AMS DMX 15-80S

The AMS DMX 15-80S is a microprocessor-controlled programmable digital delay/harmoniing unit released in 1980 by Advanced Music Systems (Burnley). It had both stereo inputs and outputs - fundamentally the stereo version of the original AMS DMX 15-80 digital delay. Delays-wise, it creates two separate delay channels which can be independently controlled. Apart from just being a digital delay, the DMX also had a pitch shifting (harmonising) function and later the Loop Editing System function (to allow for digital sampling).

The DMX 15-80S was used heavily by Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, alongside the AMS RMX-16 digital reverb. A DMX 15-80S was also present at Genesis' The Farm.

Phil Collins' AMS DMX 15-80S
Phil Collins has had an AMS DMX 15-80S delay (alongside an AMS RMX-16) since the mid-1980s, which he used a lot for demoing work.

Hugh Padgham used this delay a lot on Phil's Hello, I Must Be Going and No Jacket Required albums, especially on Phil's voice for a mono delay slap/chorus effect. Beforehand, he used an Eventide Harmonizer but probably preferred the AMS as it was less glitchy.

Quotes on the AMS DMX 15-80S
"'What's so wonderful about using an A.M.S. is you do get out exactly what you put in. On [No Jacket Required] most of the vocals employ the 15-80S with a 1.007 pitch change and an 11 or 12 millisecond delay - it's clean and it really suits his voice. The unit is brilliant for turning something mono into a big fat stereo sound. Again with reference to the No Jacket Required album we took the Earth Wind and Fire horn section and placed the original sound in the centre and the two outputs of the DMX 15-80S panned left and right. You end up with a really fat sound with the same quality of sound in the centre and on the right and left - you can't do that with any other system. I must admit, it is horses for courses and I can still find uses for tape delay when even analog degeneration can be appealing.' (Hugh Padgham, AMS interview)"

Peter Gabriel's AMS DMX 15-80S
Peter Gabriel's first experience of using AMS units was during the making of Peter Gabriel 3 (a.k.a. "Melt) album at The Townhouse, which had an DMX-15-80 unit. Peter himself later got one for himself, as well as a DMX 15-80S (received in late 1981 with the Loop Editing System, to allow sampling) and RMX-16 reverb.

The AMS's were a vital component of Peter's sound throughout the 1980s. The DMX-1580S in particular was useful to him in processing synthesizers vocals. He preferred to use the effects returns from the AMS equipment, resulting in a richness compared to the original input signals. Sometimes he'd use the AMS effects during the recording stage, and this would stimulate the musicians to respond to the processed sound, which - according to Peter - would be part of the chemistry of their performance.

In July 1985, during the making of So, Peter received another DMX 15-80S modified with 14 seconds of sampling capacity. This enabled him and the production team to sample a few bars of something and fly it in on a track. For example, the drums on "Big Time" were sampled and looped using this AMS unit. Another example of the AMS sampling is the "Sledgehammer" chorus part, where producer Dan Lanois sampled the word "sledgehammer" and truncated it to create a robotic effect.