Blacet Time Machine - BBD Analog Delay

via this auction
"What is it??
This is a voltage-controlled BBD analog delay module, typically found inside a larger modular synthesizer setup. However the unit can also be used on it's own - but in either case it requires a +/-15v power supply, which is not included in this auction. The module is designed for to handle 10v AC audio signals, and to use up to 10 volts of DC for CV (control voltage) control of it's various parameters.

At its heart, this module is built around a 4096-stage, 1980's analog BBD (bucket-brigade delay) chip. This means analog delay. This means dirty, evolving echos, and haunting flanges & choruses. The famous modulated delays found in dub music are child's play for this module. With analog delay units, the pitch of the repeats changes when the delay time changes, which gives them a very different sound and feel from their digital counterparts, and is the main reason why they remain so popular in the modern, digital age.

Oh, if you are wondering, YES it can easily do the 'infinite wall of feedback building and building into pure insanity' thing, just crank up the 'Regen' knob and cover your ears.

OK then, but what makes it so special?

The Blacet Time Machine is considered one of the most powerful and desirable analog delay units of all time. There were between 200-250 made, and they were discontinued in the fall of 2005. Blacet has stated that they will never return to production. The issue is in the availability of the rare analog BBD chip inside the unit - they have not been manufactured since the 1980's, and the supply has simply become too limited to make building more units feasable. It is truly the end of an era. Time Machines always sell very quickly when they show up on the used market, and the price seems to climb a little bit every few months.

What makes this unit special compared to most analog delay units is the provision of CV (control voltage) inputs for EVERY PARAMETER. This creates a monster which can be fully controlled by other modules and voltage sources (including audio!) within your setup. On top of this, the unit includes a built in modulation LFO (with rate and depth controls - and of course the option to override it - or mix it - with an external modulation signal) and - now this is the special part - Blacet's peerless compander system.

What's a compander system? Well, the main problem with analog delays is NOISE. A bit of noise and grit is desirable in these units, and adds to their character. But extraneous levels of noise - and in particular clock noise, are not desirable effects at all. It is the 'bleeding' of clock noise (the clock is required to manage the timing of the BBD device, which thus controls the delay time) into the output signal that can be heard to some extent in just about every other analog delay unit out there. Clock Noise is the one big downfall to analog delay designs. Blacet has solved this with their wonderful compander system. In a nutshell, the input signal is compressed, sent through the BBD circuitry, and then expanded again, while being gently filtered to remove whatever clock noise still creeps in after the compander system. This also works to solve the other problem with analog delays, which is interfacing the limited signal range of the BBD device with the (typically much larger) signal ranges that are being used in your studio.

As a final, super cool extra bonus (in case there weren't enough features already jammed into this little monster!), both the modulation setting and the delay output have 'cancel' (and 'reset') inputs, which are often overlooked by many Time Machine owners, but are in my opinion a wonderful feature allowing the creation of gated and 'sequenced style' delay patterns in your music.

So what?

The result of all this is a dead quiet, ultra-powerful analog delay unit that makes no compromise in terms of onboard features, manual control or voltage control and automation. It's no wonder they are so famous and desirable.

And it's no wonder why it is breaking my heart to sell it. Believe me, these are truly excellent units, there's nothing out there like them at all. Feature lists can be read and compared all day long, ultimately it is all about the sound - and this is one area where the Time Machine blows away all expectations. No searching for the 'right setting' - no! Within about 5 seconds of plugging something into this module - YOU'LL KNOW. You really will. You'll just know, m'kay?

Details -

This started its life as one of the original units, a Revision 'A', and has subsequently been upgraded to Rev. B by John Blacet himself (see below). The unit was not originally factory built, but was built from kit by a good friend of mine who is a professional electrician, and a radio and amp geek. He is always soldering something, and his work is absolutely top-notch, as good as the Blacet factory. The unit is in EXCELLENT condition, has been kept lovingly under dustcovers in a smoke-free, cat-free, clean studio. The unit is FULLY FUNCTIONAL in every respect, and all pots are smooth and silent.

In the summer of 2007, the module was sent to John Blacet (my electrician friend has sadly moved away, and I have no soldering skills myself) to be upgraded to a Revision 'B' spec. John went over the entire module while it was in his hands, and made sure everything was solid - he commented to me that the quality of work was excellent, and that there was nothing at all to be concerned with. When the module was returned to me it had been upgraded to Rev. B and the one issue with the original design (raretimes crashing of the internal clock) has been successfully resolved.

This is a top-notch unit, and will bring many years of joy to its new owner."