7
V-VERB PRO REV2496
1.3 Digital reverberationthen and now
Simulated reverberation has certainl come a long wa over
the past five decades. A necessit to be able to create a first-
class reverb effect became apparent earl on, particularl in
recording studios. To get a step closer to this goal, all kinds of
technological approaches were tried. In the 50s and 60s, the
landscape of recording studios was dominated b special
(ph sical) reverb chambers, reverb plates and classical spring
reverbs. But the world of artificial reverberation could undergo a
revolution onl with the advent of digital technolog . The possibilit
to influence the reverberation period and frequenc response
of an artificiall created sound gave sound engineers the kind of
freedom that people could previousl onl dream of. As the
prices of digital reverbs graduall started to decline, such
equipment was for the first time within the financial reach of a
large cross-section of musicians (and not just big recording
studios and broadcasters). Still, one cannot den the existence
of a substantial qualit difference between professional
equipment and the so-called consumer equipment. Even toda ,
onl a handful of reverb processors on the market can trul
impress the most discerning listeners. It was often the case that
the disadvantages of different units were not apparent until a
direct comparison was performed.
1.4 Digital reverb modeling
The development of the V-VERB PRO started about six ears
ago. We started b developing man different algorithms,
evaluating them in a multitude of listening tests. Earl in this
process, a large variet of building blocks for reverberation
algorithms was created, letting us later use these building blocks
to model realistic acoustic environments (i.e. to create them
virtuall ). But that was not enough: simulations of well-known
studio standards were now also possible. Even though man
vintage digital reverbs are currentl becoming popular again,
professional studios nowada s mainl use two different kinds
of reverberation:
1. Natural-s unding reverberati n
Reverb classics that are used in the worlds top studios belong
to this famil . Instead of modeling room impressions, special
algorithms are created that simulate the sound of complete
acoustic environments. The result are ver smooth and warm
reverb tails with deep room impressions, ideall suited for making
music.
2. Reverbs that simulate realistic r m impressi ns
A new famil of reverb processors that have been programmed
to replicate real acoustic spaces has established itself in recent
times. Unlike with the classic reverb design philosoph , this famil
of reverbs approaches the task of acoustic space replication b
dividing the d namic behavior of impulses into two basic elements,
namel into two different processor blocks:
1. An Earl Reflections Generator creates the first component
of the impulse response for a variet of acoustic spaces.
2. A second generator creates the late reverb tail and allows
adjusting deca times in up to four different frequenc
bands.
We started the development of the V-VERB PRO with the
intention at combining the best of these two worlds. In doing
that, it was ver important to us to implement both concepts for
creating room impressions. What ended up being produced is
our new reverb modeling technolog that allows us to accuratel
recreate all t pes of reverberation. This process consists of
both mainstream and new methods.
Regardless of which design philosoph ou personall prefer,
the V-VERB PRO gives ou a choice: both warm, prominent
reverb effects with a natural sound as well as realistic
roominess, whose impact can be defined to the most minute
detail.
From da one it was alwa s our goal to program such reverb
effects that would make ever thing else seem simpl second-
class. B implementing an extremel powerful signal processor
operating internall at 88.2/96 kHz, we succeeded at noticeabl
improving the resolution and transparenc . High processing
power and an efficient processor operation allow for computing
extremel complex room models. The floating point calculation,
unique in this price segment, creates d namics that guarantee
low distortion and ultra-transparent fade-outs of late reverb
phases. We are particularl proud that the V-VERB PRO is the
first of its kind to succeed in creating and combining earl and
late reverberations in completel new and original wa s. B
utilizing innovative reverb modeling, we are now able to create
such naturall -sounding room impressions that were previousl
possible onl in ph sical, real spaces.
2. CONTROL ELEMENTS AND
CONNECTIONS
In this chapter we will describe the different control elements
of our V-VERB PRO. All controls and connections are described
in detail, and oull also get useful advice about how to use them.
2.1 The front
Controlling our REV2496 is menu-driven. This means that
some control elements have different functions depending on
the menu in which ou are currentl working. This reduces the
number of ke s and controls necessar to operate our
REV2496, so the control panel is ver clearl arranged. The
large LCD alwa s clearl indicates the current function assigned
to a particular control element.
Fig. 2.1: Display section of the REV2496
The LED meter indicates the REV2496s input signal. The
red CLIP LED illuminates as soon as the input signal level
is too high, indicating the possibilit of audible distortion.
The displa shows all the menus necessar for controlling
our REV2496. The function that is assigned to controls
EDIT A - EDIT D ( ) is indicated beneath the LCD and
depends on the menu ou are in.
The MIDI IN LED indicates that MIDI data is being received.
The red LIMI ER LED lights up if one of the peak limiters in
the output section is engaged.
These LEDs indicate the selected sampling frequenc . It
can be selected in the setup menu. The EX ERNAL LED
lights up if the REV2496 is being externall s nchronized.
The external s nchronization can be done either via the
digital audio inputs or through the Wordclock input ( ).
Fig. 2.2: EDI controls A - D
2. CONTROL ELEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS
