Marshall Time Modulator and the Marshall Tape Eliminator

"To my friends at Whatever Works:

I'm very pleased to announce that I've signed an agreement with the wife of the late Steven St. Croix to sell and service the Marshall Time Modulator and the Marshall Tape Eliminator.

Lots of engineers know these remarkable units, and I'll bet that some here bought their MTM decades ago. It certainly was a beloved piece of gear! Here's a brief history, and for those who don't know it, description of what the MTM does.

The MTM is an analog effects unit that Steve developed in the late 70's. It doesn't truly modulate time; you can't go back and buy Apple stock for $15. It does modulate and manipulate audio delay time, producing many unique and amazing effects. The input signal passes through two analog delay lines. The delay time is adjusted by manual control, a wide range LFO circuit, or (for most effects) a combination of the two. Dry and delayed signal are combined, with feedback added to taste.

This simplified description may sound quite dull, but the sounds produced by the MTM are utterly amazing. Effects include vibrato, positive flange, negative flange, cardboard tube echo, automatic double (and triple) tracking with pitch and delay dithering, resonant flange, circus vibrato, arpeggio, pitch quantizing, and many more. The MTM was used to create Darth Vader's voice in Star Wars, and was used on many hit records.

My understanding is that Steve developed the very first prototype in 1975, to win a bet. He brought it into a studio to try it out in session, and everyone was blown away. The AES Convention happened to be a few days away, and everyone encouraged Steve to produce a finished demo model and show it, which he did. His booth was mobbed at the AES and the Time Modulator instantly got lots of great press. Initial prototype runs were produced, with early batches going to Stevie Wonder and Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis. Wrestling with improvements and tweaks, it was another two years or so to before Steve went into production. But when the 5002 Time Modulator was finally released, it scored rave reviews in Studio Sound, REP, and Modern Recording, and sales took off.

The 5002 was followed by the 5402, which featured a new control set and greatly extended delay times. Steve also developed the AR-300 Tape Eliminator, which simulated delay at various tape "speeds". It included a tape-like EQ curve and natural sounding tape compression -- just like the boxes released today. Of course, he beat all the new guys to it, by 20 years or so!

It's worth repeating that these were analog boxes, totally free of quantization noise and other digital artifacts. The MTM had a signal to noise ratio of 95 db! This was an amazing and unheard of feat, that most modern gear still can't equal. Steve was a real perfectionist. Plug in a Time Modulator, turn the monitors all the way up and you hear...nothing. No background noise.

Mr. St. Croix also authored the Fast Lane column in Mix Magazine for 18 years. I understand that a book featuring some of the best columns is in the works. He proposed a device to make legible the "erased" Nixon tapes after Watergate, and later founded Intelligent Devices. I.D. produces hardware and software for forensic audio and law enforcement applications. The company has been very successful and is still active.

Steve was truly a renaissance man, surely a genius. This brief description barely scratches the surface of his accomplishments. I've copied over a thousand pages of original documentation, and will be adding extensive historical info about the man and these products to my site.

Steve's tech room contained a large number of Time Modulators and other products. We will be servicing and completing these units, offering both repaired units and brand new ones for sale. We intend to stock all the parts used in these models, and will be glad to service and calibrate these Marshall products to their original specs.

Steve created a 15 minute Time Modulator demo record, which was pressed on Evatone Sound Sheets. Last year I created an MP3 of this recording. Here's the link.

There's much more that I'd like to say about Mr. St. Croix and the amazing Time Modulators, but I wanted to keep this initial post on the short side. I'll do my best to answer any technical or historical questions. I'm very grateful to Steve's wife -- a very cool lady who is utterly dedicated to doing Steve's memory right -- for allowing me to help carry on the legacy for these amazing products."

Filing this one under effects. via the PSW Recording Forums where you will find more discussion.