Echo Cat

Name: Echo Cat
Price: 79 USD
Author: Wavesfactory

by Wavesfactory · Delay · Tape echo (Copicat-style)

vst3s Score 8.2/10 · rated #8 of 10 delays

Echo Cat models the WEM Copicat tape echo from the 1960s, with three playback heads, a tape loop, drive and runaway self-oscillation.

It adds modern features the hardware never had: tempo sync, ducking, mid/side control, feedback filters and LFO-modulated varispeed.

Best for: Guitars, Vocals, Keys & Synths, Drums. Genres: Rock & Indie, Pop, Electronic & EDM, Lo-Fi.

Keywords: tape, tape echo, hardware emulation, ducking, modern, drums, mid/side, samples & loops, tempo-synced, vocals, dub, electric guitar, keys, synths, 50s, 60s, dreamy, flutter, mixing, multi-tap, slapback, wobble.

What it does

Echo Cat is Wavesfactory's emulation of the Copicat tape delay, invented in 1958 by Charlie Watkins and used by The Shadows and Pink Floyd. It combines modelling of the original unit with Wavesfactory's tape simulation, "Retaining the original sound and offering modern features."

Three heads: each playback head has tempo-synced or free timing in milliseconds, plus volume, pan and low-pass/high-pass filters.
Tape section: mono or stereo hiss, wow and flutter, tape age with asperity noise and erasures, signal loss, and a Loop Gap control that mimics the tape joint.
Motor: hum and varispeed, with an LFO to modulate the varispeed.
Master: ducking of the full stereo or only the mid channel, filters outside the feedback loop, separate mid and side levels, and mono, stereo or fake-stereo output.
Sustain: push it to 100% for the Copicat's self-oscillation.

Source: Wavesfactory product page

When to use it

Echo Cat is the one to pick for the Copicat's particular sound, with multi-head control and ducking that make it practical on modern mixes. Where Universal Audio's Galaxy Tape Echo and Arturia Delay TAPE-201 model the Roland Space Echo, it models the Copicat, and where Soundtoys EchoBoy covers many echo units in one plugin, it focuses on that one.

Best for: guitar slapback and multi-tap echoes, vocal throws, dub-style feedback on drums, and dreamy textures on keys and synths.
Genres: rock, indie, surf, pop, dub and electronic.
Look elsewhere if: you want many delay characters in one place, where EchoBoy covers more ground, or a clean digital delay.
Standout: three individually controllable heads plus ducking on a faithful tape-echo model.

What producers say

Sound On Sound rated it very highly and saw it as more than an emulation.

Sound On Sound (2021) Sam Inglis said that when you crank the Sustain, "the runaway feedback has exactly the right tone and feel," and that "Echo Cat is thus much more than a Copicat emulation."
Gripe: the same review noted the dry signal is tapped before the preamp emulation, which is less authentic at wet/dry settings below 100%.