Alesis Quadraverb, Midiverb etc

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

So picked up a cheap quadraverb today locally, because why not? I’m pretty impressed so far. It was made in '89 and still works perfectly, and the reverb algos are something special, lush in a plastic lofi kind of way. It really does sound like '90s warp. Extensive midi comtrol as well. Think this thing is going to find a permanent spot behind my MS20.

Anyone else have any love for these things, or tips/comments?
Any other cheap groovy gear that has been discarded or forgotten? (3630 maybe? :p)

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How many of you apply reverb on the master?
#2

Alesis processors are often really great. Probably more satisfying if you appreciate grainy textures. I have a modfx ampliton & metavox. The Wedge reverb was quite nice too.

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#3

I’ve had the Alesis Wedge reverb unit since the 90’s and it’s happily back on my main mixer’s post-fader FX loop. Used it a few times on a recent album in fact. It also does some killer and nightmarish pitch bending. I’ve never dug into its MIDI capabilities but was thinking of it earlier.

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#4

Quadraverb, Reflex, DP4+

collect em all

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#5

I’ve had my Quadraverb Plus since 1990. The screen failed a few years back (garbled ascii) but it was a 5min, £20 fix to slot in a replacement.

There are some great sysex files floating around the net but it’s pretty simple and a pleasure to program.

MIDI controlled params is where it shines though - set the OT CCs up and p-lock away!

#6

Love me some Quadraverb.

Playing the resonators is a lot of fun.

#7

Think this is limited to the + version, need to see if I can do that chip swap.
Definitely looking forward to confusing this thing with lots of midi data.

#8

It is indeed.

In that case feed it some hi-hats and field recordings, choose ‘plate 2’ and whack the decay up to about 75.

Tada! You’re making Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (minus the genius melodies).

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#9

This past summer I started missing my old Midiverb II, and ended up going a bit nuts on Alesis 'verbs…Picked up a Quadraverb Plus, Midiverb 1, Midiverb II, and Midifex. The Midiverb 1 and Midifex are probably my favorites due to character. Triggering the resonators on the QV+ with the Machinedrum sequencer is also great.

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#10

This kind of tip is the reason I started the thread, SAW 85-92 is one of my tops :slight_smile:

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#11

it is an easy addiction to get - very cheap to get a fix.

i have:

midiverb 1 (beauty)
midifex
midiverb 2 (bloom!)
midiverb 3
nanoverb (not as bad as i though it might be)
quadraverb

want to try them all because i think there are changes to each version.

#12

Midiverb II just for the two Bloom presets. Try running on a send to first a Monotron Delay and then the MV II for some hands-on ambient tweakfest.

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#13

Old thread I know. But I really want to break a lancet for my Midiverb2. They go so cheap and have such a lovely grainy texture. I patched mine to the cue of my octatrack as a send effect and just love what it does, especially to vocals (short verbs).

I paid around 30 Euro for mine. So much value! And no plugin does what it does…

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#14

I’m thinking about purchasing a Quadraverb

Can it only have one effect on at a time? Or is it multi-FX? I’m having trouble finding out. What’s the difference between Quadraverb, the GT, the 2, the Plus…etc…

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#15

Just picked up a Midiverb2 dirt cheap. Needs a power supply, but…

#16

I think I’m just gonna bite the bullet and buy a Quadraverb 2. The only “bad” thing I’ve heard about it is that it’s a bit cleaner and not as “lofi” as Quadraverb 1 (a character I’m actually kind of craving), but it seems it can stack multiple effects as “blocks” (?) up to 8 of them, whereas the Q1 can’t. Still hard to tell.

Just went ahead and bought it. The one on ebay was dirt cheap ($200) and all the others on reverb were over $500. Guess I’ll update this thread when I get it. Pretty excited to have a decent FX unit for my only hardware synth (Prophet Rev2) as its onboard FX are great but I only get one at a time…No chorus and reverb :frowning:

And who knows maybe I’ll incorporate it into my recording setup too. Use it as a send FX from my Focusrite Scarlett 18i8.

Found the answer I was looking for. 4 effects simultaneously. Seems you can’t go wrong with either Quadraverb, though the Q1 is much more common and much cheaper.

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#17

So the Quadraverb 1 can do reverb, delay, pitch and eq simultaneously in various configurations. It is definitely the most distinctive sounding of the generations.
The plus is just a Quadraverb 1 with a different chip in it. Adds a bunch of stuff like ring mod and a crude but awesome sampling feature.
The GT is the same, but with a bunch of terrible overdrive and distortion that sound like ass.
The 2 onwards make various improvements but sound much cleaner and a bit better quality, though I love the sound of the OG.
Can’t really go wrong with any of them, to be fair, unless you don’t like a bit of noise, in which case you should definitely avoid Quadraverb 1.

@Snipecatcher, good luck with that power supply…

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#18

First I bought a quadraverb, then I snagged a midiverb 3 and Yamaha spx90 (needing battery) for cheap.

I want to swap the midiverb 3 for a 2, as I’m pretty sure the 3 and the quadraverb sound very similar. Haven’t confirmed this just yet though!

Looks like the quadraverb can be upgraded to a quadraverb plus by swapping out an EEPROM!

#19

Cool thanks for the informative post :slight_smile: The rest of the internet was a jumbled mess of information.

Is the 2 like a LOT cleaner? Does it lack character? There are a startlingly few number of demos (I think there’s literally one demo) of the Q2. Are the reverbs too “clean” or are they still lush and pretty?

#20

The 2 is a very nice unit. If you’re nostalgic for some early 90s warp sounds or some really crispy sounds then get the OG. If you want some nice, lush effects the 2 more than has you covered.

Yeah, I love the lottery of buying a Quadraverb and never quite knowing if it’s a plus or not until you get it home.

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