Help me choose an appropriate reverb unit
-
- pushin' record
- Posts: 254
- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 8:28 am
Help me choose an appropriate reverb unit
Hi folks,
I'm shopping for a hardware reverb unit, I've been poking around the various "best reverb" threads. My issue is I'm not really sure what my budget should be. I have a small-ish collection of fairly nice gear...
-mics, peluso 2247, beyer ribbons, and a few studio work horses.
-pre's, drip Redd 47, telefunken v676
-out board, drip la2a, group DIY 2254, Gpultec
So, IMHO I have a pretty good bang for the buck signal chain but it's not like neuman or elam mics, DW Fearn pre's, Thermionic culture level of gear. So, I'd like to pick up a reverb unit that can "keep up" with the resy of the signal chain so to speak, if that makes sense.
I'm looking at...
On the under $500 side: Sony R7, Ibanez SDR 1000, various Lexicons, Roland SPX line.
On the under $1000 side: Eventide h3000, Roland R880, nicer lexicons.
So my question is, given the other gear I have, what units or pricerange would be appropriate? I'm ok with spending up to $1000, but I don't need the reverb to be my nicest piece I just don't want it to be the weakest link either.
Thanks!
I'm shopping for a hardware reverb unit, I've been poking around the various "best reverb" threads. My issue is I'm not really sure what my budget should be. I have a small-ish collection of fairly nice gear...
-mics, peluso 2247, beyer ribbons, and a few studio work horses.
-pre's, drip Redd 47, telefunken v676
-out board, drip la2a, group DIY 2254, Gpultec
So, IMHO I have a pretty good bang for the buck signal chain but it's not like neuman or elam mics, DW Fearn pre's, Thermionic culture level of gear. So, I'd like to pick up a reverb unit that can "keep up" with the resy of the signal chain so to speak, if that makes sense.
I'm looking at...
On the under $500 side: Sony R7, Ibanez SDR 1000, various Lexicons, Roland SPX line.
On the under $1000 side: Eventide h3000, Roland R880, nicer lexicons.
So my question is, given the other gear I have, what units or pricerange would be appropriate? I'm ok with spending up to $1000, but I don't need the reverb to be my nicest piece I just don't want it to be the weakest link either.
Thanks!
-
- steve albini likes it
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2003 10:57 am
- Location: Austin, TX
- Contact:
Are you recording with a DAW, or tape? If the former, I'd lean toward spring reverb. I have a few nice to decent digital reverbs, but even before I started DAW-ing, I almost always reached for my cheapo 80's Tascam spring reverb.
These days, a hardware digital reverb has to be pretty dang fancy to be preferable to all the great-sounding cheap to free reverb plugins out there. If you must go hardware, I would even consider putting a computer into service only as an fx unit. Even an old computer could be easily configured into an extremely versatile effect unit for a fraction of the cost of a fancy digital reverb. it likely could even sound decent using 1/8" adapters instead of a dedicated AD/DA interface.
All that being said, I really like the reverbs in the ensoniq dp4, and I think they go for about $300 used.
These days, a hardware digital reverb has to be pretty dang fancy to be preferable to all the great-sounding cheap to free reverb plugins out there. If you must go hardware, I would even consider putting a computer into service only as an fx unit. Even an old computer could be easily configured into an extremely versatile effect unit for a fraction of the cost of a fancy digital reverb. it likely could even sound decent using 1/8" adapters instead of a dedicated AD/DA interface.
All that being said, I really like the reverbs in the ensoniq dp4, and I think they go for about $300 used.
-
- zen recordist
- Posts: 7542
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:30 pm
- Location: Bloomington IL
- Contact:
I've heard a lot of good things about the Sony, I think Garges may have one (or three?). The H3000 is a great piece of gear, and there are a few cool reverbs in there, but I used it for other effects more often. I really love my TC M3000 and I'm pretty sure they are in the $1k or less range these days. The reverbs sound really nice and the interface is really easy to navigate. It has digital I/O if you're using a DAW with digital I/O.
- rhythm ranch
- mixes from purgatory
- Posts: 2793
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 8:45 pm
- Location: Corrales, NM
- farview
- tinnitus
- Posts: 1204
- Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2004 1:42 pm
- Location: St. Charles (chicago) IL
- Contact:
The cheaper TC electronics stuff sounds really good and is very clean.
The cheaper Lexicon stuff is pretty good, if you like Lexicon reverbs (I do).
If you are using a DAW, plugins are the way to go.
Lexicon makes a hardware unit that connects to your computer and can be inserted as a plugin in your DAW. That's a great idea, because you can use it as a hardware unit to give a singer some reverb in the phones and as a plugin during mixdown. But, unlike normal plugins, you can have multiple instances of it all working at once.
The cheaper Lexicon stuff is pretty good, if you like Lexicon reverbs (I do).
If you are using a DAW, plugins are the way to go.
Lexicon makes a hardware unit that connects to your computer and can be inserted as a plugin in your DAW. That's a great idea, because you can use it as a hardware unit to give a singer some reverb in the phones and as a plugin during mixdown. But, unlike normal plugins, you can have multiple instances of it all working at once.
-
- tinnitus
- Posts: 1135
- Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:19 am
- Location: beautiful Carlsbad, CA
- Contact:
-
- gettin' sounds
- Posts: 112
- Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:04 pm
- Location: NH
i don't think this will work for you but, best guitar chain reverb is the holy grail
review: http://yourband.info/index.php?q=holy-grail
review: http://yourband.info/index.php?q=holy-grail
http://www.yourband.info great site to promote your band or music.
-
- tinnitus
- Posts: 1135
- Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:19 am
- Location: beautiful Carlsbad, CA
- Contact:
It's done just like it was done in 1970. I use an analog recording console and all hardware outboard. I don't use a computer to record here. Everything is done as it was when I was a kid, the only difference is the recorder is digital now.jnorman34 wrote:jim - how do you go about monitoring the affected signal chain with older units like the LXP-1, and how do you render the final file with older hardware like that? do you have to burn a CD in realtime to an external CD burner?
To me, the convienience offered by computer recording/editing is offset by the sonics. I don't care about how easy it is, only the results.
Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades
Audio Upgrades
- Marc Alan Goodman
- george martin
- Posts: 1399
- Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2003 7:57 pm
- Location: NYC
- Contact:
I've gotta agree with that. There are cheaper hardware reverbs that I still really like (still can't replace my SPX90), and some of the older lex units that go slightly under a grand are still great (PCM series), but if I was working with a computer and had some plugins the first hardware reverb I would buy is a spring! I haven't heard digital get even close, and a good spring doesn't have to sound like a guitar amp. I really like my zerotronics.crow wrote:These days, a hardware digital reverb has to be pretty dang fancy to be preferable to all the great-sounding cheap to free reverb plugins out there.
-
- tinnitus
- Posts: 1135
- Joined: Sat Jun 03, 2006 8:19 am
- Location: beautiful Carlsbad, CA
- Contact:
Marty Kristol has re-released Blue Chopsticks in the K2B2 label in LA. It's all acoustic stuff.passnthru wrote:Jim,
I would love to hear some of your recordings in context with some of the gear you talk about on the boards. Would be an interesting exploration, I think. Any way or place you could give a link to?
Utmost respect,
JP
I finished my Blues Buzzards CD last Feb. but I don't have MP3 conversion here, I would probably have to send you a CD.
Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades
Audio Upgrades
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 182 guests