Lexicon (company)
Encyclopedia
Lexicon is an American audio equipment manufacturing company founded in 1971 and owned by Harman International Industries
Harman International Industries
Harman International Industries is an American-based international audio and infotainment equipment company. The company designs, manufactures and markets audio and infotainment products for the car, the home, theatres and venues, as well as electronics for audio professionals...

. Lexicon's roots began in 1969 with the founding of American Data Sciences by MIT professor Dr. Francis Lee and engineer Chuck Bagnaschi who developed digital audio devices for medical heart monitoring.

Professional audio equipment

Lexicon is held in extremely high regard in studios around the world as a manufacturer of effects units and other audio processing equipment, in particular digital reverb/reverberation units. The company was among the first to produce commercially available digital reverb equipment, beginning in 1978 with the Model 224. In 1986, Lexicon released the 480L (costing more than some cars), a successor of the 224XL. By this time they had built a reputation for realistic and controllable simulations of the audio response characteristics of spaces including rooms and concert halls, as well as providing high quality tools for the virtual creation of 'unrealistic' audio spaces, and other audio effects processing and manipulations. The 224XL and 480L are heard on thousands of songs and movies throughout the 1980s and '90s.

The PCM series was introduced as a smaller, more economical way to enjoy the Lexicon sound, particularly in live situations where the 480L was too cumbersome for a rack rider. First in the series was PCM60 released in 1984, followed a few years later by the Lexicon PCM-70, the latter adding multi-effects and a digital screen interface. David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...

 from Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

 used a Lexicon PCM-70 to store the circular delay sounds in songs such as Shine on you Crazy Diamond
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and David Gilmour. The song is a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, although it was not originally explicitly written with him in mind. It was first performed on their 1974 French...

and Time
Time (Pink Floyd song)
"Time" is the fourth track from English progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, and the only song on the album credited to all four members of the band...

in the 1994 The Division Bell Tour
The Division Bell tour
The Division Bell Tour was a concert tour by British rock band Pink Floyd in 1994 to support their album The Division Bell. In 1995 the band released the live album Pulse to commemorate the tour, which would turn out to be the final Pink Floyd tour, although members of the band have continued to...

.

In the 1990s Lexicon continued to refine the PCM series with two new units, the Lexicon PCM-80 multi-effects unit and Lexicon PCM-90 digital reverberator, to replace the PCM70. They also introduced the consumer-level LXP series including the LXP-1, LXP-5, LXP-15 and the LXP-15II. Later, Lexicon would introduce the MPX range that was affordable enough for most all home recording enthusiasts.

Lexicon was a pioneer in the hard disk recording market, introducing the Opus system in 1988. This system feature 8 channels of disk I/O along with an integrated 12 channel digital mixer. In the following years, Opus was upgraded with EQ and console automation. In the mid 1990s Lexicon Studio and Core2 audio interfaces were introduced. They were notable in that they could be expanded with a Lexicon reverb daughterboard that was then accessible to the recording software.

In 2001, Lexicon released the high end 960L multi-effects unit with the LARC2 remote control device, a long-awaited successor to the famed 480L with LARC multi-effects unit.

In 2003, Lexicon's professional operations were relocated to the Salt Lake City area. Since then, they have introduced several I/O products for desktop recording (Omega, Lambda, and Alpha, along with the recently-introduced IOnix series). A new low-priced reverb series, the MX series was also introduced.

Most recently, Lexicon has refreshed continuation of the PCM series with new mid-level units, PCM96, PCM96 Surround, and PCM92 multi-effects processors.

Lexicon's latest reverb processors include "Hardware Plug-In" technology to further integrate their hardware with computer recording systems (DAW
Digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...

s). This provides the benefit of total recall and automation, while avoiding the risk of software piracy (common to native plugins).

Electroacoustic enhancement

In 1988, Lexicon developed LARES
LARES
LARES is an electronic sound enhancement system that uses microprocessors to control multiple loudspeakers and microphones placed around a performance space for the purpose of providing active acoustic treatment. LARES was invented in Massachusetts in 1988, by engineers working at Lexicon,...

, an electronic processing system intended to give performance spaces a tailored acoustic experience. LARES uses microphones to pick up sound, central processing units to apply time-variant anti-feedback, delay and reverberation algorithms, and banks of loudspeakers to bring the enhanced audio signal back into the performance space. LARES Associates split away
Spin out
A spin-out, also known as a spin-off or a starburst, refers to a type of corporate action where a company "splits off" sections of itself as a separate business....

 from Lexicon in 1995. Lexicon continues to benefit from its initial LARES research and development with the company offering a scaled-down and simplified microprocessor controller, the MC-12, intended for auditory enhancement within home and professional listening spaces. The system is called Lexicon LIVE.

Home theater equipment

Lexicon's first foray into home theater equipment was with its surround processor, the CP-1. Later, a CP-2 was released, followed by the CP-3 and the CP-3+. The CP-3/CP-3+ were the first of its home theater products to be THX
THX
THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. The current THX was created in 2001 when it spun off from Lucasfilm Ltd...

 certified.

With the arrival of Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...

, the CP line had to be discontinued. It was replaced with the DC line, namely the DC-1 [1996] and the DC-2. It was at this point that the company introduced its revolutionary surround processing algorithm Logic 7. Logic 7 was notable for generating a convincing soundfield from seven loudspeakers when presented with either a stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...

 or 5.1 input.

After a while, Lexicon added the MC-1 to its lineup of the DC-1 and DC-2, and the MC-1 became its new flagship.

A few years later, Lexicon introduced the MC-12 and the MC-12b. The MC-12b was in all respects identical to the MC-12 except that it had balanced outputs
Balanced audio
Balanced audio is a method of interconnecting audio equipment using impedance-balanced lines. This type of connection is very important in sound recording and production because it allows for the use of long cables while reducing susceptibility to external noise.Balanced connections use...

 in addition to the standard unbalanced ones. Shortly after this, Lexicon filled in the lower end of its product line by providing an MC-8 and an MC-4. They also produced a receiver, the RV-8.

In addition to surround processors, Lexicon also sells the LX and CX multi-channel home theater amplifiers and the RT-20 DVD player. Its discontinued NT line of amplifiers were rebadged Bryston amplifiers.

Logic 7 Car Audio systems used in

  • Rolls-Royce Phantom
    Rolls-Royce Phantom
    Rolls-Royce has used the Phantom name on luxury cars over the past century:* Rolls-Royce Phantom I, 1925–1931* Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 1929–1936* Rolls-Royce Phantom III, 1936–1939* Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, 1950–1959...

  • Hyundai Genesis
    Hyundai Genesis
    The Hyundai Genesis is a full-size luxury car initially introduced as a concept car in the 2007 New York International Auto Show. Hyundai has introduced the vehicle worldwide, known internally as the BH model, and markets the Genesis as a "premium sports sedan". The Genesis is currently not...

  • Hyundai Equus
    Hyundai Equus
    The Hyundai Equus , known as the Hyundai Centennial in the Middle East, is an upscale full-size luxury car that serves as the flagship model of Hyundai Motor Company worldwide, named after the Latin word for "horse". The Hyundai Equus is the largest and most expensive sedan in the company's lineup...

  • BMW 7-Series

Lexicon BD-30 (Oppo BDP-83 Clone & THX Certification) Controversy

It was discovered in an Audioholics.com review on January 15, 2010 that Lexicon's BD-30 Blu-ray player (retail price $3500) contained internal components and chassis identical to the Oppo BDP-83 (retail price $500) and audiovisual testing indicated no changes were made in performance either. Furthermore, it appears that this player was given THX certification (the first Blu-ray player with this distinction), despite failing fundamental THX tests. Currently, evidence of its certification has largely disappeared from the THX website after this was revealed.

External links

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