Slate Digital

Softube
TSAR-1 Reverb $269
Many reverbs are now modelled
versions of Hardware, but the
TSAR-1 is a true algorithmic device.
What you get is a very straightforward
user interface with plenty of possible
tonal variations. The simple Early
Reflection section is an effective
spatialiser when used on its own,
and when balanced into the reverb
gives great depth of field and a
natural up-front element to even the
longest reverb settings. The
combination of Diffusion and Density
settings allows quickly gets you from
thick, energetic-sounding rooms and
halls to some lovely delicate and
airy-sounding plate-like tones. The
Tone and High Cut sliders add just
the right amount of EQ options to fit
the reverb into the colour of the rest
of the mix, and overall it’s really
simple to find the size and flavour of
reverb you are looking for.
www.softube.com
VERDICT 8.6
Eventide Tverb $249
Based on a technique Tony Visconti
developed for recording Bowie’s vocals
on the Heroes album, Tverb may
sound like a one trick pony, but it’s
anything but. You get three mics, the
back two of which can be moved
around the room. These two also
have gating options available, while
the other has a compressor to dial in.
Along with the EQ section, there’s
Diffusion and Decay controls, which
add an enormous amount of
flexibility and take things beyond the
basic sound of the room. Tverb will
liven up anything recorded in a dead
space and can get four dry
instruments to sound like they’re in
the same room. It sounds great and
is remarkably flexible.
www.eventideaudio.com
VERDICT 8.4
Reverb Plugins
Spatial processors are essential parts of any production,
and it’s always wise to have several to hand. Here are
six plugins sure to broaden your reverberant palette
Zynaptiq Adaptiverb €279
Zynaptiq can rightly claim that Adaptiverb is a one-off. Using their own ‘Bionic
Sustain Resynthesizer’, it creates incredibly smooth resonance-free reverb as it
synthesises the reverb tail using hundreds of intelligent oscillators that learn the
pitched parts of the incoming signal. The reverb can then be further tailored by
varying how many oscillators are used, adding intervals or detune and then
randomising them to add a rich harmonic character that still sounds very open and
natural. There are two distinct reverb types, the more standard Allpass, and the
far-out Ray Tracing. The latter creates beautiful reflection-less reverb tails with a very
linear response giving smooth unmuddied tails no matter what the decay length.
Finally, there’s the Harmonic Contour Filter, which primarily removes any harmonic
content from the reverb that might clash with the current input, removing any chance
of a muddy, overly dense reverb cluttering the sound, while still retaining a wonderful
harmonic richness. There’s also a Keyboard option on the filter, in which you fix the
notes you want to hear in the reverb in up to five snapshots that you can then
automate. In fact, many of the parameters take automation incredibly well, so the
soundscaping possibilities of Adaptiverb are enormous. Think constantly evolving
harmonically sensitive pitched reverb that can be as smooth and as clear as you like
and yet rich with relevant harmonic content. If you try it you will want it…
www.zynaptiq.com
VERDICT 9.2
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FMU318.rev_roundup.indd 94 13/04/2017 09:17