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Go Retro with Authentic “Elvis Slapback Echo” Effect
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Sun Studio’s distinctive slapback echo effect became a sonic trademark for artists like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Well over half-a-century later, that unmistakable effect evokes the roots of rockabilly and rock and roll.
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Part of this sound came from Elvis singing through two mics simultaneously on those early sessions. One carried the main vocal. The other went to an Ampex 350 tape recorder to provide the echo effect. Feeding a signal into the 350’s record head, and playing it back from the playback head, produced a delay around 133 - 135 ms with a 15 ips tape speed. The echo and main voice were then mixed together in real time (in mono, of course!) to a second Ampex 350.
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The preset, available here, uses two parallel Kramer Master Tape plugins to provide the tape sound. The settings are 15 ips, Repro, Normal bias (unless you prefer Over), Slap Off, and Low Pass set to 15 kHz (the 350’s nominal high-frequency response). The Record and Playback levels are linked so you can set the desired amount of tape distortion. Adjust the default Flux and Wow/Flutter settings to taste. After setting the levels, add noise if desired. A typical Ampex 350’s signal-to-noise ratio was -60 dB. To add to the vintage vibe, introduce some slight differences between the settings for the two Kramer Master Tape plugins.
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Although Kramer Master Tape includes a superb built-in tape slapback echo effect, it doesn’t sync to tempo, or offer delayed sound only. Following the Kramer Master Tape with an H-Delay allows using sync-to-tempo if the slapback delay time isn't too different from 135 ms, while preserving the Kramer’s tape sound.
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Because Kramer Master Tape creates the tape’s character, we don’t need any of the H-Delay’s features like Modulation, Filters, or the Analog control. All we need is 133-135 ms Delay, 0% Feedback, and 100% Wet signal.
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That completes the tape+echo-only path—so set up your mics and get ready to try the technique that will be forever associated with the incredible sound of Sun Studio. Now, you can bring that nuanced, saturated, authentic sound to your studio.
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