Echoes T7E mkII

Name: Echoes T7E mkII
Price: 65 USD
Author: Audiority

by Audiority · Delay · Binson Echorec drum echo model

Not rated yet

Echoes T7E mkII recreates the Binson Echorec T7E, the early-60s Italian tube echo that uses a magnetic drum with four playback heads.

It offers 12 head combinations, per-head tone and pan, a delay extension up to 11 seconds and a preamp mode, for $69.

Best for: Guitars, Vocals, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Rock & Indie, Ambient & Cinematic, Lo-Fi.

Keywords: drums, 60s, tube, classic, hardware emulation, vocals, electric guitar, keys, rhythmic, vintage, inspired by, mixing, sound design, warm, wide.

What it does

Echoes T7E mkII is Audiority's "faithful recreation" of the Binson Echorec T7E, the Italian tube echo of the early 1960s. Instead of tape, the original recorded onto a spinning magnetic drum with heads around its edge, which made it more stable than tape echoes.

Four heads: four equally spaced playback heads with 12 possible combinations, and a head switching matrix in the style of the PE 603.
Echo modes: Echo, Repeat and Swell; Swell builds the dense, reverb-like repeats the Echorec is known for.
Playback modes: Classic, Varispeed for pitch-bending speed changes, and Sync to lock to the host tempo.
Per-head control: tone, error, volume and pan on each head, plus stereo spread and a heads pan law setting.
Drum character: magnetic drum age and speed controls, internal hum and an input tube low cut.
Delay range: delay extension from 0 ms up to about 11 seconds, well beyond the hardware.
Extras: preamp mode, output booster, speed filter, an EM81 'magic eye' level indicator and a Lite mode.

Version 2.3 (September 2024) is a framework update with better interface contrast and automation handling. A demo is available; in demo mode the plugin outputs 3 seconds of silence every minute.

Source: Audiority product page

When to use it

Echoes T7E mkII is the pick for the Echorec sound associated with early Pink Floyd: rhythmic multi-head patterns and swelling repeats. Compared with EchoBoy, it models one device in depth rather than dozens, so it is far less versatile but closer to that specific sound. Unlike Galaxy Tape Echo and Echo Cat, which model tape echoes, it recreates a drum echo, with steadier timing and a darker tube tone. Its per-head tone, error and pan controls give more detail over the head pattern than most multi-head delays.

Best for: rhythmic multi-head echoes and psychedelic swells on guitars, keys and vocals.
Genres: classic rock, psychedelic, dub, ambient and experimental music.
Look elsewhere if: you want a clean, precise or modern delay with filters and modulation; Timeless 3 or EchoBoy fit better.
Tip: push the feedback towards self-oscillation for evolving textures, and EQ the output if the dark tone gets lost in a dense mix.

What producers say

Users treat it as one of the best Echorec emulations; the main reservations are its niche scope and CPU use.

KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from 5 reviews; one said "no software comes closer to the real thing", another called it the best of three Echorec-style plugins.
Pluginoise called it a vintage delay lover's dream, praising its warm character, head combinations, Varispeed and preamp mode.
Criticisms: a dark, murky sound that may need EQ in dense mixes and less versatility than EchoBoy (Pluginoise); higher CPU use and, in 2021, no scalable GUI (KVR users).

Where to buy

Plugin Boutique: $65
Audiority: $69

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

Echorec by Pulsar Audio · Magnetic drum echo · $49
ERS EchORek2 by DDMF · Binson Echorec 2 delay model · $49
Blue Tubes Oilcan Echo TLE2S by Nomad Factory · Oilcan echo emulation · $9
Repeater by D16 Group · Vintage delay modeler · $99
Echoes by Nomad Factory · Vintage tape echo emulation · $24.99
Galaxy Tape Echo by Universal Audio · Tape echo · $29
PlexiTape by Audiority · Echoplex EP-3 tape echo model · $65
Tube Delay by Softube · Tube delay · $89
ECHO B2 by GSi · Binson Echorec magnetic drum echo · $34.07
Gem ECHOSON by Overloud · Magnetic drum delay · $99

All delays