Hardware reverb units

[Stargazer]

In these days, when a big part of the crowd seems to believe plugins are all we need, what hardware units (old and new) would be a bargain in the local musicstore/classifieds?
Have you seen any good boxes drop in price?

[Lindell 2nd]

Originally posted by Stargazer
In these days, when a big part of the crowd seems to believe plugins are all we need, what hardware units (old and new) would be a bargain in the local musicstore/classifieds?
Have you seen any good boxes drop in price?

I recently bought an Eventide 2016 fairly cheap from Golden Age. Best reverb I have ever heard..... big words.... =)

/Stekt fläsk med löksås

[Stargazer]

Compared to Orville revs, and Eventide's plugin rev?

/Blodpudding med lingon

[EngineEars]

I remember the days when I could slip into to my local music store or pick up the classified and find stuff that the pros used for great deals. Then came the net! Now because of threads like this in forums like these combined with our audio heroes touting the gear they use in magazine articles, prices for this gear has shot up. It's just not fair to the up in coming guy who makes maybe triple digits by the day, how is he ever to buy that lowly Fairchild in the window?

Reissues & plug ins are great because it's making some stuff cheaper to acquire, but since you asked that shall all change once again. The older pro verb units like Lexicon, Eventide, Quantec, EMT, Ursa Major, TC Electronic, AKG, AMS & Klark Teknik have all retained quite a high premium, but here are a list of some of the ($500 and below) verbs I’ve had luck with. Some are dedicated while others contain other multi efx.

Newer

Kurzweil Rumour
Lexicon MXP-110

Older (think guitar processors & synth manufacters of the 90’s)

Alesis Wedge
Alesis Midiverb’s
Alesis Quadraverb
Alesis XTC
ART DR2a
Boss SE50 & SE70
Boss RV Pedals
Digitech TSR-24
Ensoniq DP4,DP2 & DP Pro
Ibanez SDR1000 (Sony made)
Korg A1, A2 & A3
Korg DRV3000 (Yamaha made)
Lexicon Alex
Lexicon NuVerb (requires a Nubus Mac)
Lexicon LXP’s (especially w/AU mod)
Lexicon PCM60
Peavey Valveverb (tube & spring)
Roland SRV2000 & 330
RSP Intelliverb
Sony DPS-R7
TC M2000
Yamaha SPX’s
Yamaha Rev 5 & 7
Yamaha Rev 500
Yamaha ProR3
Zoom 9030

Every once in a while you can find a plate cheap (but a real hassle), also various spring verbs and an empty room with a speaker and a mic in it. Other cool things for example send an aux send to a 3 headed cassette deck and then send the monitoring head to a reverb. Granted you can’t adjust the delay time but it adds a smashed tape vibe before the verb. Also cheap limiters, dessers, distortions and filters before or after the verb makes something new out of even plugin verb. One more suggestion is to send your aux to an unused guitar amp with a springtank then return the output of the amp, or use a speaker simulator return or mic it in a booth. Instant EQ, tube pre, and reverb in one. Cheers

[Stargazer]

Lots of good tips!
Thank you very much!

[EngineEars]

One other thing to be advised when buying older digtal gear (reverbs, efx, synths, etc.) is the battery life. Sometimes when the memory goes the presets go with it.

[wilcofan]

Rocktron Intelliverb is an excellent deal at $200 US these days. It's got a unique sound but closest to a PCM60-70. It was $1k+ US new 12 years ago and is 24bit to boot. Built in is a very practical ducking feature too.

[Synth80s]

Personal comments on a few of the units the previous poster listed:

Ensoniq DP/Pro -- If you can find one of these, snap it up quickly. It has a great variety of high-quality verbs, excellent sound quality and is extremely versatile beyond reverb as well -- loads of useful compressors, delays and special FX. You sometimes see these on eBay for ~$300, but not very often and if "buy it now" is offered, the go quickly. Too bad Ensoniq sank right after this unit came out because the S/PDIF output option was never released.

Yamaha ProR3 -- It's not glamorous or lush sounding, but I find this unit to sound very realistic and natural, especially for smaller to mid-size rooms. It has a room simulator algorithm which is unlike what I've heard in other units -- capable of realistic rooms and some odd things as well if you set wild room parameters. The reverbs w/filters are great as well. One thing to keep in mind: the unit has an overall sound that seems a bit darker than others (maybe the converters?), but that also contributes to the more neutral/natural sound. This unit has a high MSRP, but you can find them for much less.

Another tip: The Yamaha REV500 is a much less expensive version of the ProR3 with few features deleted -- same DSP engine and algorithms. I think the main difference (aside from it being a 1U) is that it is slightly less editable and doesn't have the analog EQ section on the inputs. This might be a good way to go if you want a nice, natural sounding verb that doesn't try to sound like everything else on the market.

I had a Lexicon MPX100 before and sold it shortly thereafter. I recommend staying away from the unbalanced MPX units -- they have weak outputs and the inputs overload extremely quickly.

Sony DPS-55V -- Got one new at a huge discount and still sold it after a while. Aside from some great choruses, phasers and special FX, I found the reverbs to sound really strange and unnatural. It never sat in a mix well.

I hear really good things about the cheap TC M300 but haven't heard one in person.

-Bradley
"Synth80s"

[jtienhaara]

I think the Roland DEP-5 is underrated. Cheap as hell, too.

There was a similar budget reverb discussion over at TapeOp recently.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by Stargazer
In these days, when a big part of the crowd seems to believe plugins are all we need, what hardware units (old and new) would be a bargain in the local musicstore/classifieds?
Have you seen any good boxes drop in price?

My under $1k list of classic reverbs of the past that made my personal rack:

1)Sony R7(and i own 2)

2)Roland R880

3)Klark Technic DN 780

4) AKG 68K

5) Yamaha Pro R3

6)Yamaha Rev 1

7) Korg A1

8)Yamaha SPX 990

9)SRV2000

10)Roland SRV330

Everything else that is classic in my racks costs double(480L,Quantec QRS,AMS RMX16 and a broken SP2016).

[blackcatdigi]

Thrill-

RE: Sony R7

Just picked one of these up (along w/D7, M7, F7, and the remote)... Haven't got a chance to listen yet as I'm reformatting/rewiring the entire studio, but I'd love to hear any tips or prefs you have for these.

TIA

[Phil Buckle]

I've had a Roland SRV2000 for about 15 years. It has not been plugged in for about 12 years. Are they really any good? Maybe I should dust it off and give it a run. I remember it being very noisy.

[Stargazer]

Got one SRV2000, too.
The displayed started to make some hifrequent noice, and then died.
Maybe i should get it fixed!
Don't really remember what it sounds like.
Used it a long time ago when i started recording with my first portastudio...

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by blackcatdigi
Thrill-

RE: Sony R7

Just picked one of these up (along w/D7, M7, F7, and the remote)... Haven't got a chance to listen yet as I'm reformatting/rewiring the entire studio, but I'd love to hear any tips or prefs you have for these.

TIA

I have 2 of each(R7,M7,D7).

I use my R7's on guitars,brass,strings,keys,drums and once in awhile background vocals.

The M7 gets used on everything.

The D7 for delay effects and "skinny"ambiences.

[dlmorley]

All these cost me less than $1k except the EMT246 which cost $1200

EMT 246
EMT 140
Roland R-880
AKG BX25 (a few hundred)
D&R Spring ($65)

And nothing I have in the box get's close to the character these units have. The Roland is incredibly high quality and sounds excellent (small rooms are really nice)
The EMT 246 is my fave digital reverb. AWESOME.
The EMT 140....need I say anything
and the BX25 is the best thing on guitars and most everything else. Sounds like a room to me.

Altiverb is a brilliant piece of software which I really enjoy, but one doesn't exclude the other.

[Teknobeam]

Originally Posted by Stargazer

Got one SRV2000, too.
The displayed started to make some hifrequent noice, and then died.
Maybe i should get it fixed!
Don't really remember what it sounds like.
Used it a long time ago when i started recording with my first portastudio...

The SRV2000 is kind of unique. It does a lot of things. It has a great equalizer section and you can get very cool 80's gated snare splashy reverbs from it. It also can morph into a full on digital delay with some secret button pushes. I have the instructions on that somewhere. I sold it about four years ago, now i wish I had kept it. It's also a very deep and heavy device physically. Built like a tank from the MKS 80 era.

[RiF]

A Lexicon PCM70 goes for € 500-600 these days and is definetly a classic. I have that and a Behringer V-Verb (nice! the proof for "nice" is that it is discontinued ;-)) for € 100 hooked up as hardware inserts on my Pro Tools rig. Still searching for a really lo-fi'ish spring-reverb type of thing.

[binarymilton]

I've been wondering about these sorts of things, using tube-based guitar FX pedals:

Room-Mate - Discontinued products from T-Rex effects

Blackstar Amplification - HT-REVERB

or, less practically:

Guyatone FR-3000V Tube Drive Reverb Unit

Anyone ever used any of these? Would they be too noisy? Too lo-fi?

[Speeddemon]

Originally Posted by RiF

Still searching for a really lo-fi'ish spring-reverb type of thing.

How 'bout a Boss RX-100? Or maybe a Danelectro Spring-King (guitar pedal)?