The Binson Echorec is an echo machine produced by Italian (

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

) company

Binson The Binson Echorec is an echo machine produced by Italian (Milan) company Binson founded by Dr. Bonfiglio Bini, an early manufacturer of such devices. Unlike most other analog echo machines, they used an analog magnetic drum recorder instead o ...

founded by Dr. Bonfiglio Bini, an early manufacturer of such devices. Unlike most other

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

echo machines, they used an analog magnetic drum recorder instead of a

tape loop In music, tape loops are loops of magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound when played on a tape recorder. Originating in the 1940s with the work of Pierre Schaeffer, they were used among cont ...

. After using Meazzi Echomatic machines successfully to establish his signature sound,

Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

began using Binson echoes. He used various Binson units on record and stage for much of the mid-to-late 1960s, in conjunction with

Vox AC30 The Vox AC30 is a guitar amplifier manufactured by Vox. It was introduced in 1958 to meet the growing demand for louder amplifiers. Characterised by its "jangly" high-end sound it has become widely recognized by British musicians and others, su ...

amplifiers and

Burns London Burns Guitars London is an English manufacturer of electric guitars and bass guitars, founded by Alice Louise Farrell (1908–1993) and James Ormston (Jim) Burns (1925–1998) in 1959. The company was first named "Burns-Weill", then renamed "Or ...

guitars. Marvin continued to use Binsons until c.1979/1980, when he began using the

Roland RE-201 The Roland RE-201, commonly known as the Space Echo, is an audio effects unit that produces delay and reverb effects. It was produced by the Roland Corporation from 1974 to 1990. Background A tape echo device records incoming audio to a loop o ...

echo. Binson units were used to great effect by Pink Floyd's original frontman Syd Barrett and then guitarist David Gilmour, but also by keyboardist Richard Wright. The classic Binson delay effect can be heard on songs such as "

Interstellar Overdrive "Interstellar Overdrive" is an instrumental composition written and performed by Pink Floyd. The song was written in 1966 and is on their 1967 debut album, '' The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'', clocking in at almost ten minutes in length. The so ...

", " Astronomy Domine", "

Shine On You Crazy Diamond "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright. It appeared on Pink Floyd's 1975 concept album ''Wish You Were Here''. The song is written about and dedicated to Syd B ...

" and "

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

". Engineer

Andy Johns Jeremy Andrew "Andy" Johns (20 May 1950 – 7 April 2013) was a British sound engineer and record producer who worked on several well-known rock albums, including the Rolling Stones' '' Exile on Main St.'' (1972), Television's '' Marquee Moon'' ...

used a Binson echo unit on

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...

's drums in "

When the Levee Breaks "When the Levee Breaks" is a country blues song written and first recorded by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929. The lyrics reflect experiences during the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. "When the Levee Bre ...

." Binson echo units were also used by

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

, and more recently by Tarantula Hawk.

Jon Courtney Jon Courtney is a British singer, guitarist, and keyboard player, of the rock band Pure Reason Revolution. He was also the sole songwriter (except " The Bright Ambassadors of Morning" credited to Courtney/Jong) on their first two albums. Out ...

of British nu-prog band

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is also a frequent user of the Binson units. In Pink Floyd's 23-minute-long song " Echoes", Roger Waters used a Binson Echorec to create the eerie underwater wind noise heard during the first interlude (10:40-15:02 on studio recordings, underneath the screaming seabird cries produced by Gilmour); he vibrated the strings of his bass guitar with a steel slide and fed the sound through the Echorec. Waters reproduced this sound during live performances. " One of These Days", a song written in the same period as "Echoes", features the effect prominently on the bass part that plays throughout the song. The Binson Echorec was a major part of the early Pink Floyd sound, until they started to use the VCS3 synthesizer in 1972.Prendergast 2003, pp. 260 Pink Floyd's Binson Echorec Baby was displayed at the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

as part of the 2017 ''

Their Mortal Remains ''Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains'' is a touring exhibition of the history of the British rock band Pink Floyd, opening on 13 May 2017 (with a museum members' Private view, preview on 12 May) at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Engl ...

'' exhibition.

References

Bibliography

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20120317084352/http://binsonamoremio.altervista.org/ * http://binson-museum.weebly.com/ * http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/binson_echorec_2_t7e.html Sound recording technology Effects units Pink Floyd {{tech-company-stub

See also

References

Bibliography

External links