No mom, you don’t get it. It’s not about the Afro, it’s about the energy, and Ricky Tinez is the Bob Ross of RUclips music and you can’t change my mind.
I've had a similar experience. The Empress is best for natural, beautiful reverbs that blend well. It brings a shine, glimmer and sparkle to things without taking over. A lot of pedals these days, and also the Strymon stuff, excell in huge lush over-the-top stuff. Empress isn't the best when pushed hard in this direction, but otoh the subtle magic it can do with just beautiful halls, plates and rooms is where the others fall flat imo.
I've had this pedal for a few years now and I totally agree with what you said about it not really being a 'guitar' pedal. I think where it really excels is as a studio tool - I pretty much exclusively use it as an external send effect in Ableton now and it's killer for that.
Wild timing on this video. I literally received mine yesterday. Found a great deal on a used one in good condition (missing a knob but Empress is replacing for free even though I'm not the original purchaser!)
Thanx, great vid. I almost sold mine, I think I was expecting extreme sounds. But the way you explain it makes much sense. Now it goes on every new patch I'm making. Love your work ❤
Just the EQ loop section alone is worth the price of admission :) Sounds fantastic. Just got myself a Neon Egg Planetarium 2, also a stereo reverb, but with delay and compressor all feeding into each other with an external sidechain input, all in a neat MS20 shape pedal enclosure. Empress Reverb is on my shopping list after the Hologram Microcosm tho :)
How do you use the empress in your studio setup? Is it connected to a patchbay so you can choose which synth/machine sends their out to it or do you use it as an external effect in Ableton Live? If external effect in Live, this would be a good Howto video…
An overlooked great budget hardware reverb is the Digitech iStomp pedal. About $50 USD, programmable with up to 47 different pedals, including Lexicon reverbs. Quite a few different and interesting reverbs on offer. The catch? You need a genuine Apple 30 pin to Lightning connector and an iPhone to change programs. Oh yes, stereo INs and OUTs too!
@@midlifecruiser All they really needed to do was update the cable to Lightning. Oh, ok maybe bluetooth support to change pedal model would be good in V2. To be fair to Digitech, the RP360 and RP360XP have pretty much the same models, all built in, and you can have up to 3 effects at once. Possibly the quality of the reverb suffers a little according to some who have both.
YAAASS....been looking at this beauty for so long...but the price tag...yaiks...choosing between this and the Microcosm....oh DEAR am I in trouble...only have one AUX in the mixer...
i shopped those so hard, and the strymon stuff, and a few others for my synths and ambient. I wanted as much texture variety as possible, so for the same $500 i got both an EHX grand canyon delay and an EHX oceans 12 dual reverb. it will take years to explore all the possibilities. the only thing i dont like is they arent quite as clean as this reverb, but it doesnt really matter with synths. i use the zoom ms70 a lot and it is noisy, but it doesnt matter either. these are for textures. i have nice old lexicon rack effects for clean reverbs, and actually my workstations(yamaha+korg) and behringer mixers have some nice reverbs too FWIW the reverb #1 patch in my, now failed, old behringer 2442 mixer is one of the best. it is eq'd perfectly, and doesnt sound fake or in a can. the new xenix2442 has different patches from clark-teknik and is meh now. sounds fake.
Really great! I have the big sky and volante by strymon and really like these boxes but this is also a great sounding reverb. One question: Where is the piano sample from. Sounds so good and reminds me of an old Moodymann track but i can’t remember which one. Would love to play with this sample. Classic 🔥🤙🏼😎 Thank. Best, d
The device is not just a reverb it also has a compressor, phaser and more then one signal delay. Normally this sound would need to come from 4 to 5 separate standard sized pedals.
Looking for a great reverb pedal that does classic dub spring reverb as well as more. Would this make that match? Looking to pair with a Benidub delay.
Or get a Mimeophon if you want a Eurorack option? That also has freeze and a built in filter. Looks like a nice pedal though if you need big fat cables and extra power supplies in your workflow.
What you don’t get is ability to use midi without another box….you dont get the beauty of Strymon nor a screen to understand how to almost how to do anything especially saving with remembering a combination of flashing lights.
Good question. Like most pedal reverbs it’s just a digital reverb in a box I cannot see value proposition when something like Valhalla suite is significantly cheaper. Use your midi controller if you want a hands on interface.
Having compared the two, Valhalla verbs are maybe a bit more malleable and sound good, but the Empress has more mojo. The crazy reality is not the price of the pedals, it's the price of the valhalla plugins! They are crazy good for the price. And that Supermassive plugin, i'd gladly pay Empress-Strymon prices for a box that sounded like that. And It's free!
Hmmmm I checked out Venus theory and I don’t see what intro you are talking about. But I doubt it because I personally made my intro and I didn’t make any others haha! Thanks for watching
Hi Ricky. Many thanks for your review. I am surprised by your comment that you consider a stereo in/out pedal to be synth rather than guitar oriented. I have been using stereo pedals and setups since the 80s. I definitely need a stereo input because I use stereo chorus and stereo delay pedals before the reverb which then channels into two amps. Also, would it have advantages/features compared to Strymon Bigsky?
I think only because a majority of guitar pedals are mono whereas synths more often have stereo options. I know it's a pain for me to find a great pedal and find it's only mono.
@@Nospoon777 I got the Space but feel like it''s pearls before swine on me as I hardly utilise it's functions. Just stet and forget mostly. But Empress seems more excusable in a way, that you can find a few favourites and not feel bad about not using it as an instrument, if you see what I mean?
Sounds miserably mediocre to me. And I bet there's nothing wrong with the Duchess stomp canister. It is of course overpriced, made for amateurs that post a bunch of creepy lame comments like: "oh, I own the Majesty, too. Ahhh, what an awesome sound. Yeah, shit!"
No mom, you don’t get it. It’s not about the Afro, it’s about the energy, and Ricky Tinez is the Bob Ross of RUclips music and you can’t change my mind.
I've had a similar experience. The Empress is best for natural, beautiful reverbs that blend well. It brings a shine, glimmer and sparkle to things without taking over. A lot of pedals these days, and also the Strymon stuff, excell in huge lush over-the-top stuff. Empress isn't the best when pushed hard in this direction, but otoh the subtle magic it can do with just beautiful halls, plates and rooms is where the others fall flat imo.
I've had this pedal for a few years now and I totally agree with what you said about it not really being a 'guitar' pedal. I think where it really excels is as a studio tool - I pretty much exclusively use it as an external send effect in Ableton now and it's killer for that.
yea i feel you! its a good tool to get a better than average reverb with some extra control and playability
I freakin love the video quality on this channel
I love it when someone gets excited about what they've made. That's what music's about!
I've always wanted to pickup this pedal, just never pulled the trigger. Great vid Ricky!
Yo that kick is right from Orbital's Brown album, I love it! Also shout to Empress right from my hometown!
You’re the only person other than myself to just that Al Gore’s rhythm! Are there more of us??? Also, dope video, legitimately rad Reverb ❤️
Nice! My wife got this for me for my birthday. It's so so good! I love your bass exploration here; it has inspired me to try it with my Minitaur.
Hell yes! I really like it to bring some high end texture to a bass
Wild timing on this video. I literally received mine yesterday. Found a great deal on a used one in good condition (missing a knob but Empress is replacing for free even though I'm not the original purchaser!)
That loop hold and then bringing the whole longer effected loop was nice.
It’s a pure pleasure to listen to you every time. Everything is always so chill. Love it, don’t change
Let Ricky embrace change.
Thanx, great vid. I almost sold mine, I think I was expecting extreme sounds. But the way you explain it makes much sense. Now it goes on every new patch I'm making.
Love your work ❤
Love the crisp explanations and demonstrations in real applications; the way you harness unusual effects is admirable.
Blue ghost is my favorite. Green Ghost is my second favorite. Good work as always Ricky
The pride of Ottawa, Canada!
Love your into, Ricky.
I always think that, so I randomly thought that I'd let you know!
I see what you did there! Al Gore’s Rythm🤣🤣🤣
Ooof that kick is as insane as this reverb. Caught myself jammin on my own here.
Just the EQ loop section alone is worth the price of admission :) Sounds fantastic. Just got myself a Neon Egg Planetarium 2, also a stereo reverb, but with delay and compressor all feeding into each other with an external sidechain input, all in a neat MS20 shape pedal enclosure. Empress Reverb is on my shopping list after the Hologram Microcosm tho :)
How do you use the empress in your studio setup? Is it connected to a patchbay so you can choose which synth/machine sends their out to it or do you use it as an external effect in Ableton Live? If external effect in Live, this would be a good Howto video…
Got this Empress Reverb too in my Radial XTC Reamp box channel B and A Roland RE-201 Space echo in channel A Sounds insanely universal sounds
How would you compare the Empress Reverb to the CXM 1978?
Haha, I own the Empress Reverb but didn't know you could do this with it. Thanks! 😉
I love the 4:18 one. It sounds like the Silent Hill music that the one Japanese guy makes...SBN RESONATE
This sounds lushhhh! This would be great for making dub techno. So textured.
An overlooked great budget hardware reverb is the Digitech iStomp pedal. About $50 USD, programmable with up to 47 different pedals, including Lexicon reverbs. Quite a few different and interesting reverbs on offer. The catch? You need a genuine Apple 30 pin to Lightning connector and an iPhone to change programs. Oh yes, stereo INs and OUTs too!
It’s a shame they don’t update the hardware as the plugins are awesome.
@@midlifecruiser All they really needed to do was update the cable to Lightning. Oh, ok maybe bluetooth support to change pedal model would be good in V2. To be fair to Digitech, the RP360 and RP360XP have pretty much the same models, all built in, and you can have up to 3 effects at once. Possibly the quality of the reverb suffers a little according to some who have both.
YAAASS....been looking at this beauty for so long...but the price tag...yaiks...choosing between this and the Microcosm....oh DEAR am I in trouble...only have one AUX in the mixer...
i shopped those so hard, and the strymon stuff, and a few others for my synths and ambient. I wanted as much texture variety as possible, so for the same $500 i got both an EHX grand canyon delay and an EHX oceans 12 dual reverb. it will take years to explore all the possibilities. the only thing i dont like is they arent quite as clean as this reverb, but it doesnt really matter with synths. i use the zoom ms70 a lot and it is noisy, but it doesnt matter either. these are for textures. i have nice old lexicon rack effects for clean reverbs, and actually my workstations(yamaha+korg) and behringer mixers have some nice reverbs too FWIW the reverb #1 patch in my, now failed, old behringer 2442 mixer is one of the best. it is eq'd perfectly, and doesnt sound fake or in a can. the new xenix2442 has different patches from clark-teknik and is meh now. sounds fake.
Really great! I have the big sky and volante by strymon and really like these boxes but this is also a great sounding reverb. One question: Where is the piano sample from. Sounds so good and reminds me of an old Moodymann track but i can’t remember which one. Would love to play with this sample. Classic 🔥🤙🏼😎 Thank. Best, d
Great review. Are you doing one for the delay as well? I'm tempted by both but would have to get rid of something first to trade them in.
Very similar to the Ventris Dual Reverb unit
Thanks Ricky!
Always nice content, thanks !
What are these headphones ? Please tell me you can actually use wireless headphones with good sound in the studio !!!
The device is not just a reverb it also has a compressor, phaser and more then one signal delay. Normally this sound would need to come from 4 to 5 separate standard sized pedals.
Can you explain in more detail how it has comp, phaser etc...
@@jizzmaster2000 It sounds like it.
@@jizzmaster2000 To get the same sounds in a DAW I'd use Compressor, phaser and two delays.
I use it with my Lyra-8, So killer!
It's so freaking meaty. Especially with the disco bass line. It's almost like you serve dinner and then you eat dinner in the difference. 😝
hahaha!
Think they're usually called Soft Click or Soft Touch switches.
Eventide needs to send you a H9000 to demo. would be interesting to hear your take on it.
Anyone ever tried the mooer ocean machine? In my opinion its one of the best options if you dont want to spend more than 200€ on a reverb/delay pedal
chicken wings.
chicken wings.
Chicken grease
Are any of these reverbs besides he ghost Verb able to be updated into the zoia?
muy buen video colegas saludos desde Baja California
Or....just ZOIA. 😁
Damn it, now I have to have one😂
lovely!!! ... thanx!
How about running some gritty analog sound through it next time?
Looking for a great reverb pedal that does classic dub spring reverb as well as more. Would this make that match? Looking to pair with a Benidub delay.
How does the Reverb in the Empress Zoia compare to this dedicated Reverb unit? Thank you
Or get a Mimeophon if you want a Eurorack option? That also has freeze and a built in filter. Looks like a nice pedal though if you need big fat cables and extra power supplies in your workflow.
Its annoying that you dont get a digital menu to save and name presets. Sold it for that reason. Nice sound quality tho.
What you don’t get is ability to use midi without another box….you dont get the beauty of Strymon nor a screen to understand how to almost how to do anything especially saving with remembering a combination of flashing lights.
This or Eventide Space for Synths (Alpha Juno 1, Ambika, Digitone)?
Try the 900$ CXM next time XD
haha, he did: ruclips.net/video/r6pUQoOig4A/видео.html
funny enough, that was one of the first videos which brought me to this channel....
Al Gore Rythms ;)
It costs here in eur 500 (usd 560)…
Ricky, you still have your Ventris?
Question is, how does is match vs 50$ Valhalla ?
Good question. Like most pedal reverbs it’s just a digital reverb in a box I cannot see value proposition when something like Valhalla suite is significantly cheaper. Use your midi controller if you want a hands on interface.
Having compared the two, Valhalla verbs are maybe a bit more malleable and sound good, but the Empress has more mojo. The crazy reality is not the price of the pedals, it's the price of the valhalla plugins! They are crazy good for the price. And that Supermassive plugin, i'd gladly pay Empress-Strymon prices for a box that sounded like that. And It's free!
I wonder how this thing would handle being slammed by line level signals
you can actually change the settings for instrument/line input
sssssounds gout
Did the same person make both your and venus theory Intros? They are identical
Hmmmm I checked out Venus theory and I don’t see what intro you are talking about. But I doubt it because I personally made my intro and I didn’t make any others haha! Thanks for watching
@@RickyTinez his intro to his videos. Coffee, blue tint, sharp cuts looks identical. Okay thanks for replying
Bless Algor and his rhythms
Hi Ricky. Many thanks for your review. I am surprised by your comment that you consider a stereo in/out pedal to be synth rather than guitar oriented. I have been using stereo pedals and setups since the 80s. I definitely need a stereo input because I use stereo chorus and stereo delay pedals before the reverb which then channels into two amps. Also, would it have advantages/features compared to Strymon Bigsky?
I think only because a majority of guitar pedals are mono whereas synths more often have stereo options. I know it's a pain for me to find a great pedal and find it's only mono.
YALL KNOW WHAT "TINEZ" IT IS!!
yes boy
how is this vs styromon?
Although they are both complex reverbs, they are rather different beasts.
recommend you surf here on youtube for manual etc for both these.
I've got strymon big Sky also Eventide Space and want this one also! Lol They say they are all awesome just different flavors!
@@Nospoon777 I got the Space but feel like it''s pearls before swine on me as I hardly utilise it's functions. Just stet and forget mostly. But Empress seems more excusable in a way, that you can find a few favourites and not feel bad about not using it as an instrument, if you see what I mean?
@@jonaseggen2230 I hear you! I've been using mine with guitar allot lately and Switch between Spring Room Reverse and Blackhole! I dig the sound!
This bass line reminds me of Matthew Dear / Audion ‘Mouth To Mouth’ tune😎 ruclips.net/video/l8o9gWbhFEQ/видео.html
Sounds miserably mediocre to me. And I bet there's nothing wrong with the Duchess stomp canister. It is of course overpriced, made for amateurs that post a bunch of creepy lame comments like: "oh, I own the Majesty, too. Ahhh, what an awesome sound. Yeah, shit!"