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  • December 18, 2008 at 8:24 pm #77399
    Fender&EHX4ever
    Moderator

    Anyone else have any experiences with this historic gem?

    Interesting article I just found: http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2008/08/07/the-art-of-sampling-part-2/

    Check out the timeline. It gives credit to electro-harmonix for The 1980’s pioneering development of sampling technology, but calls the sounds “grubby” 😆

    Stewart Copeland used one: http://www.infinitedensity.net/music/copeland/

    A pic of mine:

    2194469808_6b8510d485_o.jpg

    My own description of the Instant Replay:

    The Instant Replay is a 1980 one second 8-bit monophonic lofi sampler – one of the first ever produced for the mass market, and designed by David Cockerell (Chief Design Engineer who designed the Small Stone, MicroSynth, 16 Sec Delay, 2880, POG, HOG, Stereo Electric Mistress, and the SMMH).

    It has a 1/4″ input jack for any audio source, and a 1/4″ output jack. It can be triggered by just about anything that sends a voltage pulse into another 1/4″ jack – a guitar, a microphone, or the trigger pad that comes with it. The controls allow you to set the gain of the audio source input, the sensitivity of the trigger, and the speed/pitch of the sample. There is also a slide switch for infinite repeat of the sample. The momentary switch/button puts the IR into record mode. What’s great about the IR is that is knows when the audio source has begun, and starts to record on its own; so you don’t have to time the switch with the beginning of your audio source.

    I like to use a pair of complimentary airline headphones as a snare drum trigger, or plug my guitar into it and turn my guitar into a drum trigger.

    I’ve used everything from my voice, to guitar noise, to percussion, to Hammerhead userbanks as audio sources for the samples. It’s a fun way to make my drums sound like the 1980s.

    More resources about the Instant Replay:

    http://filters.muziq.be/model/eh/instantreplay
    http://www.fmogearshop.com/store/product.php?productid=31&cat=3&page=1
    http://books.google.com/books?id=myP-4CZWyxcC&pg=PT154&lpg=PT154&dq=harmonix+instant+replay&source=web&ots=lhpSwbhaaj&sig=RxIOL9IJnANdYP8QeR22O6tu7nQ
    http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/stompbox-stampede/jan-00/6284

    December 18, 2008 at 8:27 pm #89154
    The EH Man
    Moderator

    I think you’ve pretty much said it all. Now get yourself a Super Replay.

    December 19, 2008 at 4:22 am #89174
    Fender&EHX4ever
    Moderator
    Quote:
    I think you’ve pretty much said it all. Now get yourself a Super Replay.

    I’ve yet to see one on eBay. They must be rare as hens’ teeth.

    December 21, 2008 at 2:24 am #89338
    danieldanger
    Participant

    2824244158_8f78b2c3d2_o.jpg

    my super replay. defiantly a unique pedal. get a little creative with it and you can get some really bizarre textures. i hadnt seen one before, i havent seen one since. picked it up in a shop somewhere between seattle and portland while doing some shows. got the superfuzz from the same store, among a few other things (70’s soul preacher and a 70s lil big muff). that was an expensive day. woo!

    December 16, 2009 at 5:43 pm #105447
    jwt0bos
    Member

    I had one in my drum set and it was used for lots of special effects and as a straight sampler. I would throw headphones on between songs and load the next sound off a cassette deck. Sometimes I had to load a loop and try to get a good loop point while the singer was talking. But it sure did open up my palette of sounds.

    May 8, 2010 at 12:40 am #104518
    inputmodule
    Member

    the thing about Super Replay’s that people fail to mention is that it was the 1st affordable digital sampler easily usable in a performance setting. Pushing the ‘hold’ button on a Deltalab Effectron and pitching it was cool( actually extremely fuckin cool), but the CV/gate input on the super meant you could trigger AND change pitch of the sample using available analog mono synths (Sequential’s pro-one was perfect). This thing was not a toy like the instant replay- it was (and still is) a monster lo res bit cruncher that can go from extremely punchy short samples to slowed/pitched down loops that sound like the signal is bouncing off Pluto. The next affordable development was Ensoniq’s Mirage- which was cool, but not an easy floor box that you could plug anything into and get instant freaky loops. another cool thing is that since you have no idea how long the original loop timing is set for, it’ll cut off abruptly on the main loop, but the overdubs just flow smoothly above it. I still use the Super in front of other loopers, to make wierd slowed down loops before going into an EDP or DL4.

    May 8, 2010 at 8:55 pm #104432
    Fender&EHX4ever
    Moderator
    Quote:
    I think you’ve pretty much said it all. Now get yourself a Super Replay.

    I finally picked one up a few weeks ago for a reasonable price :D

    Very cool box.

    I like to use it to sample quick hooks from the EHX Mini Synth, then trigger it through the CV input to the bass output of my DRM 32. :metal:

    electro_harmonix_minisynth.png

    DRM-32-big.jpg

    May 8, 2010 at 9:02 pm #104430
    Mr.Grim
    Member

    YOU BASTARD! :angry: just joking, im a bit jealous

    May 8, 2010 at 9:56 pm #104431
    inputmodule
    Member

    love this thread! and speaking of mini synths… mine still works (and kills bugs dead), but the membrane keyboard is dying.
    Anyone have an idea of how to interface an external keyboard to it? it’d be kinda nice to have an actual keyboard, so you could use it without all the inherent weird fuckups. not that inherent weird fuckups aren’t cool too. whoever had mine before i got it (1984ish?) scratched the anarchy symbol repeatedly into the black part of the keyboard. haha, punkrock mini synth!- i’ll have to post a pic

    May 8, 2010 at 10:03 pm #104427
    Mr.Grim
    Member

    hay inputmodule, watch this video, its of a man who refinished his micro-synth and rebuilt the keyboard, so it may help, its also just a cool demo featuring a certain Pink Floyd song.

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