Yes, this very much is a gear review video. It took weeks to make, and there's even a Part II coming next. I mentioned very clearly in my previous video that it would take a few weeks to transition. More importantly, the reason I'm winding down videos like this is because I don't enjoy it as much, not because I made a promise to anyone. If that changes, then I may decide to do them again. It's my channel, after all. 😂 If that is unacceptable to you, fair enough. Here's how to never see my face here again: www.makeuseof.com/how-to-block-youtube-channels/
There'll be a part 2? There's gonna be an echo of the reverb video? Okay, sorry, that was bad. I'll go sit back down now and wait for the video to start.
A friend tapped our shoulder regarding this video. We're absolutely blown away. There are so many companies out there making amazing effects . So to get your #1 vote is a big deal. This is the most comprehensive and meticulous demo we have ever seen haha. It looked like ALOT of work. We're grateful. Your custom patches sounded absolutely gorgeous.
Great sounding pedal guys, thanks for the dedication to your art. As a worship guitar player, I'm sure I will find a use for the unit. Also, the Lord enjoys Metal. God bless.
Congrats. You've more than earned it! 💪🏻 I can only imagine how long you spent making this pedal, but it deserves to be the reverb to beat. Thanks for helping make my single guitar notes sound like Eno albums.
Benn, I wanted to tell you that I understand EXACTLY why you're not enjoying making gear videos. I also wanted to tell you that myself and a lot of others in this community are very bummed out about it because of videos like THIS. This is a video people expect when they pay hundreds of dollars for a masterclass. You came to RUclips with decades of experience in music and pro-audio and then you very visibly do everything you can to avoid bias because you know that you are more valuable as a trusted asset to musicians than you are as an influencer. To many of us you are the most valued creator in this space and the rapid growth of your channel (along with its annoyances) is a reflection of that. Please do not take this as a guilt trip to try and get you to make videos you don't want to make. I'm sure whatever you do will have the same degree of value. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!
Hello Benn, I am one of the guys at GFI. We're honored you picked Specular Tempus as the best "affordable" reverb as there are so many awesome reverb out there and the ST itself has been around since 2018. Your demo video of the Specular Tempus algorithms is still the best one we've seen so far.
Your obsession with sound is amazing. I can watch hours of your videos going down these crazy rabbit holes. You take us on journeys we appreciate. How you don’t have 1Mill subs yet is a mystery
So much of the “gear sphere” is just a game of telephone from forums and RUclips telling folks what sounds best, all subject to opinion (and sponsorship). You sir did the math and brought the receipts. That’s proof we can trust. Thank you.
The analysis doesn't get more thorough than this! Really enjoyed the video. It's also so refreshing to see a good ol' sharpie-on-a-paper diagram these days. Thanks for the shoutout, Benn, and looking forward for the Part II !
I can't wait to see your choice! I am a certified reverb addict and my 3 fave reverbs I've ever used on my records are: Meris MercuryX (just an absolute beast that anyone who loves reverb should check out), Walrus Sloer (so much vibe and character and the best sounding modulation), Empress Reverb (learned about it from Benn years ago, still unbeatable for workhorse sounds like halls/plates etc).
I would love an in-depth video on reverb DSP. I know it wouldn't perform well, but it could be a valuable resource for more people to get involved with this dark magic.
I think his video where he talked about how good the Empress reverb was (5?) yrs ago either had some extended digressions along those lines, or was preceded or followed by one like that
There is a lot you can do in in Pure Data with a drag-and-drop programming interface. And run your created effect on a (relatively fast) PC. There is also some rather affordable hardware that pd can target such as ElectroSmith's Daisy development board or Patch.Init() eurorack module. The lower-end (affordable) hardware runs out of space for the fancier reverb algorithms, but dropping from stereo to mono basically cuts the resources needed in half.
I played guitar in a post-rock band a while back, and our reverb of choice was (and still is) the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail. Simple, workmanlike, but its sound is versatile and beautiful. I like these new “shimmer” reverbs, but I don’t know that I’d have anything else on my pedal board.
Confession to make. I have a bit of a Reverb pedal addiction myself. Got the Empress, Mercury-7, Hall of Fame 2, Secret Path, Nightsky and since yesterday I have the Slöer too. I used to own the Big Sky, Blue Sky, Slö and Blackhole. The best? That doesn't exist. Any pedal works for any combination of instruments, but they all have their own character. The fact that this video came out yesterday, right when the Slöer arrived is scary timing. Thanks for this Benn.
Would be interested to see how these compare in your mind to the plugin-realms, particularly the Valhalla stuff. I guess even BigSky is now a plug-in. Good video.
When I bought this last week I was unaware that it was capable of doing all of my household chores alongside being such an amazing sounding reverb. I was pretty impressed by the earlier demos but I just realized from watching this that I purchased it on sound alone and am pleasantly stunned by its depth! Great video sir.
Excited for the 'weird' reverbs. Also, I really appreciate that these reviews go into the theory and execution of these products. I'm not particularly enamored with the Meris for myself but I still get so much from just watching you talk about how reverbs work in general. Its like a review+. I'm sort of happy you're not going to do straight up gear reviews anymore (I have enough GAS as it is) but I hope you continue to talk about the how of music gear.
I love how you feed the trolls accusing you of being a shill. I always enjoy your analytical views on what exactly you feel sounds best, and then you blow us away with seemingly simple demos. My opinion is that algorithms are the secret sauce and a simple daw wich most of us have with cheap or free reverbs is more than enough for my production needs. And you even say that. The perspective you offer on how to listen and design sound is what makes you invaluable to the community as a whole. Thanks Ben
I got the Mercury X based on this video and am using it with Roland's D-05, JD-50, and JU-06 to create synth pads. The pedal does the job quite well when I an multi track recording. The biggest hurdle I found is deciding which Mercury X patch and setting achieve what I want because they all sound too good to decide. The only solution I have come up with is to record each variation, wait a few days and review them & pick which is best.
1. I don't know how or why it took me this long - but I just subbed. 2. I totally understand the move away from gear -- gear can really GET IN THE WAY of music - which I think can be difficult for us synth heads to internalize lol. Our sound design preferences, musical influences, approach to song form, harmonic preferences, etc are all gear-independent so to speak. Like if you gave the RZA a korg volca sample - he is still gonna make bangers. All that being said - I really hope your channel maintains an element of sound/music exploration and tweaking creative processes/assumptions. What you have to say on those topics is often very insightful! Peace - and thanks for being the most beautiful grist in my smooth little brain's content mill lol
Looking forward to this. Just picked up a Mercury X demo a couple days ago and it is blowing my mind. Taking it slow with all the options. I found your channel just a year ago and have been very impressed with the content. I really appreciate the transparency. As someone who has worked serving others for the last 25 years, it has become commonplace to complain - even when the service is free. I have learned a tremendous amount from your content and I hope you stay true to your path. I also love the gear vids, so if you want to keep sprinkling those in occasionally you're not going to hurt my feelings. Have a happy holidays.
12:20 damn dude, was watching this while I was working and had to take off my headset and stop working to fully appreciate that little adventure. Super sick!
The Meris LVX is my favorite delay pedal, as soon as I got it I was thinking "I hope they put this "modular" system into a reverb pedal". I'll be getting the Mercury X as soon as possible. I like the graphical UI a lot, it's a logical and elegant solution to making such a complex set of options and parameters less "menu divey". On the LVX at least I wish there was a way to skip forward to the next parameter set, like for example scrolling through three parameters for eight delay taps can be a bit tedious. Don't know if this issue crops up in the Mercury X. In any case, the quality of the sound and the amazing set of features make it a must-have for me.
Undersold the UAFX Golden there a bit, the plate and spring modes on it are the best I've ever heard from a pedal. For those of us who are more into vintage electro-mechanical reverbs than digital reverbs, its great
The Specular Tempus has outlived so many other reverbs in my collection. I hate to use the word but it just sounds more "organic" to me. It's review video was actually the first video of yours I watched.
The Specular Tempus is basically the only hardware reverb I use now. And the Anti-shimmer is by far the best down pitched shimmer algorithm I've ever heard
Thanks - I had just convinced myself that I didn't really need this pedal :D Also worth mentioning that GFI Skylar is a really nice "budget" version of the Specular Tempus, and only about $200.
the best reverbs take you to a "place" where what you are playing through the reverb inhabits. Ursa Major Space Station is one of those places for me... I doubt I'll ever be able to afford either an original or the digital update, but I heard the update at AES many years ago and I haven't been able to shake the sense of place it has.
Excellent analysis, I’m glad to rely on videos like these to offer some context when looking at the possibilities of pedals or plugins that I will likely never actually test myself, despite having the desire for the knowledge of the results. Thanks for these, but don’t feel pressured to continue if you need a break!
I don't have the scratch for strymon, empress, etc. so the "best" reverb (which I've had access to) is the stasis leak chorus/delay/reverb. It uses a Belton effect chip and you build it from a kit. I actually bought it mainly for a cheap tap delay with subdivisions but the reverb is easily the standout. Def recommend to anyone that likes building pedals.
I got myself an Empress Reverb heavily influenced by your 2017 video, and to this day it still impresses me when I turn it on. It can literally transform the dullest, simplest, most boring synth sound into something lush, complex and beautiful to hear. Thanks for that video, and I was afraid that this one may create another necessity, but I am one of those that prefer their pedals screenless. It's not a hard rule, though, and it may change in the future, but I don't see myself needing a different reverb anytime soon.
I came into this video as a blue sky fan.. still am, but I can clearly see why this is your pic, it's clean, it's beautiful, and it does exactly what it says on the tin, and then like bucketloads more. I think I might have to have one of these. Great work as always!
I picked up a DD-500, RV-500, and a MD-500 all for $200 a piece. Maybe they aren't the best, but they are the best for $200. I'm thankful to all of those that sold them to run off to Strymon.
I'm sure this will be one of the best videos ever made on reverb pedals, very excited to see it! Don't listen to the trolls, their engagement just boosts your video in the algorithm anyway :)
Considering the Empress Reverb goes for 300 used I think that might be the best budget pedal. This came just in time as I was looking for a stereo reverb that accepts line level. Been using the built in reverb on my mixer to record and finally making the jump to a decent pedal. Thanks for the time you put into this.
I would love a focus on SHORT reverbs that actually place things 'in the room' Like the AMS 0 seconds ambiance or the Yamaha Rev 3/5 but the current available ones Ambient reverbs are nice, but take soooo long
Год назад+2
The only external reverb I have is... The NTS-1. No, it's not a dedicated reverb unit and it can have a lot of hum, but for the price it's a versatile and useful little unit.
I feel the same, it's in a league of it's own as best sounding reverb pedal, partially because it's one of very few true stereo reverb pedals. If only they implemented midi cc over usb and maybe added some more experimental algorithms (I would gladly pay a small amount for that) it would take the crown over everything else out there at the moment. The only drawback left would be the controls, but the esthetics slightly make up for that.
Have you tried U-HE twangstrom vst? Awesome modelled spring reverb with settings for changing the spring setup and physical dimensions and tension among other things.
Plate seems to be the hardest one to get right for some reason. There's a ton of good-sounding algorithms out there now that sound convincing, right up until you demo them against an actual plate.
@@delta-9969decay and mix low, a hair of modulation, bass and treble at noon. Sometimes I turn bass up a tiny bit, sometimes the treble but the plate sounds great thru a loud clean amp.
Another extremely interesting presentation. Just when I was saying, "Gotta hear it with transients", you let us have the noise bursts - lovely! Thank you for all you do!
Hey Benn, the algorithms we get today are so good that I became a usability first buyer. I used to judge my tools for their sound quality but 14 years after I started making music, I focus much more on the user experience as everything sounds so friggin' good these days. Hopefully you will be covering some of the more unique specialist reverbs in the future or recommend something for us folks who don't care much about tweaking stuff to perfection but rather look for a beautiful sounding plug and play toy, that sparks our creativity with simple controls and colorful playfulness.
Maybe a video on making reverbs in MAX/MSP/M4L, Pure Data, Reaktor, and/or Bitwig? Not all of us know how to do DSP in C++ but I think many would love to be able to make their own if they knew how the math black boxes worked. Or given a preset(like the base reverb in Bitwig can be disassembled), what is worth tweaking/adding more of/etc? Excellent video, keep it up!
Great video. The Mercury sounds amazing. Love your synth demos here. There also something so awesome about running super simple synth patches through beautiful reverbs, which I love to do myself. IMO there are so many amazing reverbs out there, hardware or software. The trick is learning how to shape them for your specific music!
My only critical point about this pedal is that they are designed as floor models, to be enabled with your feet, while I could imagine, that there are many desktop users who prefer a normal on/off knob. [that would be my feedback for future products]
Love my LVX, esp after the last fw update... didnt even know about this. Glad they kept the wonderful ergonomics for this pedal. You can turn off the bubbly stuff btw, but I find it more intuitive w the bubblez. Meris have beautiful preset fx patches to start from and they already have the c1 and c2 knobs assigned for extra customisation over the usual suspects
Excellent video, really great! I’ve been searching for ever for a decent reverb pedal for bass - all I want is to put a bit of room or hall on to make the bass sit in the mix properly in the room on live gigs in smaller venues (and especially outdoors on acoustic duo gigs). I highly recommend the UAFX Golden Reverberator for this - it’s super simple and the hall reverb is spot on, easy decay and tone shaping. What I wanted was something as good as Bricast M7 in a pedal, and the UAFX is close enough for live work, and much much cheaper and more convenient!!
I've had a Mercury X for a few weeks and... it's incredible. My favorite software reverb by far is Cinematic Rooms Pro. Different animal. It's going to take me a long time to fully wrap my head around the depth and features of the X.
with the preface that i like this video: you do so much science content and stuff that from the description i half inspected you'd actually reverse engineer a reverb via the step response & you should definitely do that. it's in the same area of physical modeling that, as far as experimentation goes, has a lot of freedom for experimentation & doing weird stuff. "here's nothing", "here's early reflections", "here's a decay function that doesn't even try to be physical"
Much love to you always get excited about your reverb videos. Practising with max to try and get good at making them. Would love more videos about reverb design. Your melda turboverb vid was great, but more of a conceptual overall explanation of steps you take with making a reverb and different ways and environments for making them. just an idea!!! You explain stuff very clearly!
Appreciate your knowledge. I’m a freshman sound guy and the PHD you are teaching is high level for me but you do a great job of explaining what’s happening. It’s basically like learning a whole new language and culture
Great video Benn! I completely agree with you - I watched so many videos on the Mercury X and the CXM 1978 and I also think that the Mercury X is the best deal with the extra algorithms it offers. The only thing missing on the Mercury X are the standard and lofi clock modes of the CXM, but it offers so much more with the UltraPlate, Cathedra, Spring, Prism and Gravity algorithms. I am getting one as soon as I get some Guitar Center bucks next month.
As a string player and song writer, I've been full circle with Spring Reverb; I went from disliking it to loving it. Two of my current pedal options are the Surfybear Compact,- because you can't beat the real thing, - and the Source Audio True Spring.The SB is self explanatory, but the SA is a pretty amazing digital emulation, -fully programmable,- and it is stereo.Besides the faithful recreation of the more mechanical and physical qualities of Spring, it also offers a unique menu of singular options, which are well conceived and useable.
Please talk about the CMX 1978 because, although you mentioned it, I really feel that the physical emulation of old Lexicon controllers can bring some joy to those of use with an "analog" or "dawless" workflow
I love reverbs, I have the Eventide H3500,space, H90, CXM, and Meris LVX, although I didn’t really need a Mercury X i had to have one as soon as I’d got over the shock of them releasing one in this superb format. It is absolutely outstanding and the only thing you could possibly criticise is that it does so many things, the options like the LVX are astounding. I feel so privileged to own this masterpiece.
What an outstanding test! Your ‘tools’ inputs tell me most of what I need to know about a reverb algorithm, despite your warning. I hear many of my faves for my guitar, which will be my intended use. I have to say the UI is not exactly the grand slam that the sonic quality most certainly is. I’m hoping there are or will be editor options available. Headed to the Meris site for more info. Thanks much, Benn. Your test/demo was all I could hope for reverb, a very difficult effect to demo. I like that you played way down the musicality of your inputs as they obscure the answers I am looking for. Great stuff!
for me (and prob many others) benn is like a pocket sound guru.. be it gear, industry economics, searching out field recordings or whatever, the gloves off detail and lack of babying make evry video a must watch. to have benn name meris as the best manufacturer of this shiz has me grinning smugly at my mercury 7. maybe one day ill get a mercury x if i can justify it.
It's great for us all that a modern well-developed pedal like this one (and an even cheaper plugin) can match a Bricasti M7 for sound but the expensive rack units are made for a different use case IMO. In the large studios and recording trucks that I work with we need a super reliable unit with an easy to use UI, consistency across many studios, easy to properly install in a professional environment and interface in multiple ways (balanced analog, AES, MADI, Dante etc) and supportability for a long time as it's a big investment. TCO over 10 years is about more than the upfront cost. The people I work with have very good ears and strong opinions so getting them all to agree on a 'standard' unit across the board is not an easy thing either :-)
Just started watching, and before getting too far in I wanted to share my personal favourite reverb is the Walrus Audio Slö purely because of its sustain function - the fact it also sounds nice is a bonus haha
Yes. The Light Pedal is super unique and can add some great character when mixed and blended well. I think with his criteria being 32-bit floating point DSP and an advanced Arm processor, it kind of takes it out of the running for “best all-around reverb”. It’s got many great use cases for so many different instruments! I love my Light Pedal, as well, but definitely get not including it in the video. The gate and stacking modes can sound fantastic.
Before watching the video, I've recently been on a quest for a cool reverb pedal, and decided I want an Electro-Harmonix Oceans 12. I'm sure I can already do as well or better with FL Studio, but I'd like to have something in the hardware space. Edit: I should also add my goal isn't accurate reproduction of spaces, but creating interesting sounds I haven't heard before.
I'm ALL about reverbs, so this was GREAT. The Mercury X's sound blew my freaking mindhole. Why does this gear always have to be sooo expensive, though.... I mean, I get it, but also WHY GOD WHY
There are only a few algos used for reverb, with variations. It seems like you like the allpass/delay line/loop approach. It makes a good synthetic sounding verb, but it does not do a realistic room sound all that well.
Best reverb is the nts1 simply for the exceptional value proposition. User made reverb, delay and mod fx all packed in with a neat little mono synth for about a hundo
Oddly, I took all my pedals out the other day to test and decide on an actual pedal board. None of my Boss pedals are working now. Admittedly, most of mine are from the 90's, but I've kept them in good shape.
Really great video. I will not afford the Meris X. I already feel overwhelmed by the Nightsky. And it sounds great to me, just need to explore it more and set some useful programs. I'm using MIDI and new gear throws a wrench into the works. I play guitar and bamboo flutes through my pedal rig including Volante. Strymon has trained me.
My Orange Rocker 32 didn’t come with Reverb so I needed an inexpensive pedal to add just a little bit of Reverb. I took a chance on the Behringer DR600. Works great and the price is hard to beat. I’ve still got my eye on the EH Ocean’s 12 as that looks like a fun Reverb pedal to experiment with.
Love the new stuff, hardware and software (Big Sky and Valhalla for me). Also love my old reverbs, DP/2, Quadraverb GT, SE-50, M-One, MPX-100, and more in boxes. No point comment, except there's no such thing as too many reverbs.
I really don't know if I can fully get behind your idea that having any physical gear is a "luxury" thing. What about people who are more classically trained musicians? I, myself, have been playing piano since I was 10 (I'm in my 30s now). I've been making my own music since I was in my early 20s. I've on and off used things like Fruity Loops since college and even today in some extent. Music creation for me is intrinsically tied to my hands. It's how I get inspired making the kind of music I want to make. It's what makes me happy. I can program in things on a VST, but I find it to be a very slow and cumbersome process. Most importantly I do not find it very rewarding or fun at all. I guess my question is more, "where's the line?". Is having a midi controller a luxury when you can just program everything in yourself? Is having a higher end computer or sound card to get lower latency rates on playing with a controller over midi a luxury? I can agree that when talking about external effects processing, you are paying into having the ability to have that in a physical form. I would also say owning physical versions of a lot of vintage gear is something extra a person is pursuing that they can replicate in even a low end computer. I can only speak for myself and my experiences, but physicality when it comes to the music making process is something I have not found a way to replace. It's a separation both mentally and physically. If I'm not happy or feel inspired by trying to create things, then what is the point of even trying?
About the true stereo vs summed to mono, I can say that on a high wet reverb it sums your chorus, pingpong or whatever panning effect to mono and that's what I hear in my mixes as unfavorable. So although it doesn't make the algorithm better it does make the signal that runs through better (if you are using a panning effect) So I disagree on that, but for the rest I am loving the video, very informative and basically everything we come to expect from your reverb related video's. Well done sir.
![Awesome Reverb Pedals For Guitar [Meris Mercury X, Poly Verbs, Boss RV-200 & EHX Oceans 3-Verb]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/S1ysRSKg_20/mqdefault.jpg)
Yes, this very much is a gear review video. It took weeks to make, and there's even a Part II coming next.
I mentioned very clearly in my previous video that it would take a few weeks to transition. More importantly, the reason I'm winding down videos like this is because I don't enjoy it as much, not because I made a promise to anyone.
If that changes, then I may decide to do them again. It's my channel, after all. 😂
If that is unacceptable to you, fair enough. Here's how to never see my face here again:
www.makeuseof.com/how-to-block-youtube-channels/
There'll be a part 2? There's gonna be an echo of the reverb video? Okay, sorry, that was bad. I'll go sit back down now and wait for the video to start.
👍 keep up the good work, benn!
Can't wait for part two two two two twoooooo.
I'm pretty sure we all know Benn must have been paid off by the Big Gear Review.
How dare you make use of your hard work!
A friend tapped our shoulder regarding this video. We're absolutely blown away. There are so many companies out there making amazing effects . So to get your #1 vote is a big deal. This is the most comprehensive and meticulous demo we have ever seen haha. It looked like ALOT of work. We're grateful. Your custom patches sounded absolutely gorgeous.
Great sounding pedal guys, thanks for the dedication to your art. As a worship guitar player, I'm sure I will find a use for the unit. Also, the Lord enjoys Metal. God bless.
Congrats. You've more than earned it! 💪🏻
I can only imagine how long you spent making this pedal, but it deserves to be the reverb to beat. Thanks for helping make my single guitar notes sound like Eno albums.
SPOILERS!!!! lol
Please make a desktop editor
Wow a comment from the manufacturer! I am much more likely to buy! Thank you Benn for choosing this relatively unknown pedal!
Benn, I wanted to tell you that I understand EXACTLY why you're not enjoying making gear videos. I also wanted to tell you that myself and a lot of others in this community are very bummed out about it because of videos like THIS. This is a video people expect when they pay hundreds of dollars for a masterclass.
You came to RUclips with decades of experience in music and pro-audio and then you very visibly do everything you can to avoid bias because you know that you are more valuable as a trusted asset to musicians than you are as an influencer. To many of us you are the most valued creator in this space and the rapid growth of your channel (along with its annoyances) is a reflection of that.
Please do not take this as a guilt trip to try and get you to make videos you don't want to make. I'm sure whatever you do will have the same degree of value. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!!
🙏🏻 This made me tear up a tiny bit. Thank you.
100% this ❤
Beautifully said and completely agree!!
You’re awesome Ben ✌🏼
Hello Benn, I am one of the guys at GFI. We're honored you picked Specular Tempus as the best "affordable" reverb as there are so many awesome reverb out there and the ST itself has been around since 2018. Your demo video of the Specular Tempus algorithms is still the best one we've seen so far.
Thanks for putting out such a killer pedal. I got mine a few years ago and have been using it every day since!
Ive been using the ST since 2020 and love it. U guys made a wonderful pedal. Thanks for doing what u do!
It is the best padal also.
I bought the GFI ST thanks to Benns Video. I´m very happy with it and eagerly waiting for a V2!
I love the ST. Thanks for releasing one of the best out there.
Your obsession with sound is amazing. I can watch hours of your videos going down these crazy rabbit holes. You take us on journeys we appreciate. How you don’t have 1Mill subs yet is a mystery
Cuz there aren't 1 million nerds that care enough. I do, but I recognize not too many people are gonna watch this through.
So much of the “gear sphere” is just a game of telephone from forums and RUclips telling folks what sounds best, all subject to opinion (and sponsorship). You sir did the math and brought the receipts. That’s proof we can trust. Thank you.
The analysis doesn't get more thorough than this! Really enjoyed the video. It's also so refreshing to see a good ol' sharpie-on-a-paper diagram these days. Thanks for the shoutout, Benn, and looking forward for the Part II !
Of course. Thanks for making incredible algorithms!
I can't wait to see your choice! I am a certified reverb addict and my 3 fave reverbs I've ever used on my records are: Meris MercuryX (just an absolute beast that anyone who loves reverb should check out), Walrus Sloer (so much vibe and character and the best sounding modulation), Empress Reverb (learned about it from Benn years ago, still unbeatable for workhorse sounds like halls/plates etc).
Wow, you called it! Now I really want to try out the MercuryX
@@ericMT was stoked we have the same tastes! If you are curious I did an overview of the MercuryX on my channel too
I have the Sloe and it is a favorite along with OBNE Dark Star.
I would love an in-depth video on reverb DSP. I know it wouldn't perform well, but it could be a valuable resource for more people to get involved with this dark magic.
I'd watch it
I think his video where he talked about how good the Empress reverb was (5?) yrs ago either had some extended digressions along those lines, or was preceded or followed by one like that
Have you seen his video where he shows off making a custom algorithm inside Melda TurboVerb?
There is a lot you can do in in Pure Data with a drag-and-drop programming interface. And run your created effect on a (relatively fast) PC. There is also some rather affordable hardware that pd can target such as ElectroSmith's Daisy development board or Patch.Init() eurorack module. The lower-end (affordable) hardware runs out of space for the fancier reverb algorithms, but dropping from stereo to mono basically cuts the resources needed in half.
And my axe! (I would watch it too)
I played guitar in a post-rock band a while back, and our reverb of choice was (and still is) the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail. Simple, workmanlike, but its sound is versatile and beautiful. I like these new “shimmer” reverbs, but I don’t know that I’d have anything else on my pedal board.
Confession to make. I have a bit of a Reverb pedal addiction myself. Got the Empress, Mercury-7, Hall of Fame 2, Secret Path, Nightsky and since yesterday I have the Slöer too. I used to own the Big Sky, Blue Sky, Slö and Blackhole. The best? That doesn't exist. Any pedal works for any combination of instruments, but they all have their own character. The fact that this video came out yesterday, right when the Slöer arrived is scary timing. Thanks for this Benn.
Right! There is no best because each reverb has its own character and quality that can be useful on it's own or in combination with others.
Would be interested to see how these compare in your mind to the plugin-realms, particularly the Valhalla stuff. I guess even BigSky is now a plug-in. Good video.
When I bought this last week I was unaware that it was capable of doing all of my household chores alongside being such an amazing sounding reverb. I was pretty impressed by the earlier demos but I just realized from watching this that I purchased it on sound alone and am pleasantly stunned by its depth! Great video sir.
Excited for the 'weird' reverbs. Also, I really appreciate that these reviews go into the theory and execution of these products. I'm not particularly enamored with the Meris for myself but I still get so much from just watching you talk about how reverbs work in general. Its like a review+. I'm sort of happy you're not going to do straight up gear reviews anymore (I have enough GAS as it is) but I hope you continue to talk about the how of music gear.
I love how you feed the trolls accusing you of being a shill. I always enjoy your analytical views on what exactly you feel sounds best, and then you blow us away with seemingly simple demos. My opinion is that algorithms are the secret sauce and a simple daw wich most of us have with cheap or free reverbs is more than enough for my production needs. And you even say that. The perspective you offer on how to listen and design sound is what makes you invaluable to the community as a whole. Thanks Ben
I got the Mercury X based on this video and am using it with Roland's D-05, JD-50, and JU-06 to create synth pads. The pedal does the job quite well when I an multi track recording. The biggest hurdle I found is deciding which Mercury X patch and setting achieve what I want because they all sound too good to decide. The only solution I have come up with is to record each variation, wait a few days and review them & pick which is best.
1. I don't know how or why it took me this long - but I just subbed.
2. I totally understand the move away from gear -- gear can really GET IN THE WAY of music - which I think can be difficult for us synth heads to internalize lol.
Our sound design preferences, musical influences, approach to song form, harmonic preferences, etc are all gear-independent so to speak. Like if you gave the RZA a korg volca sample - he is still gonna make bangers.
All that being said - I really hope your channel maintains an element of sound/music exploration and tweaking creative processes/assumptions. What you have to say on those topics is often very insightful!
Peace - and thanks for being the most beautiful grist in my smooth little brain's content mill lol
Looking forward to this. Just picked up a Mercury X demo a couple days ago and it is blowing my mind. Taking it slow with all the options. I found your channel just a year ago and have been very impressed with the content. I really appreciate the transparency. As someone who has worked serving others for the last 25 years, it has become commonplace to complain - even when the service is free. I have learned a tremendous amount from your content and I hope you stay true to your path. I also love the gear vids, so if you want to keep sprinkling those in occasionally you're not going to hurt my feelings. Have a happy holidays.
12:20 damn dude, was watching this while I was working and had to take off my headset and stop working to fully appreciate that little adventure. Super sick!
The Meris LVX is my favorite delay pedal, as soon as I got it I was thinking "I hope they put this "modular" system into a reverb pedal". I'll be getting the Mercury X as soon as possible. I like the graphical UI a lot, it's a logical and elegant solution to making such a complex set of options and parameters less "menu divey". On the LVX at least I wish there was a way to skip forward to the next parameter set, like for example scrolling through three parameters for eight delay taps can be a bit tedious. Don't know if this issue crops up in the Mercury X. In any case, the quality of the sound and the amazing set of features make it a must-have for me.
I loved the long format demo. Reverb is fun to listen to. Thanks for this.
Undersold the UAFX Golden there a bit, the plate and spring modes on it are the best I've ever heard from a pedal. For those of us who are more into vintage electro-mechanical reverbs than digital reverbs, its great
Years ago when I discovered your channel, I bought the Empress Reverb because of your video. I'm still in love with the both of you.
I also bought the Empress after watching his review. I’d love to know how it compares against these now.
The Specular Tempus has outlived so many other reverbs in my collection. I hate to use the word but it just sounds more "organic" to me. It's review video was actually the first video of yours I watched.
Yeah, I refuse to believe it intentionally sounds that good. 😂 I feel like it had to be a miraculous happy accident
The Specular Tempus is basically the only hardware reverb I use now. And the Anti-shimmer is by far the best down pitched shimmer algorithm I've ever heard
@@BennJordanGFI System Skylar has a few of the best algorithms from Specular Tempus and comes in at $200.
Same, just love the long tails on the 70s plate.
Thanks - I had just convinced myself that I didn't really need this pedal :D Also worth mentioning that GFI Skylar is a really nice "budget" version of the Specular Tempus, and only about $200.
the best reverbs take you to a "place" where what you are playing through the reverb inhabits.
Ursa Major Space Station is one of those places for me... I doubt I'll ever be able to afford either an original or the digital update, but I heard the update at AES many years ago and I haven't been able to shake the sense of place it has.
Excellent analysis, I’m glad to rely on videos like these to offer some context when looking at the possibilities of pedals or plugins that I will likely never actually test myself, despite having the desire for the knowledge of the results. Thanks for these, but don’t feel pressured to continue if you need a break!
Everything Meris makes is just perfection. I have the Hedra and Polymoon and adore them, would love to grab the LVX or MX sometime
I don't have the scratch for strymon, empress, etc. so the "best" reverb (which I've had access to) is the stasis leak chorus/delay/reverb. It uses a Belton effect chip and you build it from a kit. I actually bought it mainly for a cheap tap delay with subdivisions but the reverb is easily the standout. Def recommend to anyone that likes building pedals.
I got myself an Empress Reverb heavily influenced by your 2017 video, and to this day it still impresses me when I turn it on. It can literally transform the dullest, simplest, most boring synth sound into something lush, complex and beautiful to hear. Thanks for that video, and I was afraid that this one may create another necessity, but I am one of those that prefer their pedals screenless. It's not a hard rule, though, and it may change in the future, but I don't see myself needing a different reverb anytime soon.
I came into this video as a blue sky fan.. still am, but I can clearly see why this is your pic, it's clean, it's beautiful, and it does exactly what it says on the tin, and then like bucketloads more. I think I might have to have one of these. Great work as always!
I picked up a DD-500, RV-500, and a MD-500 all for $200 a piece. Maybe they aren't the best, but they are the best for $200. I'm thankful to all of those that sold them to run off to Strymon.
Well this is the one I was waiting for: seals the deal for me on the MercuryX. Gorgeous.
I'm sure this will be one of the best videos ever made on reverb pedals, very excited to see it! Don't listen to the trolls, their engagement just boosts your video in the algorithm anyway :)
Considering the Empress Reverb goes for 300 used I think that might be the best budget pedal. This came just in time as I was looking for a stereo reverb that accepts line level. Been using the built in reverb on my mixer to record and finally making the jump to a decent pedal. Thanks for the time you put into this.
I would love a focus on SHORT reverbs that actually place things 'in the room'
Like the AMS 0 seconds ambiance or the Yamaha Rev 3/5 but the current available ones
Ambient reverbs are nice, but take soooo long
The only external reverb I have is... The NTS-1. No, it's not a dedicated reverb unit and it can have a lot of hum, but for the price it's a versatile and useful little unit.
more than anything, this video inspired me to listen and work more consciously on reverb with the existing gear i have
As a reverb lover, I'm looking forward to this. UAFX Golden continues to blow my mind when it comes to spring/ plate.
I feel the same, it's in a league of it's own as best sounding reverb pedal, partially because it's one of very few true stereo reverb pedals. If only they implemented midi cc over usb and maybe added some more experimental algorithms (I would gladly pay a small amount for that) it would take the crown over everything else out there at the moment. The only drawback left would be the controls, but the esthetics slightly make up for that.
Have you tried U-HE twangstrom vst? Awesome modelled spring reverb with settings for changing the spring setup and physical dimensions and tension among other things.
@@johanh9637I've been happy with Audiothing Springs but twangstrom sounds amazing.
Plate seems to be the hardest one to get right for some reason. There's a ton of good-sounding algorithms out there now that sound convincing, right up until you demo them against an actual plate.
@@delta-9969decay and mix low, a hair of modulation, bass and treble at noon. Sometimes I turn bass up a tiny bit, sometimes the treble but the plate sounds great thru a loud clean amp.
Dont stop! Like your humble attitude towards a new instrument!
Another extremely interesting presentation. Just when I was saying, "Gotta hear it with transients", you let us have the noise bursts - lovely! Thank you for all you do!
No hate here, Ben, you are a superb reviewer and clear communication skills, keep up the good work, Buddy.
Hey Benn, the algorithms we get today are so good that I became a usability first buyer. I used to judge my tools for their sound quality but 14 years after I started making music, I focus much more on the user experience as everything sounds so friggin' good these days. Hopefully you will be covering some of the more unique specialist reverbs in the future or recommend something for us folks who don't care much about tweaking stuff to perfection but rather look for a beautiful sounding plug and play toy, that sparks our creativity with simple controls and colorful playfulness.
My favorite is the Vetris dual reverb for more modern sounds and the Quadraverb 2 for something a bit more vintage.
I just got the Vetris dual reverb, it’s pretty good so far but I feel like I haven’t unlocked its potential. Any tips or good settings?
Maybe a video on making reverbs in MAX/MSP/M4L, Pure Data, Reaktor, and/or Bitwig? Not all of us know how to do DSP in C++ but I think many would love to be able to make their own if they knew how the math black boxes worked. Or given a preset(like the base reverb in Bitwig can be disassembled), what is worth tweaking/adding more of/etc? Excellent video, keep it up!
Great video. The Mercury sounds amazing. Love your synth demos here. There also something so awesome about running super simple synth patches through beautiful reverbs, which I love to do myself. IMO there are so many amazing reverbs out there, hardware or software. The trick is learning how to shape them for your specific music!
My only critical point about this pedal is that they are designed as floor models, to be enabled with your feet, while I could imagine, that there are many desktop users who prefer a normal on/off knob. [that would be my feedback for future products]
Love my LVX, esp after the last fw update... didnt even know about this. Glad they kept the wonderful ergonomics for this pedal. You can turn off the bubbly stuff btw, but I find it more intuitive w the bubblez. Meris have beautiful preset fx patches to start from and they already have the c1 and c2 knobs assigned for extra customisation over the usual suspects
I definitely want to buy one of those! I was about to but then they announced this one which took all priority. 😂
I just ordered a strymon nightsky. It's being shipped to me as I write this. Let's hope he has good things to say.. 😊
Nightsky is not in this video, but it will be in the sequel (likely next week). You done good though, it's a great pedal regardless! 😁
The Nightsky is absolutely insane. Looking forward to the next vid!
Well firstly I'm flattered you responded to me. Can't wait to watch this vid and the next!
I've had a Nightsky for a couple of years. Excellent choice.
Such a killer video! Looking forward to part 2. The amount of work you put into these is seriously impressive.
the h90 has some great reverb algos, too. i am loving mine!
Excellent video, really great! I’ve been searching for ever for a decent reverb pedal for bass - all I want is to put a bit of room or hall on to make the bass sit in the mix properly in the room on live gigs in smaller venues (and especially outdoors on acoustic duo gigs). I highly recommend the UAFX Golden Reverberator for this - it’s super simple and the hall reverb is spot on, easy decay and tone shaping. What I wanted was something as good as Bricast M7 in a pedal, and the UAFX is close enough for live work, and much much cheaper and more convenient!!
True stereo Reverb is noticeably better and retains the spatial information. Try fully true stereo IRs.
I've had a Mercury X for a few weeks and... it's incredible. My favorite software reverb by far is Cinematic Rooms Pro. Different animal. It's going to take me a long time to fully wrap my head around the depth and features of the X.
Has Ben ever mentioned his favorite vst reverb? That's what a really want know about. Is that going to be part 2?
The Melda's flagship one I think
with the preface that i like this video: you do so much science content and stuff that from the description i half inspected you'd actually reverse engineer a reverb via the step response & you should definitely do that. it's in the same area of physical modeling that, as far as experimentation goes, has a lot of freedom for experimentation & doing weird stuff. "here's nothing", "here's early reflections", "here's a decay function that doesn't even try to be physical"
Much love to you always get excited about your reverb videos. Practising with max to try
and get good at making them. Would love more videos about reverb design. Your melda turboverb vid was great, but more of a conceptual overall explanation of steps you take with making a reverb and different ways and environments for making them. just an idea!!! You explain stuff very clearly!
That Ultraplate algo is so lovely. I feel like i can just lay down inside of it. Great video!
The answer to the Blade Runner question was simply; Vangelis' brain.
Appreciate your knowledge. I’m a freshman sound guy and the PHD you are teaching is high level for me but you do a great job of explaining what’s happening. It’s basically like learning a whole new language and culture
I would really appreciate your top free VST recommendations for the most common instruments/orchestras
Love these videos man. Enjoy your work in general; Confident that what ever you end up doing will be cool.
Great video Benn! I completely agree with you - I watched so many videos on the Mercury X and the CXM 1978 and I also think that the Mercury X is the best deal with the extra algorithms it offers. The only thing missing on the Mercury X are the standard and lofi clock modes of the CXM, but it offers so much more with the UltraPlate, Cathedra, Spring, Prism and Gravity algorithms. I am getting one as soon as I get some Guitar Center bucks next month.
Benn, I REALLY enjoyed & watch, Several time. Keep up the great videos!
As a string player and song writer, I've been full circle with Spring Reverb; I went from disliking it to loving it.
Two of my current pedal options are the Surfybear Compact,- because you can't beat the real thing, - and the Source Audio True Spring.The SB is self explanatory, but the SA is a pretty amazing digital emulation, -fully programmable,- and it is stereo.Besides the faithful recreation of the more mechanical and physical qualities of Spring, it also offers a unique menu of singular options, which are well conceived and useable.
These sounds are amazing.. Meris has repeatedly blown me away by every product they put out.
Please talk about the CMX 1978 because, although you mentioned it, I really feel that the physical emulation of old Lexicon controllers can bring some joy to those of use with an "analog" or "dawless" workflow
Appreciate the attention to detail. Great analysis.
I love reverbs, I have the Eventide H3500,space, H90, CXM, and Meris LVX, although I didn’t really need a Mercury X i had to have one as soon as I’d got over the shock of them releasing one in this superb format. It is absolutely outstanding and the only thing you could possibly criticise is that it does so many things, the options like the LVX are astounding. I feel so privileged to own this masterpiece.
Faaaaantastic!! Love your keyboard skills. Thankyou for all your hard work
What an outstanding test! Your ‘tools’ inputs tell me most of what I need to know about a reverb algorithm, despite your warning. I hear many of my faves for my guitar, which will be my intended use.
I have to say the UI is not exactly the grand slam that the sonic quality most certainly is. I’m hoping there are or will be editor options available. Headed to the Meris site for more info. Thanks much, Benn. Your test/demo was all I could hope for reverb, a very difficult effect to demo. I like that you played way down the musicality of your inputs as they obscure the answers I am looking for. Great stuff!
would like to see Benn do a compaision of pedal V plug-in reverbs. where i live the Mercury x is almost 1K.
for me (and prob many others) benn is like a pocket sound guru.. be it gear, industry economics, searching out field recordings or whatever, the gloves off detail and lack of babying make evry video a must watch.
to have benn name meris as the best manufacturer of this shiz has me grinning smugly at my mercury 7.
maybe one day ill get a mercury x if i can justify it.
That was a fantastic video, great fun and technically awesome. Thanks for all you do and share with the world
Thanks for another great video! Your dedication to making good content and seeking the best verb is inspiring. Keep it up!
It's great for us all that a modern well-developed pedal like this one (and an even cheaper plugin) can match a Bricasti M7 for sound but the expensive rack units are made for a different use case IMO. In the large studios and recording trucks that I work with we need a super reliable unit with an easy to use UI, consistency across many studios, easy to properly install in a professional environment and interface in multiple ways (balanced analog, AES, MADI, Dante etc) and supportability for a long time as it's a big investment. TCO over 10 years is about more than the upfront cost. The people I work with have very good ears and strong opinions so getting them all to agree on a 'standard' unit across the board is not an easy thing either :-)
Just started watching, and before getting too far in I wanted to share my personal favourite reverb is the Walrus Audio Slö purely because of its sustain function - the fact it also sounds nice is a bonus haha
I bet its not even in the thumbnail lol. Chase Bliss 1978 goes crazy though.
When you say "video might be long and tideous" my nerdy and ambient oriented soul says "oh yeah, it is gonna be good"
Big fan of the Gamechanger Audio light pedal. The optical spring reverb is so tight. Unique sounding. Not the best but alas. I enjoy the uniqueness
Yes. The Light Pedal is super unique and can add some great character when mixed and blended well. I think with his criteria being 32-bit floating point DSP and an advanced Arm processor, it kind of takes it out of the running for “best all-around reverb”. It’s got many great use cases for so many different instruments! I love my Light Pedal, as well, but definitely get not including it in the video. The gate and stacking modes can sound fantastic.
Before watching the video, I've recently been on a quest for a cool reverb pedal, and decided I want an Electro-Harmonix Oceans 12. I'm sure I can already do as well or better with FL Studio, but I'd like to have something in the hardware space.
Edit: I should also add my goal isn't accurate reproduction of spaces, but creating interesting sounds I haven't heard before.
I just bought it. I am in heaven
I'm ALL about reverbs, so this was GREAT. The Mercury X's sound blew my freaking mindhole. Why does this gear always have to be sooo expensive, though.... I mean, I get it, but also WHY GOD WHY
The ehx Oceans 12 dual stereo reverb and the eqd Astral Destiny are two nice choices.
Hi Benn, Its good to have you back......(saying in a calming Hainbach voice and wearing a soothing sweater)
There are only a few algos used for reverb, with variations. It seems like you like the allpass/delay line/loop approach. It makes a good synthetic sounding verb, but it does not do a realistic room sound all that well.
Best reverb is the nts1 simply for the exceptional value proposition. User made reverb, delay and mod fx all packed in with a neat little mono synth for about a hundo
There is a Zen-like quality to this video, I enjoyed it a lot.
When you turned that Meris pedal on I about fell out of my seat. I was thinking about an H90 but this just jumped to the top of the list.
H90 reverb algos are outdated, unfortunately
I love reverb and I love Benn for doing this. ❤
Amazing video. Hopefully the denizens will shower you with views and upvotes.
the GFI skylar also exists as a specular tempus lite (essentialy a pick of algorithms; no delay) and is a lot cheaper
Oddly, I took all my pedals out the other day to test and decide on an actual pedal board. None of my Boss pedals are working now. Admittedly, most of mine are from the 90's, but I've kept them in good shape.
Really great video. I will not afford the Meris X. I already feel overwhelmed by the Nightsky. And it sounds great to me, just need to explore it more and set some useful programs. I'm using MIDI and new gear throws a wrench into the works. I play guitar and bamboo flutes through my pedal rig including Volante. Strymon has trained me.
Time spent with Nightsky is time well spent. Enjoy!
My Orange Rocker 32 didn’t come with Reverb so I needed an inexpensive pedal to add just a little bit of Reverb. I took a chance on the Behringer DR600. Works great and the price is hard to beat. I’ve still got my eye on the EH Ocean’s 12 as that looks like a fun Reverb pedal to experiment with.
Thanks for all the hard work Benn.
Love the new stuff, hardware and software (Big Sky and Valhalla for me). Also love my old reverbs, DP/2, Quadraverb GT, SE-50, M-One, MPX-100, and more in boxes. No point comment, except there's no such thing as too many reverbs.
Excellent resource. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I'll look forward to the follow up. Cheers.
I really don't know if I can fully get behind your idea that having any physical gear is a "luxury" thing. What about people who are more classically trained musicians? I, myself, have been playing piano since I was 10 (I'm in my 30s now). I've been making my own music since I was in my early 20s. I've on and off used things like Fruity Loops since college and even today in some extent. Music creation for me is intrinsically tied to my hands. It's how I get inspired making the kind of music I want to make. It's what makes me happy. I can program in things on a VST, but I find it to be a very slow and cumbersome process. Most importantly I do not find it very rewarding or fun at all. I guess my question is more, "where's the line?". Is having a midi controller a luxury when you can just program everything in yourself? Is having a higher end computer or sound card to get lower latency rates on playing with a controller over midi a luxury? I can agree that when talking about external effects processing, you are paying into having the ability to have that in a physical form. I would also say owning physical versions of a lot of vintage gear is something extra a person is pursuing that they can replicate in even a low end computer. I can only speak for myself and my experiences, but physicality when it comes to the music making process is something I have not found a way to replace. It's a separation both mentally and physically. If I'm not happy or feel inspired by trying to create things, then what is the point of even trying?
About the true stereo vs summed to mono, I can say that on a high wet reverb it sums your chorus, pingpong or whatever panning effect to mono and that's what I hear in my mixes as unfavorable. So although it doesn't make the algorithm better it does make the signal that runs through better (if you are using a panning effect) So I disagree on that, but for the rest I am loving the video, very informative and basically everything we come to expect from your reverb related video's. Well done sir.