Bricasti M7 reverb, a quick rant...

[joel hamilton]

I have been looking for a new verb to compliment/replace my old standby's that I have been using for years now.. a fully upgraded Lex 224XL, and my old TC2000 that I seem to go to for certain things over and over again. I am in the middle of mixing a new record for Jolie Holland, on ANTI records. She has a very natural, unfetered type of sound for the most part... something where it should sound like a space and not like a "reverb box" type of ambience... I knew the TC wouldnt do it, and the Lex worked on a few tracks, but overall I have been using the Bricasti M7 that we got not long ago.

Wow.

There is a clarity to the verb that is refreshing, and shocking at first. This is a "turn it up" type of reverb unit, rather than a "turn it down until you dont get busted for verb" type of box. The clear, clean width and depth of some of the ambience patches really shocked me right off the bat. Just incredible for adding a gleam to the overall sound of the mix, without long tails. conversely, the rooms and chambers are stunning, and simply sound like consistent, musical "spaces" to place all the elements at will with all the other techniques when mixing.
The tracking for this record was done in a variety of spaces, from very live to very dead, with a variety of gear... from Mbox to 16 track 2" and everything in between. I knew from the demos that I would be needing to really craft some consistent "space" for these mixes. These disparate elements needed to all feel simple, and elegant, an I knew that the ambience was going to be crucial.

The Bricasti is delivering what i need. The box is simple, and sounds amazing. I have been using a combination of the bricasti, and a custom peavey valverb with a fender twin verb xformer on the output for everything. The vocal verb is a combination of the bricasti and the peavey valverb spring, sometimes with a touch of tape echo (echoplex or korg stage echo in this case) just as predelay for the spring. The combo has been incredible for subtle space creation.

Anyway, The Bricasti is amazing, and if you are in the market for a high quality verb unit this thing is top notch.
I mix OTB, so this thing works right into my workflow, but even if I mixed ITB, I would just use this unit digitally, as it is just light years ahead of any verb plug I have ever heard.

[johnny7]

$3700 is a tad out of my reach.
Maybe I'll hawk the dog...

[JohnDavisNYC]

i heard this thing at g the other day. it is amazing. the top end of cymbals and sibilants don't send waves of 10khz skittering across the soundfield.

a lot of money.

but if you are in that range, worth it, it seemed to me.

maybe i only need one kidney...

john

[rwc]

I mix OTB, so this thing works right into my workflow, but even if I mixed ITB, I would just use this unit digitally, as it is just light years ahead of any verb plug I have ever heard.

even compared to logic's space designer?

That's what I'm stuck with at the moment..

[scott macdonald]

Yay! New Jolie Holland record!

[Jim Williams]

I sold my lovingly restored, hot-rodded to hell Lexicon 224XL (timing circuits, converter mods, etc.) after I heard the M7. I am doing a fare bit of live stuff and it fits the bill as a room simulator, able to transform a boxy club into a nice sounding space. The 224 with it's pitch modulation had a harder time at that than for the standard pop vocal effect. I can still do the 224 emulation with the M7's adjustable modulation controls. I still have other high end classic Lexicon stuff if I want that pop vocal effect, but that M7 is another world.
My 224XL sold for over $13,000 new, the M7 at $3600 is a true bargain, how many top-o-line processors done to this level of quality can you find for a reasonable price?

There's a new sheriff in town.

[joel hamilton]

I sold my lovingly restored, hot-rodded to hell Lexicon 224XL (timing circuits, converter mods, etc.) after I heard the M7. I am doing a fare bit of live stuff and it fits the bill as a room simulator, able to transform a boxy club into a nice sounding space. The 224 with it's pitch modulation had a harder time at that than for the standard pop vocal effect. I can still do the 224 emulation with the M7's adjustable modulation controls. I still have other high end classic Lexicon stuff if I want that pop vocal effect, but that M7 is another world.
My 224XL sold for over $13,000 new, the M7 at $3600 is a true bargain, how many top-o-line processors done to this level of quality can you find for a reasonable price?

There's a new sheriff in town.

I had actually read one of your posts before about this, and it was part of the decision. I needed something to do the clean, clear, "focused" verb sound, and the Bricasti does it well. Combining the M7 with the 224XL is the way to go... couple that with a spring and some tape echo and you can really craft some nice depth and space around all the elements in a mix. Or I can just use the bricasti for a little room or chamber type of sound. Something I didnt expect is how much I like the sound of the M7 on a vocal, turned way down, just to sort of "twist" the recorded sound into something I want and THEN go after the vocal with other mix methods... the edge on the bricasti stays real and clear and nice quiet or loud.

[Sean Sullivan]

Man, I use D-Verb because I'm too cheap to buy TL Space for $100 on eBay...

...I'm excited to hear the new Jolie Holland record. Most female vocalist I prefer when they are with a full band (Cat Power, Edith Frost for example) but Jolie has such an amazing voice and lyrics that just her and a simple arrangement is enough to keep my attention.

[cgarges]

Damn you guys!

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[joel hamilton]

Man, I use D-Verb because I'm too cheap to buy TL Space for $100 on eBay...

...I'm excited to hear the new Jolie Holland record. Most female vocalist I prefer when they are with a full band (Cat Power, Edith Frost for example) but Jolie has such an amazing voice and lyrics that just her and a simple arrangement is enough to keep my attention.

This new record has both types of song. I have always liked Jolie's stuff, but I am psyched to be mixing this one, because it has more variation. I am mixing the whole thing, with some additional tracking, and the songs are beautiful and varied as far as insrumentation, but Jolie is certainly always the main focus.