Gear
Other ADA Gear => ADA Effects => Topic started by: David Drake on January 18, 2022, 12:18:42 AM
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I've always wanted a s1000. In the past I always went for other ADA gear that superseded that want because of rarity. Now I'm wondering should I get an FX2 instead because you know the ability to add the flange/chorus with a footswitch. I really want that doubler sound of the s1000. What are the REAL pros and cons between the two and their delays?
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Finely found a Fx2 manual last night and I believe it answered my questions. I think Fx2 would probably me more to my liking.
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Hey David, good to hear you've found out what you wanted :thumb-up: , now you just have to find a good unit for sale (easier said than done) and also the right power for where you are i.e. US version.
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I have a 2FX but I only use it for the flanger which I think is amazing for a digital unit. For delays I use a ADA Digitizer 4, it does amazing stereo delays.
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@rnolan - I'm glad you mentioned that as a ADA 1.28i I was looking at was 230v and I never even thought about that being an issue. I'll Link that item and some others in their proper sections.
@Jmp - The Digitizer, I forgot I had one of these hooked to a friends mixing board I jam and sing with every now & then. I have recently acquired a DS4 foot switch prior to a failed Pitchtraq deal and that unit would be perfect for what I need.
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Hey David,
Welcome to the Forum :wave:
I already own all of the delays mentioned here and I can give you a brief review of each one.
2FX- is a pretty good delay in the fact that you can run two effects at the same time if you want to. I like it for the doubler, flange, chorus, and some of the subtle long delays. The only con I can come up with as far as this unit goes, is that it seems to be a bit lower fidelity than the S-1000, any of the "i" series delays, and the Digitizer 4.
.64i, 1.28i, & 2.56i - These are great sounding 1/2 second, 1 second, and 2 second delays, (respectively). Very similar in function and performance to the S-1000's but with more control over the modulation section than the S-1000, and Digitizer 4. They do a good doubler, flange, chorus and delay effect to perfection. easy to dial in and they can even do a decent imitation of a Leslie type of effect. They have a very musical quality to them.
S-1000 - One second delay, and THEN some. I may sound a little biased, but this was my 1st ADA rack delay, and I squeezed every possible effect I could get out of it with great results. I was able to get similar chorus effects to the TC Electronic 1210, and the flange effect too. I was imitating EVH's delays that he got from his Lexicon PCM 70 with it, and thick and lush chorus, and Leslie chorus effects.
The only downside to all of the effects I have listed so far, is that you set them to the effect you want, and that's what you've got, (with the exception of the 2FX). Basically, they are one effect per unit.
Digitizer 4 - Programmable one second digital delay. This is the last delay effect processor ADA made before they discontinued all of their effects processors, and this one resides in the group that includes the Pitchtraq, and the MQ-1 Programmable EQ. After these were discontinued, ADA focused on their preamps, power amps, and speaker systems.
The D4 could do a lot of the same things it's predecessors did, but it could no longer do some of the smoother effects that required a sine wave, like the Leslie or smooth chorus type of effect. It can give you some very strong flange and delay effects that you can save to one of 16 memory slots, but you need the DS-4 footswitch to recall them remotely. They are not MIDI capable. What's really nice about these delays, (all of them), is you can split your signal to have one channel with the effect, and one channel dry to blend in the effects with your preamp/amp tone unaffected. Overall, any of these delays would great in a rack rig.
The only trick now is to find one that is in good working condition. They are old, and many on the market have issues. Ask the right questions before pulling the trigger would be my advice.
I hope this was helpful.
Harley 8)
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Hey David,
Welcome to the Forum :wave:
I already own all of the delays mentioned here and I can give you a brief review of each one.
2FX- is a pretty good delay in the fact that you can run two effects at the same time if you want to. I like it for the doubler, flange, chorus, and some of the subtle long delays. The only con I can come up with as far as this unit goes, is that it seems to be a bit lower fidelity than the S-1000, any of the "i" series delays, and the Digitizer 4.
.64i, 1.28i, & 2.56i - These are great sounding 1/2 second, 1 second, and 2 second delays, (respectively). Very similar in function and performance to the S-1000's but with more control over the modulation section than the S-1000, and Digitizer 4. They do a good doubler, flange, chorus and delay effect to perfection. easy to dial in and they can even do a decent imitation of a Leslie type of effect. They have a very musical quality to them.
S-1000 - One second delay, and THEN some. I may sound a little biased, but this was my 1st ADA rack delay, and I squeezed every possible effect I could get out of it with great results. I was able to get similar chorus effects to the TC Electronic 1210, and the flange effect too. I was imitating EVH's delays that he got from his Lexicon PCM 70 with it, and thick and lush chorus, and Leslie chorus effects.
The only downside to all of the effects I have listed so far, is that you set them to the effect you want, and that's what you've got, (with the exception of the 2FX). Basically, they are one effect per unit.
Digitizer 4 - Programmable one second digital delay. This is the last delay effect processor ADA made before they discontinued all of their effects processors, and this one resides in the group that includes the Pitchtraq, and the MQ-1 Programmable EQ. After these were discontinued, ADA focused on their preamps, power amps, and speaker systems.
The D4 could do a lot of the same things it's predecessors did, but it could no longer do some of the smoother effects that required a sine wave, like the Leslie or smooth chorus type of effect. It can give you some very strong flange and delay effects that you can save to one of 16 memory slots, but you need the DS-4 footswitch to recall them remotely. They are not MIDI capable. What's really nice about these delays, (all of them), is you can split your signal to have one channel with the effect, and one channel dry to blend in the effects with your preamp/amp tone unaffected. Overall, any of these delays would great in a rack rig.
The only trick now is to find one that is in good working condition. They are old, and many on the market have issues. Ask the right questions before pulling the trigger would be my advice.
I hope this was helpful.
Harley 8)
Thank you for this insight. Without being able to hear these units, this give me a solid base to view what I should look out for.
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Hey Harley don't have a D640 or D1280? I thought you had?
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Hey Harley don't have a D640 or D1280? I thought you had?
No Sir!
I don't have either of those. When I did try out one of those, ( I think it was the D640 ), I wasn't too impressed with the sound quality.
I believe the first ADA rack delay that actually caught my attention was the 2FX when it was a current item in the shops. I didn't buy it then because I wasn't quite into rack gear at that point in time, and I didn't feel like I wanted to build a whole new rig from the ground up.
Little did I know that I would be into that just a couple of years later :lol:
Harley 8)
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yeah the D series sound different from the S and i series.
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yeah the D series sound different from the S and i series.
The same with the STD-1, it has a similar sound quality like these "D" series. That's why I'll never pay the ridiculous prices some people think they are entitled to.
Harley 8)
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The STD-1 is pure analog and for me sounds way different than the i, D or S series. I use it as a chorus, you can get some wicked sounds out of it. But as a delay it's useless.
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The STD-1 is pure analog and for me sounds way different than the i, D or S series. I use it as a chorus, you can get some wicked sounds out of it. But as a delay it's useless.
I completely agree, it is useless as a delay. But then again, when I need stereo tapped delays, I always have my H-3000, which has been upgraded to H-3500 now ;)
Harley 8)
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Which I had one of these, they are great.
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Which I had one of these, they are great.
+1 :thumb-up: They are really good processors. I bought mine in 1988 when it first came out and upgraded it. It's a keeper
Harley 8)
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Since it was mentioned here and to keep it contained here, What bout the ADA-D1280 anyone have any info on these? I cant seem to find any info here tho I found some schematics and stuff in the wild but I need the Manuel. The multiplier and its ascending/ descending arpeggiated repeats is throwing me for a loop and I need the references to how this could be useful? Maybe it's damaged? I did get it for $60 dollars.
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Unfortunately we never got any of the ADA effects in Australia, just the preamps, power amps and cabs.Manual attached, hope it helps :wave:
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This is awesome. Thank you.
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Hey David,
The "i" series delays have that too. I find that function more useful when I use the unit as a Flange or Chorus effect, then the multiplier adds a random modulation to the effects giving it some weird but cool depth. When I'm using the unit as a delay effect, I can add that modulation to it to alter the pitch of my delay trails, which in itself is a pretty cool effect.
Just a couple of examples how I use mine.
Harley 8)