Reverb and Delay Pedals

Nice. Thanks.

The Specular Tempus is a bit of a sleeper, but gets good reviews for sound quality. It also has both delay and reverb algorithms, so it can be a versatile unit. I ended up getting a Meris Mercury7 recently, after considering a lot of other options. It is inspired by the Blade Runner sound, and in my opinion sounds fantastic. It has two main algorithms – “Ultraplate”, which is shorter/smaller/snappier, and “Cathedra” which can get really big. However, the range of adjustment for either algo is so wide that they can both be pretty big and pretty small. I like it and it does exactly what I want it to do for me, using it with Digitone, Octatrack, and OP-Z.

3 Likes

Oh yeah, 2caudio stuff is great if you’re doing things ‘in the box.’ Sign up for their mailing list and grab the bundle when it’s on sale!

Seconded. I’ve been through so many reverb pedals in my time, but I’ll never part with the Mercury 7 - it’s spectacular.

Other favourites that I’d happily own again are, in no particular order:

Mr. Black Supermoon - such beautiful wonk

Eventide Space - worth the money.

…and the humble Boss RV-5. All utterly vanilla, with the exception of the modulation setting, which is utterly brilliant.

I’ve been kind of looking at the Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master - it’s a digital delay + reverb pedal. More down to earth in price than their Avalanche Run and the like.

1 Like

Also Mercury7 owner here. Fantastic pedal, it can do a nice contained plate sound, but the out-there-sounds are it’s je-ne-sais-quoi :wink:

Not sure if mentioned but I love my Ventris Reverb pedal. Stereo path, bunch of engines (love the lofi verb and the shimmer), IOS control app for “under the hood” stuff (there’s a lot in there) and It has some basic delay in there too.
Best part, full MIDI control including 128 presets. I use my OT to control it in my dark trinity.
Oh yeah, it sounds fantastic!

2 Likes

Im trying to find something that will distract me from the Ventris :slight_smile:

Good luck :wink:, I couldn’t hold out after watching a few demos

1 Like

I had a TC hall of fame for a long time and it was boring. I now have a chase bliss dark world and I love the weird warped setting it has! And I love that’s it’s dual channel. And everything sounds good on it. But not cheap either.

The old blood noise endeavors/datachoirsounds REVER is not so expensive and seems there’s some fans of that. The knobs or bunch of pedals YouTube review was intriguing, especially the reverse stuff.

1 Like

Ventris and Dark World are both fantastic reverb pedals!!! I was in between the Ventris and Mercury7 myself, went with the Mercury for the beautiful blue colour lol. But if I find a good used deal on a Ventris I’ll snatch it up in no time, the spring reverb on that thing is second to none.

The Dark World is also soooo interesting, it’s really an effect pedal more than a reverb pedal…or I should rather say it’s more than just a reverb pedal, so nice the soundscapes and weirdness it can create.

The Neunaber Immerse Mk2 is also mad beautiful. GREAT sounding reverb pedal, in the same league with the best.

So much good stuff out there, hard to be disciplined about gear lol.

My friend lent me his Line-6 ‘Echo Park’ and ‘Verbzilla’ stomp boxes a long time ago. They are still on the desk! I think they are long since discontinued but they have become a core of my sound. I know there are better things out there for sure, but these have been great up to now. Also - built like absolute tanks - a drop on your foot from desk height would be a kill shot.

1 Like

I use a combo of Eventide Space and H9 for these purposes.

I m after heavily textural, in your face fx and this duo delivers. Though it will do clean and subtle as well.

I use my Strymon BigSky with both the Zoia (as a synth) and the Digitone. Lush. TBH, though, I like to run the DN through all manner of boxes and see what sound comes out! The grungier the better…

Agree about the TC Hall of Fame. It seems more suited to guitar than synths. It’s good for more “standard” reverb models. I needed something with more possibilities. It is true there are a lot of good reverb pedals out there now. I’ve been interested in both the dark world and the rêver but the only drawback is that they are mono only. I figured I should try to remain stereo, if I can.

1 Like

I’ve got an Eventide space and it’s capable of anything you need if you take your time editing. Also the means to act as a proper line level aux fx is very handy.

I’m a bit surprised no ones mentioned the tc electronic T2. It’s very affordable and stereo and a surprisingly great sounding unit. The one time I mucked about with it I just about bought it even though I have the space. I may still grab one if I find a sweet used deal.

2 Likes

I have an EQD Avalanche Run V2; sounds great & can do huge, weird & wonderful as well more dialed back stuff. My mate has a Dispatch Master, also sounds excellent; guess it depends on if you’d need tap tempo etc & full wet options. Have tried the AR with synth & guitar, & listened to Dispatch Master with violin & mandolin. Both pedals are really well made, and EQD are a great company; their gear comes with a lifetime warranty. Expensive for sure, but feels like the money is going to right kind of people. Highly recommemded!

4 Likes

Funny I came back to this thread searching for info on delay pedals after adding my two cents about reverb. I currently have the Volante from Strymon, but I think it’s a bit more than I need, and maybe too specialized a sound. Don’t get me wrong, the sound is fantastic, and it’s fun to use. I’m starting to think I should go with something that’s a little more versatile. I’m a big fan of my Mercury7, so naturally, I’m considering the Polymoon from Meris. However, I’m also looking at the… Digitech Obscura. They are going for silly money right now, so maybe I should just take the dive and see if it works for me. Has anyone tried both? Got any suggestions. I’m trying to avoid just going for the Polymoon because of the name, but it would also sit nicely next to the Mercury 7. I really should just go to bed! hah.

I had the Polymoon - they are great, but it just didn’t quite speak to me. The weird side of it gets boring kinda quick. I tried the Obscura a while ago and it’s got a really well made feel to it, but the sound just wasn’t good enough for me. It really struggled when compared with other stuff.

Do you need stereo? If so, I’d take a look at the Source Audio Nemesis. If not, check out the Alexander Radical Delay II+ I’ve got for sale… It’s hands down the best sounding delay I could find when I bought it, and I tried looooads! (I find that loads of pedals are well voiced for guitar, but don’t work so well on synths etc.). Or the other good competitor I found was the Walrus Audio Arp 87, also not to pricey.

I’m personally only selling my Alexander (and the Polymoon which went last month) to help fund a Bastl Thyme, as one of those can cover a lot of useful ground for me.

I quite agree here.

I had the Polymoon. It sounds great, and Meris pedals are very well made.
But, I found the Polymoon to be not versatile enough, and sold it. Also the midi sync of the Polymoon requires an additional box, so in the end the Polymoon is expensive.

I took a (second hand) Source Audio Nemesis. It is very versatile, the stereo is great, the midi implementation is solid. And it can be used in mono with an fx loop (which extends the versatility to infinity).
To me it’s the best value on the numerical delays market at the moment.

I also had a Pigtronix echolution 2 in the past. It is a great unit, stereo, nice midi, pretty unique sounds, definitely worth a look. I regret selling it and I’ll probably buy it back soon.

1 Like