Hall Collins Signature Echo TIPS & TWEAKS.

[milko]

Hi Charlie!

I'm expecting my new Hall Collins Signature Echo in a couple of days time. I'm looking forward to it enormously!

I think there'll be a lot of clever folks, (yourself mainly, of course!! ) with (possibly tweaked) patch suggestions for non-listed tunes for the ''USER" section, or with neat usage tips for the HCSE who might be kind enough to share them with the rest of us. I really hope so.

I have questions, rather than tips to offer:- When the bypass switch, labelled "ECHO ON/OFF" is pressed, is it a 'True Bypass' or is the Meazzi Preamp Emulator still switched in, thus colouring the dry sound?
If it is true bypass; presumably leaving Echo ON, but dialling the echo signal right out would have the former effect of leaving just the 'Meazzi-d' dry signal, ready for external delay and modulation perhaps??
This might be rather a useful trick? Bet you've already tried it!

My second question concerns the non-listed tunes 'Guitar Tango' and 'Nivram'. Going by the patches on my four EFTP units, I'd be guessing on using the HCSE's preset P43 for Nivram; (the same as for Walk don't Run) - but I'd be very grateful for your suggestion for each of those tunes. Obviously I can't try this out until my unit arrives!

Thank you for all your help Charlie! You're an absolute star! You've helped all of us achieve the absolute pinnacle of Shadows echo emulations with this new unit, and it's a brand new, purpose designed and made item. Not reliant on backup batteries, and not able to be corrupted by inadvertent button pressing!
i hope you're beginning to relax a little now, and not having to hare up and down the Interstates to the Ramsgate factory too often!
A thousand thanks....... (repeat to fade ...........)

Kindest regards

Milko

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Milko,
I think sharing info like this could be a lot of fun.
The permutations of possible settings to include as patches could have been enormous but I believe we have managed to end up with a nice range of patches that are useable as is, and from there, patches for special requirements could be quite easily made.
The Echo On/Off switch simply turns off the echo part of the signal. The dry signal remains coloured regardless. The colouring is not really all that evident other than a slight reduction of bass (in a good way), but it does cause things to happen that might not have been quite the same without the emulation.
If it were true bypass, then the signal with echo off would not be altered in any way. With the Hall & Collins unit, the colouring happens before the signal goes to the echo, so the echo signal receives that colouring too. So turning the dry level down still leaves the echo signal coloured. The unit could be used in a recording mixer desk's effects send and return like this, where the dry signal is not needed. In that case, the dry signal will not pass through the unit, but the echo signal will have the Meazzi sound applied to it. Turning the Echo Level down and leaving the Dry Level up will give a basic Meazzi tone that could be used as it is to drive other effects units. I think the latter is what you meant?
Guitar Tango was of course played on acoustic guitar, so as the unit is echo only I deliberately left Guitar Tango off the list. However, using a modified version of the 36-24-36 patch (with the 4th head lowered in level) could work really well with electric guitar for that tune. The same or similar could work for Nivram with a lower amount of echo. I don't think P43 (a fast slap echo as far as I remember?) will work as well for either of these but always try a patch, even if only to eliminate it for a certain tune.
It's about 140 miles to the factory from where I live, so around a 280 mile round trip.
Regards,
Charlie

[milko]

Hi Charlie,
Thank you very much for your reply. Yes indeed; I think a sub-forum for tips tweaks and tricks for the Hall & Collins Signature Echo is a very good idea, and as you suggest, potentially great fun!
I'm going to copy and paste all posted, into a folder on my iPad for future reference.

The intel you gave in your reply is incredibly useful and sounds right on the button. This Brilliant-Burgundy-Box is going to be even cleverer than I first thought. Much cleverer.

The great thing for me is that if one ends up having self-created a poor sounding 'U'ser patch, it's easy to re-program, and the proper original 'P'reset still resides unmolested, and sacrosanct in the 'P' section. Joy for an inveterate button trier like myself!
I guess most of us have external FX, incl. reverb and tremolo, maybe on an amp, to use with the Meazzi coloured dry sound for experimentation. Great stuff!

Incidentally, I bet you and your car know that round trip to Ramsgate pretty well by now! Isn't the new system on the Dartford crossing quicker! Well at least on the way there!

Again Charlie, thanks for all this. You're a very ingenious chap! Probably worn out at the moment!

Kindest regards,

Milko