Effects

Secunda

A 22 HP four-head tape delay with spring reverb, deep tape modeling, sound-on-sound looper, and phrase sampler.

What is a Secunda?

Secunda is a multi-head tape delay with deep analog-tape modeling, an integrated spring reverb, a sound-on-sound looper, and a phrase sampler - effectively four classic studio devices welded into one panel. It descends from the Roland RE-201 Space Echo, the Maestro Echoplex EP-3, and the Binson Echorec - tape-based echo machines that defined the sound of dub, surf, psychedelia, and ambient.

The thing that makes a multi-head tape delay different from a generic delay is the head pattern. A real tape echo had three or four read heads positioned at fixed distances along the tape path, all reading the same recording at different time offsets. Each head produces an echo at a different delay time, and the *interactions* between heads create rhythmic patterns within a single delay. Switch to triplet spacing or pitch-shifted heads and you get tonal/rhythmic textures no single-head delay can produce.

The other defining ingredient is tape character. Real tape adds: wow (slow pitch drift from inconsistent transport speed), flutter (fast pitch jitter from capstan irregularities), noise (tape hiss that compounds with each repeat), saturation (the magnetic medium compresses peaks softly), and dropouts (random momentary level cuts as the tape ages and oxide flakes). Together they're why a Space Echo sounds *alive* in a way that a clean digital delay never can. We model all of them under separate knobs.

And then there's the spring reverb parked at the end of the tail. A real RE-201 had a spring tank in the chassis - bouncy, splashy, characterful - that you could turn up to color the echoes. Secunda includes a software spring reverb on the same path, plus a send/return loop so you can insert *external* effects (a filter, a distortion, another reverb) into the feedback path for arbitrarily-flavored echoes.

Our Secunda

Secunda runs at native speed in the browser. Four playback heads with per-head level and feedback, three operating modes (echo, sound-on-sound, phrase sampler), three pan modes (mono, alternating, full stereo spread), and three spacing modes (even, triplet, pitch-shifted). Tape modeling is layered: Age, Wow & Flutter, Crinkle, Tone, and Low-Cut all shape the analog character independently.

The integrated spring reverb is on the tail rather than on the dry path - turn SPRING up and the echoes bloom into a spring tank without affecting the dry signal. The SEND/RTN insert places external Webrack effects into the feedback loop, which opens up patches no fixed-architecture pedal can do. CV inputs on Speed, Repeats, Mix, and Spring; gate inputs for CLK (sync), TAP (tap-tempo), INF (infinite hold), REV (reverse), and PSE (pause).

Honest status note: Secunda is functional and the architecture is solid, but several details (spring reverb tone, exact wow/flutter spectrum, pitch-shift artifacts) are still being tuned against the hardware references. The basic echo, looper, and tape-modeling behaviors work well; we're refining the more ornate features over time. 22 HP, the most ambitious effect module in the rack.

In a patch

Secunda fits anywhere a regular delay would, but its character pulls toward dub, ambient, and tape-style production. On vocals: low repeats, mid Age, high spring - instant Lee Perry Black Ark sound. On guitar: 4-head triplet spacing, mid feedback, light W&F - psychedelic surf. On drums: short head spacing with high feedback and infinite mode - dub echoes that lock into the beat.

The four clock outputs (C1-C4) match each head's timing, so you can sync drum machines or gate sequencers to the polyrhythmic head pattern. Patch C1 into a kick drum trigger and C3 into a hi-hat trigger and you have rhythm built from the delay itself rather than from a separate clock.

The SEND/RTN loop is where it gets weird. Insert a filter between SEND and RTN: each echo passes through the filter on its way back into the feedback path, so repeats darken or brighten progressively. Insert a distortion: each echo gets dirtier than the last. Insert another reverb: reverb-into-delay-into-reverb dub washes.

Inputs

IN L (audio) — Left audio input.
IN R (audio) — Right audio input. Mono sources patched only into IN L are processed in stereo.
RTN (audio) — FX loop return. Audio sent out the SEND output, processed through external effects, comes back in here and re-enters the feedback path.
Spd (cv) — CV modulation of delay speed/time.
Rpt (cv) — CV modulation of repeats/feedback amount.
Mix (cv) — CV modulation of dry/wet mix.
Spr (cv) — CV modulation of spring reverb amount.
CLK (gate) — External clock input. Locks delay times to a tempo - each rising edge defines the delay rate.
TAP (gate) — Tap tempo input. Tap (or pulse) twice to set delay time from the interval between pulses.
INF (gate) — Infinite gate. While high, feedback is locked at 100% and input is muted - the current loop content repeats forever.
REV (gate) — Reverse gate. While high, the tape playback heads run backwards.
PSE (gate) — Pause gate. While high, freezes tape transport (the tail stops moving).

Outputs

OUT L (audio) — Stereo wet-mix output, left.
OUT R (audio) — Stereo wet-mix output, right.
SEND (audio) — FX loop send. Patch through an external effect (filter, distortion, reverb, etc.) and back into RTN to shape what gets fed back.
C1 (gate) — Clock output aligned to head 1's position. Sync external rhythm modules to your delay timing.
C2 (gate) — Clock output aligned to head 2.
C3 (gate) — Clock output aligned to head 3.
C4 (gate) — Clock output aligned to head 4.

Controls

Speed — Tape speed / delay time, 0-1. Lower = longer delays; higher = shorter slap-back.
Rpts — Feedback amount, 0-1. 0 = single echo, 0.5 = several repeats, 0.8+ = self-oscillation.
RecLv — Tape record level. Lower for cleaner repeats, higher to push the tape into saturation.
Sprng — Spring reverb send amount. Adds the metallic, splashy color of an actual reverb tank to the tail.
Age — Tape aging - hiss, slight LF rolloff, head-bump coloration. 0 = pristine, 1 = thoroughly worn cassette.
W&F — Pitch wobble from tape transport irregularities. 0 = locked, higher values introduce gradual drift and faster flutter for sea-sick analog feel.
Crnkl — Random dropouts simulating physical tape damage. Adds character at low levels, glitchy artifacts at high.
LoCut — High-pass filter in the feedback path. Prevents bass buildup that muddies long delays.
Tone — Tape tone tilt. Lower = darker (vintage tape rolloff); higher = brighter (fresh tape).
Hd1 — Head 1 playback level, 0-1.
Hd2 — Head 2 playback level.
Hd3 — Head 3 playback level.
Hd4 — Head 4 playback level.
Mix — Dry/wet blend, 0-1.
Space — Head spacing pattern. 0 = even (rhythmic eighths-style echoes); 1 = uneven groupings; 2 = pitch-shifted heads (chord echoes).
Mode — Operating mode. 0 = Echo (classic delay), 1 = Sound-on-Sound (looper that builds layers), 2 = Phrase (capture and trigger phrases).
Pan — Stereo pan strategy. 0 = mono heads, 1 = ping-pong style alternation, 2 = full stereo spread across heads.
Fb1 — Feedback contribution from head 1. Toggle off to use a head only as a tap, not as part of feedback.
Fb2 — Feedback contribution from head 2.
Fb3 — Feedback contribution from head 3.
Fb4 — Feedback contribution from head 4.
Rev — Reverse playback toggle. Plays the tape buffer backwards.
Inf — Infinite hold toggle. Locks feedback at 100% and mutes input - the current loop repeats indefinitely.

Inspired by

The multi-head tape delay - made famous by the Roland RE-201, the Binson Echorec, and the Maestro Echoplex - is the parent of every modern delay effect. Multiple read heads at fixed intervals create rhythmic patterns within a single echo; the tape itself adds wow, flutter, age, and saturation that nobody fully replaced with digital lines. Secunda models all of that and adds sound-on-sound looping, send/return for external feedback processing, and four phase-aligned clock outputs.

Roland RE-201 Space Echo
Echoplex EP-3
Binson Echorec
Make Noise Mimeophon

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