Looking for a reverb unit and/or multi effect box

[Magnum Pi]

I am putting together a home studio as well as a PA rig for live gigs. I want to pick up a reverb box or a multi-effect box and I'm not sure what to go with. The only thing I have any experience with is the Alesis Microverb...which I thought did a decent job 5 or 6 years ago. So, the question is, what are some good choices these days?

[Creamyapples1]

16 Legendary Lexicon reverbs imo.

Ok, seriously though, I wanna know too!@

[SonicAlbert]

What's your budget?

[Big Kenny]

Rumour or Mangler, good converters too.

[Creamyapples1]

Originally Posted by SonicAlbert

What's your budget?

I'd say 150-300

[soundchaser59]

You can get a TC Electronics M300 right now for $150, specs are decent, dual input mode, nice sounding fx with reverb engine seperate from the multi-fx engine, midi control. They are discounted because the M350 is released now. Beats the microverb all the way outa town.....

[xstatic]

You may also want to look into a used yamah spx 900 or 990. It will give you a serious bump up in quality

[Seeker of Rock]

Lexicon used LXP-15 (you are almost in range for a used MPX1), the TC Electronics unit gets a lot of attention here. I don't know about Microverb series, but the Alesis Midiverb IV I have I still swear by. The unit sounds great. In all fairness, I haven't heard the Midiverb I, II, or III, nor any of the Microverbs....only the Midiverb IV. The Lexicon LXP-15 I have with the Jim Williams mod is awesome. Would also HIGHLY recommend that in or just above your price range ($150 for the mod, about the same or a little more for a good shape LXP-15, preferrably version II).

[Cyanide-Depende]

I use an alto betaverb for live applications, very rarely in the studio though.

-C$

[WERNER 1]

What about the TC Electronics G-Major?? I believe it can do up to 6 effects at once, and from what I understand it's top notch effects (This is from guitar players who use them in the effects loop of their amps) ....I'm going to be purchasing one of these for my amp rigs as well, but thought it'd double nicely as a dedicated studio efx processor (yes/no??)

Thanks,
Rick

[Rick Shepherd]

Lexicon mpx-550: I got one off ebay for 250 bucks, nice unit!

[lumbago]

Lexicon MPX 110,200,500 or 550

TC Electronics M300

[EDAN]

The Sony DPS-V55 is a far more professional unit then the low end ones mentioned thus far. It originally listed for somewhere around $400-$500 and they go anywhere from $170-$200+ on ebay, there are five or six on there right now. It uses the same 52-bit DSP engine as Sony's now out of production $1,900 top of the line DPS-V77. Both have somewhat of a cult following and I've only ever read great things concerning each. I own a V55 and it's simply head and shoulders above anything else in your price range.

Review here

Sony DPS-V55

Now, another option in your price range is the Behringer V-Verb 2496, don't let the name fool you, it got great reviews at both soundondound and Musictech mag.

Musictech: "Stunning realistic reverbs" "highly recommended"

Soundonsound: "It can certainly hold its own against much more expensive competitors" "If you aspire to the best, but don't have the budget, the REV2496 is one of life's better compromises"

[xstatic]

PLease, I have had a few of those Sony's in my racks. They can actually be found for about $100 used out there because no one wants them. I don't care what DSP they use, they have the same "grainy" and "2D" sound that all of the other cheaper verbs have (ala Alesis, Behringer, Alto, and even the cheapest yamaha's). As far as top of the line Sony goes, $1900 would be VERY cheap. Are they bad units for the price? Certainly not. Do they outperform other units under $400? I would say not a chance. The newer TC and Lexi offerings may be a little stale, but the quality of the cheap verbs on the market right now is head and shoulders above what it used to be. To me the best bargains on the market (used) right now is the yamaha spx 900, 990, 1000 etc...., Eventide Harmonizers, Lexicon PCM 70,80 mpx1, TC M3000 and M5000 and even something like the old Roland 8 channel verb (I forget the model number) and the Lexi 224, 300's etc...

[EDAN]

Show me where you can find a DPS-V55 for $100 bucks and I'll buy all of them up. The last few on ebay went for close to and over $200 and on occasion closing in on $300.

If you want to believe the new low budget verbs can campare, feel free, but get your ears checked

[EDAN]

Originally Posted by xstatic

PLease, I have had a few of those Sony's in my racks. They can actually be found for about $100 used out there because no one wants them. I don't care what DSP they use, they have the same "grainy" and "2D" sound that all of the other cheaper verbs have (ala Alesis, Behringer, Alto, and even the cheapest yamaha's). As far as top of the line Sony goes, $1900 would be VERY cheap. Are they bad units for the price? Certainly not. Do they outperform other units under $400? I would say not a chance. The newer TC and Lexi offerings may be a little stale, but the quality of the cheap verbs on the market right now is head and shoulders above what it used to be. To me the best bargains on the market (used) right now is the yamaha spx 900, 990, 1000 etc...., Eventide Harmonizers, Lexicon PCM 70,80 mpx1, TC M3000 and M5000 and even something like the old Roland 8 channel verb (I forget the model number) and the Lexi 224, 300's etc...

Your confused, the DPS-V55 was never a cheap unit, it was a mid-priced unit that still out specs and has more to offer in way of routing and editing then many of todays mid-priced units. The V77 was listed at $1,900, so not sure what you're talking about as far as that price being very cheap. You don't seem up on Sony and I can understand as many people aren't. Do some googling and read up and see why they are very saught after.

[xstatic]

Actually, I sold three of them for $100 each several years ago. As for $1900 not being expensive, I agree that $1900 is certainly in the "fairly expensive" category. Sony however has had a couple of verb units in the past that have sold for more than $5000 though. That is what I was referring to. As far as googling goes, I really don't need to. I am VERY familiar with the Sony line. I actually used to be a Sony dealer years ago. I still have many pairs of 7506's (who doesn't? ), and have been seriously considering buying a Sony 3036 console for several years now. I have even recently considered buying a Sony DMX R100 now that they can be had for so cheap (they can actually be found for less than $5000 on occasion now). In fact, I may even have a v55 kicking around at the shop somewhere still. Next time I am down there, I will check. As far as Ebay goes, I really would not put any stock in what things sell on Ebay for. Often times those same items can easily be found for half of the price they go for on Ebay. I have even seen people pay more for something used than it still sells for new (and not cool vintage items either). Thats cool if you still like the old Sony digi verb unit. I have absolutely no problem with that. However, you cam in here saying... "The Sony DPS-V55 is a far more professional unit then the low end ones mentioned thus far" I find that statement to be pretty inaccurate. I have used that very Sony, all the Alesis verbs, the Yamaha's, the Roland's, the TC's, the Behringer's ( ), the Lexicon's, Eventides, quantem's, EMT's, AMS etc... I would say that somewhere in there it qualifies me to have an opinion. I would also say that the fact that I work in the music industry for a living and make a decent one and stay hired means I may not really need to "get my ears checked". It should also be known that I never run out and buy something or even reccomend something based on some generic magazine's review. I also do not pay attention to most artist endorsements. I have worked with WAY too many endorsed people that do not care for the product that they are "endorsing" to put much stock in that.

Truthfully, if you had come in here and just said "maybe you should give the Sony DPS-V55 a look. I like the way they sound and they seem to be a good value" I would have never said a thing. Instead, you came in here shooting your mouth off with bold statements that you can not qualify like in some other threads you have posted in here

[Gnash5150]

Check out the TC M One XL. $400.

[EDAN]

Originally Posted by xstatic

Actually, I sold three of them for $100 each several years ago. As for $1900 not being expensive, I agree that $1900 is certainly in the "fairly expensive" category. Sony however has had a couple of verb units in the past that have sold for more than $5000 though. That is what I was referring to. As far as googling goes, I really don't need to. I am VERY familiar with the Sony line. I actually used to be a Sony dealer years ago. I still have many pairs of 7506's (who doesn't? ), and have been seriously considering buying a Sony 3036 console for several years now. I have even recently considered buying a Sony DMX R100 now that they can be had for so cheap (they can actually be found for less than $5000 on occasion now). In fact, I may even have a v55 kicking around at the shop somewhere still. Next time I am down there, I will check. As far as Ebay goes, I really would not put any stock in what things sell on Ebay for. Often times those same items can easily be found for half of the price they go for on Ebay. I have even seen people pay more for something used than it still sells for new (and not cool vintage items either). Thats cool if you still like the old Sony digi verb unit. I have absolutely no problem with that. However, you cam in here saying... "The Sony DPS-V55 is a far more professional unit then the low end ones mentioned thus far" I find that statement to be pretty inaccurate. I have used that very Sony, all the Alesis verbs, the Yamaha's, the Roland's, the TC's, the Behringer's ( ), the Lexicon's, Eventides, quantem's, EMT's, AMS etc... I would say that somewhere in there it qualifies me to have an opinion. I would also say that the fact that I work in the music industry for a living and make a decent one and stay hired means I may not really need to "get my ears checked". It should also be known that I never run out and buy something or even reccomend something based on some generic magazine's review. I also do not pay attention to most artist endorsements. I have worked with WAY too many endorsed people that do not care for the product that they are "endorsing" to put much stock in that.

Truthfully, if you had come in here and just said "maybe you should give the Sony DPS-V55 a look. I like the way they sound and they seem to be a good value" I would have never said a thing. Instead, you came in here shooting your mouth off with bold statements that you can not qualify like in some other threads you have posted in here

I've owned or tried most of the lower priced units mentioned and overall find the V55 to be a much more professional unit. I won't bore you with detailed opinions on why I feel this way, I'll only say in short that just about every aspect of the V55 out performs the lower priced units of today, from specs to editing to routing to sound quality and build quality. Of course this is only my opinion, but one I feel strongly about and thus the recommendation. Furthermore I posted a very high quality recording showcasing the V55, so I have something to back my opinion up. As far as reviews go, if you don't find them useful so be it, I'm not one who believes there's a big conspiracy and that all reviews done are done so as a favor or the reviewers have an agenda. Sound on Sound and Music Tech mags aren't "generic" and they just as often don't "highly recommend" a piece of gear. In fact I read a review recently of the TC MX-2000 at SOS which got only a so-so review. They do very in-depth time consuming reviews and at least SOS often have the same product reviewed by more than one person, sometimes those reviews differ. So, yes I do respect some reviewers opinion if I find the person doing the reviewing to be credible.

The V55 is the little brother to the V77 as you know and the V77 is by all accounts I've ever read or heard a great professional unit even by today's standards. Three sold for $400+, $650 and $600 on ebay over the last two weeks. Like it or not ebay is where most people these days are going to hunt for used effects units so the prices reflect what people are paying even if those prices aren't always consistent. These units are up there with all the high end units made by the more familiar suspects even if Sony doesn't have the reputation. You'll see the V77 and even occassionaly the V55 at many high end studios under their gear list. Yes, soundonsound gave the V77 one of the best reviews they've ever given a piece of gear, Sorry, I don't think they did it as a favor and I don't think many studios still use them just for the heck of it. The V55 uses the same two engines, same chip, some of the same algorithms. I owned a V77 and the V55 often competes very well with big brother, none of the low priced units here could touch the V77, that's my opinion and it's based in reality. Sony doesn't play around, they make good gear and I think for the price of a used V55 the original poster would have a unit that would be far superior then the low end ones mentioned, so sue me.

Now, about your V55, if you sold a few several years ago for $100 a piece, what do you want for the one you have hanging around?

[robin watson]

Just picked up a v55 pretty cheap recently myself - really nice unit, with some excellent presets that my other units (Sony R7, TC M300, Lex LXP1) don't do. Found a great snare patch that really opened things up.

[xstatic]

I am glad you like your v55. Every unit has its use. I just never pretended that it was osmehting that absolutely outperfomed all the others like Edan said. Basically, he is full of shit. Sure some people like them, some hate them. This is also the guy though that swears by Behringer. The good news however is that because they are not all that coveted they can still be found very cheaply which definately increases their purchasability. I still wish on occasion that I had my Microverb for a single preset on it... the same goes for my Quadraverb 2. Every piece of gear has its use.

[EDAN]

I think I have three pieces of Behringer gear, a compressor that works great and has for the past seven years, a bass amp that sounds fine and the V-Verb which sounds GREAT. I've tried most of today's lower and mid priced all-in-ones and the V-55 is better sounding, 4-in, 4-outs, has more routing options, has more editing options and still out specs and is built better than most. The cheapest units by the big names don't compare in sound or build quality imo. I would compare the V-55 to most mid priced units costing in the $400 range. The ONLY truly cheap unit that compares is, you guessed it, the Behringer V-Verb. There is nothing and I mean nothing for $150.00 out there that comes close to it. The knobs are flimsy, but the sound is great. V-55's are going for between $150 and $250 on ebay, Actually only the most recent auction went for $150. The last few I tracked over the past couple of months or so sold for over $200 and for that price there is nothing new that can touch it.

[Seeker of Rock]

Originally Posted by EDAN

The Sony DPS-V55 is a far more professional unit then the low end ones mentioned thus far. "

Low end unit? Shit, I'll put my JW modded LXP-15 up against your Sony any day.

[EDAN]

Originally Posted by Seeker of Rock

Low end unit? Shit, I'll put my JW modded LXP-15 up against your Sony any day.

Your "modded" LXP-15 is not a newer unit and it wasn't cheap. If memory serves me it was about twice as much as a V-55.

[Seeker of Rock]

But by no means what I would call in the 'low end' category, though. $150 for the mod, $200+ for the unit if I remember correctly.