Rackmount reverb for live use

[kingtoad]

So I'm getting slightly more into live sound. Recording is still my number one lover but as I am getting bits of touring work I would like to get a nice little cheapish rack going for when the venues just don't have anything at all.

I have some idea as to what I want in most areas but does anyone have any suggestions for good, cheap, reverbs for live stuff?

[Brian]

Depends on what kind of touring you're doing, if it's "van tour" microverbs, if its an 18 wheel semi-trailer tour, lexicon and yamaha in a floating rack. Trucks kill cheap efx.

[calaverasgrandes]

I always really liked having a verb and a delay. It is so much easier to get the delay right when you have a knob you can crank with the return soloed. As opposed to menu surfin while the band plays through another verse and a half.
As far as verbs go the alesis ones are cheap, effective and durable. Quadraverb 2 has some okay stuff on it. Even some Tom Scovill presets.
That being said live sound has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. Cheap verbs are starting to sound more evidently cheap. but then verbs are even more subjective than microphones. i lke Tc verbs a lot. i cant stand Yamaha verbs.Some guys out there swear by their SPX90,000.
There is also this thing that a lot of bands these days cant stand to hear any obvious verb. (but then some will demand more verb than monitors can bear).

[sparky]

my friend has a SPX90 he uses for this that he swears by

[Brian]

Gimme a break, you just have to tweak them before you go out.
Get the set list and map the show if it's that efx-centric. Yamaha and Lexicon efx put out enough volts that they don't get lost.
Plus you can map midinotes and changes so they all change at once.
It's fun, try it.

[kingtoad]

It would be for "van" tours only, and in less than stellar venues - the 400-plus places generally have acceptable stuff in their own racks. If I were to work on a massive production tour I'm sure I could afford much better stuff for the trucks to abuse!

I've already got a TC Electronic D2 which is great for delay, I've used an M1 which I like but I can't really stretch to the extra ?300 at the moment. I'll check out the alesis stuff, maybe.

[Brian]

It would be for "van" tours only, and in less than stellar venues - the 400-plus places generally have acceptable stuff in their own racks. If I were to work on a massive production tour I'm sure I could afford much better stuff for the trucks to abuse!

Yeah, after a couple of weeks.

I've already got a TC Electronic D2 which is great for delay, I've used an M1 which I like but I can't really stretch to the extra ?300 at the moment. I'll check out the alesis stuff, maybe.

I took an Alesis unit out on a big tour and it didn't have an LCD anymore on the first Date. That's when I switched to Yamaha, 15+ years ago, never been let down.
In Alesis defense, they did repair and catch the unit up with me via fedex. I like Lex MPX 500's for their delays and Reverbs.
Ya gotta tweak both type units before you go out, there's no excuse for using factory presets or excessive scrolling. I programmed all my MPX delays to change with the beats in one set and pitch with another on a tap on the fly. 6 delays that all stay musical with the songs just for the ambient stuff. If you line all your presets up in one area it reduces scrolling to find them to zero. If you sync your units, you only have to look at one display to find them and the other to check after engagement.
ALL the presets on my yamaha unit have been tweaked to maximize headroom and content. Ya gotta do it.
Get a db meter and check your musician's levels if you can.

[kingtoad]

All great advice, Brian. Thanks.

[Brian]

Here to serve and it is a privilege.
Touring guys stick together when the chips are down.