EVENTIDE

Dec 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Nick Peck

Eventide's succinctly named Reverb plug-in brings the reverb algorithms of their hardware-based processors to the world of Pro Tools plug-ins. Reverb retails for $695 and requires Pro Tools|HD or Pro Tools|HD Accel under Mac OS 9 or OS X. Windows XP and ICON support should be offered by the time you read this.

Decent-sounding reverb requires a hefty amount of processing power, and Eventide Reverb is no exception. A single instantiation of the plug-in requires a full DSP chip on a Pro Tools|HD system, which is why Eventide has not released a native version; Reverb is necessarily aimed at the high end of the digital audio market. In fact, Reverb's processing requirements are so great that it will run only at 44.1 or 48 kHz sampling rates on an HD system; it requires HD Accel to run at 88.2 or 96 kHz.

Reverb is first and foremost a reverb plug-in, but Eventide places it within a signal-processing chain to create a wider variety of effects. The chain includes compression and 3-band parametric EQ (both of which can be pre- or postreverb) as well as stereo delay and lo-fi processing, that latter for adding a little digital grunge.

Taking Control

Reverb's controls are intuitive and clearly laid out, with an eye to streamlined productivity. Most onscreen controls are sliders, which work particularly well with control surfaces such as the Mackie's HUI and Digidesign's Control|24. The EQ and compression sections include graphic representation. The snapshot pane is of particular note: it allows you to quickly store and access 32 commonly used presets using 16 individual buttons, which is great for quickly auditioning your favorite patches.

The reverb section boasts nine algorithms derived from Eventide's hardware processors: categories include halls, chambers, rooms, plates, and ambience. Some of the additional reverb parameters are decay time, predelay, diffusion, room size, glide rate, reverb level, early-reflection level, mod rate, and mod depth.

Just for Effect

Reverb offers pre- and postreverb 3-band parametric EQ with adjustable Q and optional shelving for the high and low bands. Separate high- and low-shelving filters are given for reverb and delay. All four EQ curves are simultaneously displayed in a color-coded graphic interface. This visual concept is innovative and easy to use, and having such specific tone-shaping control over each aspect of the reverb chain is extremely cool.

The delay section is a textbook stereo processor, with adjustable left- and right-delay times, delay level, and positive and negative feedback. Delays can be used for early reflection applications or to create echo effects. I particularly enjoyed using a touch of high-frequency rolloff with delay EQ to create analog-style echoes that were darker than the source material.

Reverb also features an able-bodied stereo compressor, which can be inserted pre- or postreverb. Parameters include, ratio, threshold, make-up gain, attack and release and, in a nice touch, an adjustable knee. The compressor is not particularly colored, but judicious use of the attack and release parameters can help deliver a nice sharp punch to percussive transients.

Hearing Is Believing

Eventide's hardware reverbs tend to emphasize colored, stylized reverb sounds rather than natural ones and, to my ear, Reverb follows that same approach. The built-in delay and compression features, combined with Eventide's particular reverb algorithms, focus on tough, rocking, aggressive sounds, different in character from, say, the pillowy encompassing sound of a good hardware Lexicon box or the liquid clarity of a convolution plug-in such as Altiverb.

Reverb has some excellent presets. SnareChamberComp is Reverb at its best, using compression and a medium chamber reverb to add serious muscle to a snare drum (see Web Clip 1). Strings Plate creates an appropriate space for a horn quartet (see Web Clip 2), and Small Guitar Room does a convincing job of giving a close-miked guitar amp some distance (see Web Clip 3).

Eventide has created a processor-intensive reverb plug-in that clearly captures the style and sound of their hardware boxes. The user interface is smooth, streamlined, and oriented toward professional production. Built-in delay, EQ, and compression give flexibility and a wide variety of reverb effects. In keeping with Eventide's philosophy, the overall character is flavored rather than natural. Reverb's price and hardware requirements position it at the professional end of the market. A downloadable demo is available at the Eventide Web site.

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Overall EM Rating (1 through 5): 4
Eventide, Inc.
tel.: (201) 641-1200
email: audio@eventide.com
Web: www.eventide.com