Best reverb for classical music?

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:45 pm

Reverb seems to be the thing I lack the most of.
digi verb is a POS, and space designer only runs on logic.

I want something that sounds very natural. To give recordings less dead space when the musicians pause.
I really don't want to spend over a grand on this.

Are lexicons and TCs any good at that price range?
I know the Reibe is a grand, and like using it when I get the chance. So that is an option. Also I may be buying the renaissances plug in pack, which comes with a decent verb. But i rarely use it, as I have revibe and a TC 6000 to work with as well (when I am at school).

I know every one has there own opinions, but I would just like to hear what people use for their classical mixes.

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:18 pm

I have personally found that no reverb under $1k can really compete with a good plugin (such as SIR or Altiverb).

The TC 2000 is nice for some things, but lacks a little bit when it comes to classical. I find the main verbs to be a bit dry and brittle.

The Lexicon stuff under $1k works a little better IMO - especially a used PCM91 but I can almost always spot the use of a Lexicon reverb (this golden halo of euphoria around the reverb).

The Kurzweil Rumor is surprisingly good for the money, but is a little tricky to get dialed in just right.

I'll be reviewing the Bricasti M7 here soon but it's significantly more than the $1k price you were asking about. I suspect it sounds a bit nicer than the traditional reverb box too.

Other than that, I've truly found the SIR plugs to be phenomenal.

I'm also going to be trying the new "BREVERB" soon. It supposedly has some cool features that make it better than IR reverbs. I can't comment though as I haven't touched it.

Cheers-
J.

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:32 pm

Up until recently, we commonly used TC2000, TC3000 and SIR with some great impulses for all our classical live and mastering work. Of these SIR and the impulses sound the best. The TC 2 and 3000's are great for live stuff.

BUT, all of these pale into insignificance compared with the reverb in my new TC Studiokonnekt 48, which I believe are the Fabrik R algorithms from the 4000 and 6000 boxes. This reverb is so real, clean, misty and so easy to control and setup its scary.

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:42 pm

You gotta clue me in David -
I've been using the Fabric R and just can't get it where I want. Would you be willing to send me a preset? That way I can see where I'm falling short.

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:47 pm

Certainly. Will do it when I next power up the main PC and find one.

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:23 pm

Thanks!

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:45 pm

DavidSpearritt wrote:

BUT, all of these pale into insignificance compared with the reverb in my new TC Studiokonnekt 48...

How much did you pay for that thing?

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:55 pm

I *was* going to recommend SIR, partly because I've been using the free version for a while now and have been very happy with it - both for extending existing natural reverberation in a recording, and for giving life to recordings made in very dead rooms that have no reverberation at all.

But I've just visited the site and discovered that SIR2 is out, and it now costs money. The cool package would be SIR2 plus the 16 HDIRs to go with it, but at $299 US it's not the kind of thing to buy on an impulse. (Okay, I'll apologise for that one right now...)

The interface looks a lot nicer, there are Mac and PC versions, and I'm sure they've got some high quality impulses to go with it. But it's hard to recommend something I haven't used and that costs money. I am sure it will sound great, at least as good as the earlier free version.

Has anyone here tried it?

(Am I behind the times? If so, how far?)

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:16 am

They still offer the free version though, don't they?

Last time I was on their site, I saw both, though I had to dig a little for it.

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:02 am

Free verb?
My ears just perked up a little.
Where can I find such things?

I should add that I am a mac user (although the logic thing kinda gave that away but I figure I would just clarify)

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:15 am

Simmosonic wrote:

DavidSpearritt wrote:

BUT, all of these pale into insignificance compared with the reverb in my new TC Studiokonnekt 48...

How much did you pay for that thing?

They are really cheap on eBay at present.
http://tinyurl.com/337bxj

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:17 pm

TheFraz wrote:

Free verb? My ears just perked up a little.
Where can I find such things?

http://www.knufinke.de/sir/

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:22 pm

DavidSpearritt wrote:

They are really cheap on eBay at present.

Hmmm.... What are you running yours with? A ThinkPad, if I remember correctly, but what specs?

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:09 pm

Just bought a cheap Lenovo, but they are pretty powerful machines now. T61, 2GB ram, 2.2Ghz Core Duo (T7500), 160 eSata drive, 15" widescreen, 1394a, Wireless etc etc. Runs so quietly you can record in the same room. It came with Vista and a whole lot of unsolicited crap installed but this only last minutes before it was nuked, of course. Now running XP SP2.

Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:42 am

DavidSpearritt wrote:

Just bought a cheap Lenovo, but they are pretty powerful machines now. T61, 2GB ram, 2.2Ghz Core Duo (T7500), 160 eSata drive, 15" widescreen, 1394a, Wireless etc etc. Runs so quietly you can record in the same room.

Well I'll be hornswoggled! [insert sound of hornswoggling taking place, allow to run until end of message]

Actually, I love the fact that standard off-the-shelf PCs and laptops are now powerful enough for most audio needs. Granted, you're probably running some DSP in the TC box, so I'm going tangential here, but nonetheless. I can remember not too long ago when putting together a PC for audio was a very serious undertaking; now you can buy an off-the-shelf laptop, hook up something like the Konnect and there it is.

DavidSpearritt wrote:

It came with Vista and a whole lot of unsolicited crap installed but this only last minutes before it was nuked, of course. Now running XP SP2.

Yeah, I can't 'see' the point in Vista for audio... [Ouch! Gentle with that hornswoggler, boy...]

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