Empress Effects Reverb User manual

user manual
version 4.01

INTRODUCTION
We're stoked you've chosen to make the Empress Reverb part
of your sound! We've worked really hard to provide beautiful
realistic studio-quality reverbs, as well as many creative new
modes. You'll soon discover the tone palette is deep and
diverse.
It was important for us to create a pedal that's tweakable but
fast to dial in. We wanted all the functions at your finger tips
and accessible with your toes. The many advanced
configuration options let you customize the pedal to meet your
needs, so be sure to check those out.
If any section of this manual is unclear, check our tutorial
videos online - sometimes a moving picture with sound is
worth a million words.
The Empress Reverb firmware can be updated via an SD card. If
you want a say in what features we add to future firmware
revisions, sign up for our voting forum at
www.empresseffects.com/votingforum
Now go make some music!
Jason Fee - Designer
Steve Bragg - Designer

QUICKSTART
All modes are designed to sound good with all knobs at 12 o'clock.
Start there and then tweak to taste.
Concert Hall
Modulated
Ghost

QUICKSTART
Room
Delay + Reverb
Reverse

MODE REFERENCE CHART
Mode
Description
Thing 1
Thing 2
Hall
Concert Hall
Classic large hall sound,
very warm, slow build,
with long smooth decay.
Modulation
Early Reflection
Level
Modern Hall
Hall that's very smooth
and warm without any
modulation.
Pre Delay Time
Early Reflection
Level
Plate
Classic Plate
Modeled after a vintage
plate, works at both short
and long decays.
Pre Delay Time
Bright Early
Decay
Studio Plate
Very smooth decay, no
modulation.
Pre Delay Time
Early Reflection
Level
Spring
Bright Spring
In the Fender Twin Reverb
realm.
Rattle Decay
Rattle Level
Dark Spring
In the Fender Deluxe
realm.
Rattle Decay
Rattle Level
Overdriven
Spring
Dirty 60's Surf Sound.
Rattle Decay
and Level
Break-up
amount
Room
L.A. Studio
Very Realistic room with
dense early reflections.
Great at short decays.
Pre-Delay Time
Early Reflection
Level
Sparkle
Sparkle
Adds smooth octaves and
long decays.
Sparkle Level
Sparkle Length
Glummer
Octave down and up
Octave down
blend
Octave up
amount
Modulation
Modulated
Very smooth and adds lots
of thickness, width and
airiness to the sound.
Modulation
Rate
Modulation
Depth

Chorused Reverb
Similar to Modulated but a
more muted sound in the
mid range frequencies.
Modulation
Rate
Modulation
Depth
Flanged Reverb
Has a wide-sweeping
flanger type effect on the
output.
Modulation
Rate
Modulation
Depth
Tremolo Reverb
Tremolo is applied after a
smooth hall reverb.
Tremolo Rate
Tremolo Depth
Ambient Swell
Triggered Swell
Detects pick attacks and
fades in the notes,
eliminating attack in the
reverb line.
Swell Time
Modulation
Gate Swell with
Octave
Has a gate that then feeds
a dense set of delays with
octave. It will fade in your
playing to create smooth
swells.
Gate Attack
Octave Up
volume
Delay+Reverb
Single Tap Delay
Adds a delay to the warm
hall setting, very cool for
lead parts.
Delay Time
Delay Feedback
Blend-able Delay
Delay time is set with
select stompswitch.
Blend of delay
vs reverb
Delay Feedback
Filtered
Feedback Delay
The Hi and Low knobs
filter the delay feedback.
Delay Time
Delay Feedback
Reverse
Reverse with
Decay
Reverse Reverb with a
nice smooth decay.
Reverse Swell
Time
Reverse
Modulation
Reverse and Stop
Reverse Reverb with no
decay.
Pre Delay
Diffusion
Reversed Delay
Reverse Delay with ability
to add Reverb.
Reverse Delay
Length
Amount of
Reverb added to
the reverse
delay

Ghost
Resonant
It's a spooky sounding
decay because of
aggressive resonances in
the response.
Mod Rate
Resonance
(aka spookiness)
Casper
A Friendlier, less spooky
ghost
Modulation
Diffusion
Lo-Fi
50's Radio
Grainy, filtered lo-fi sound
with an AM radio quality
to it.
Delay Level
Dirtiness
Warble
Distorted and wobbly
delay lo-fi sounds.
Warble
Dirtiness
Beer
Glitch
The reverb tail is fed into a
filter that randomly
changes between low-pass
and high-pass.
Glitch Speed
Glitch Tone -
determines the
time spent on
HPF vs. LPF
Gated Reverb
When you stop playing, a
gate mutes the wet signal.
Gate Threshold
Gate Release
(10ms - 1sec)
Destroyer Pad
For sternly communicating
with household appliances
Robot screams
Pitch shift
This manual only lists modes that were available at the time of printing.
For the most up-to-date firmware and manual refer to empresseffects.com

FIRMWARE UPDATES
This pedal has firmware that can be updated with an SD card.
Performing A Firmware Update
1) download the firmware file off the website
www.empresseffects.com/reverb-firmware
2) copy the file to the root directory of the SD card
(a high-capacity SD card that's been formatted FAT32)
3) insert the SD card then power on the pedal.
4) The preset LEDs should marquee yellow for a bit, then all
turn green when the update is complete.
5) remove SD card, cycle the pedal's power, and you're good!
SD Card Constraints
There should only be one partition on the SD card because the
pedal only looks at the first partition on the disk. SD card must
be V2 high speed. Nowadays this is the most common type.
Firmware Update Error Codes
The preset LEDs will blink to signal an error:
1. unusable card
2. V1 card
3. V2 standard card
4. unable to read disk
5. valid FAT volume not found on SD card.

PRESETS
The Reverb has two types of preset systems: the scrolling
preset system, and the bank preset system. Read about each
preset system to find which one will work best for you. Select
which preset system to use in Advanced Configuration.
SCROLLING PRESET SYSTEM
Preset Organization
In Advanced Configuration you can select the number of
presets you wish to use. The presets are represented by a
series of 5 LEDs located just below the knobs. Press the scroll
stompswitch to scroll through the presets. The preset LEDs will
blink. When cycling through the presets after every 5 presets,
the preset LED colors will change to another color to indicate
you're in the next bank and will start counting again from left
to right.
When cycling through the presets you will notice that after
your final preset, all the preset LEDs will flash very quickly. This
represents the manual preset. If you recall this preset, the
Reverb will get its settings from the current knob positions. In
the manual preset, no preset LEDs are lit.
You can scroll backwards through the presets by pressing the
select and scroll stompswitches simultaneously.

Saving a Preset
To save the current settings to a preset, press the scroll
stompswitch until you reach the preset location you want to
write to. While the lights are flashing, hold down the save
button and press the scroll stompswitch. Your preset is now
saved.
Recalling a Preset
To recall a preset simply press the scroll stompswitch until the
preset you’d like to recall is flashing, then press the select
stompswitch to load the preset. The presets LEDs should now
be solid and bright.
Changing a Preset
If you change the position of a knob or switch after a preset is
loaded, the preset LEDs will dim to indicate that the preset has
been modified, but not saved. If you move the knob or switch
back to the position it was in when the preset was saved, the
preset’s LED indicators will brighten again. This lets you find the
positions of all the knobs and switches when the preset was
saved.

BANK PRESET SYSTEM
Preset Organization
In Advanced Configuration you'll select the number of banks
you wish to use. The preset LEDs display which bank is selected
by changing color. Each stompswitch represents a preset. So
there are 3 presets per bank.
Recalling a Preset and Bypassing the Pedal
To recall a preset, press on a stompswitch. The light above that
stompswitch and the bypass LED will illuminate. To load
another preset, simply press one of the other stompswitches.
To bypass the pedal, press the stompswitch corresponding to
the active preset, and the bypass LED will turn off. The pedal is
now bypassed.
Changing Banks
To bank up, press the right and middle stompswitches
simultaneously. To bank down press the left and middle
stompswitches simultaneously. The LEDs will flash indicating
the target bank, then you can press any of the stompswitches
to load a preset within that bank.
Saving a Preset
To save a preset, set the knobs to the sound you would like to
save. Then navigate to the target bank. While the lights are
blinking, press and hold the save button and select the target
preset location by pressing the corresponding stompswitch.

Controls at a Glance
mode selector: selects which
mode is active. Each mode can
have many submodes which are
indicated by dierent color LEDs.
low and hi: controls the reverb
tone through EQ and damping.
to save a preset:
- create the sound you want to save
- scroll to the preset location to
which you would like to save.
- press and hold the save button
- press the scroll stompswitch
- release save and scroll
to assign expression pedal:
- move knob(s) to desired setting(s)
for heel position
- press and hold save button
- move knobs to desired setting(s)
for toe position
- release save button
select: used to engage a preset
that has been scrolled to with
the scroll stompstwitch.
- also used as a tap switch or
innite hold when not scrolling
through presets.
select + scroll together: will scroll
backwards through presets.

Controls at a Glance
thing 1 & thing 2: these two
controls take on dierent
functions depending on the
mode. They control things like
modulation, early reections,
pre-delay, sparkle, octave level,
delay time and feedback.
Check the mode reference chart
to see which function they
perform in a given mode.
mix: sets the ratio of wet signal
(reverb) to dry signal (unaected).
Counterclockwise is 100% dry,
clockwise is 100% wet, with 50/50
being somewhere around 2 o’clock.
output: controls the overall
output volume for the pedal.
12 o’clock is unity.
decay: controls how long the
reverb tail takes to decay.
scroll: press to scroll through
presets, then engage the preset
with the select switch.
bypass: engage or bypass the
pedal. Can be set for true bypass
or buered bypass in advanced
conguration.
select + scroll together: will scroll
backwards through presets.

CONTROL PORT
The control port jack allows the Empress Reverb to be
controlled by a multitude of devices. The pedal ships
configured to accept an expression pedal. Please see the
Advanced Configuration section on how to configure the
control port for the device you plan to use.
EXPRESSION PEDAL
Each parameter, with the exception of the mode knob, can be
controlled simultaneously via the expression pedal.
To control a parameter with the expression pedal, move the
parameter's knob to the desired heel setting, then hold down
the save button and move the knob to the desired toe setting,
then release the save button. Multiple parameters can be
assigned for expression pedal control simultaneously by
repeating this process for each parameter to be assigned. Each
parameter can be set with independent heel and toe settings.
To release a parameter from the expression pedal's control,
move the knob that controls that parameter.
Any expression pedal used with the Empress Reverb should
have the following pinout: tip to signal, ring to power, and
sleeve to ground.

CONTROL VOLTAGE (CV)
With CV control, the Empress Reverb responds to CV signals
from 0 to 5 volts. Otherwise, the CV configuration works
exactly like the expression pedal configuration.
EXTERNAL TAP SWITCH
The Empress Reverb can be used with either a normally-open
or a normally-closed external switch. This switch operates like
the select stompswitch, with the exception of loading presets.
MIDI
All the parameters of the Empress Reverb can be controlled via
control change messages. Its presets can be selected with
program change messages, and its tempo can be controlled
with MIDI clock messages.
To use MIDI with your Empress Reverb, you'll have to:
1. Connect the Empress Midibox (not included with the
Reverb) using a ¼” patch cable to the control port. A TRS
cable is required to send MIDI out messages if you're using
the reverb to control other pedals.
2. Configure the pedal for MIDI control and set the MIDI
channel. See Advanced Configuration for instructions.
Choose a MIDI channel that won't conflict with other
devices in your MIDI rig.

Recalling a preset via MIDI (Program Change Messages)
You can activate a preset by sending a MIDI program change
message. For example, sending a program change message of
7 activates preset 7.
Midi with Preset Out
The Reverb can send out MIDI program changes on the ring of
the control port jack whenever a preset is loaded on the
Reverb. The Reverb will send out these program changes on
the 4 channels above the Reverb's current MIDI channel.
For example, if the Reverb is set to MIDI channel 5 and
preset 3 is loaded, the Reverb will send out MIDI
program change 3 on MIDI channels 6, 7, 8 & 9.
Midi Beat Clock
Modes that accept a tap tempo input will respond to MIDI
clock messages. MIDI clock specifies quarter notes, subdivided
into 24 MIDI messages. The Reverb's delay time gets set to a
quarter note.
Midi Control Changes
The Empress Reverb can be controlled with MIDI control
change messages. Opposite is a table that shows which MIDI
control change number controls each Reverb parameter.

MIDI CONTROL CHANGE MESSAGES REFERENCE
Reverb Parameter
CC #:
Note:
Modes
20
The modes and sub-modes are
numbered starting from 0 (Hall =
0, Plate = 1, etc.) To translate the
modes and sub-mode to a single
number you apply the following
equation:
MIDI message value = (mode x 8) +
sub-mode
Example: To load the 2nd plate
mode, you'd send a value of 9 with
the CC message. (1x8) + 1.
Recall Preset
11
Send preset # to recall that preset.
Decay Time
21
Sending a value 0 would be
equivalent to the knob completely
counterclockwise, sending 127 is
equivalent to fully clockwise.
Mix
22
Volume
23
Low Damp
24
Hi Damp
25
Thing 1
26
Thing 2
27
Left Stompswitch - Select
35
Sending a value of 64 simulates a
quick tap. Sending a value of 127
simulates the switch being pressed
and held until a value of zero is
sent, simulating releasing the
switch.
Middle Stompswitch - Scroll
36
Right Stompswitch - Bypass
37
Save Button
38
Save Preset
39
0-35 selects which preset the
current settings get saved to. In
Bank mode the presets that
appear are (1,3,5), (6,8,9), etc.
Engage / Bypass
60
0 to bypass, 127 to engage.
Simulate Expression Pedal
10
0 to 127 as the sweep of the
expression pedal from heel to toe.

MIDI Clock Listener
51
Sending a value of 0 causes the
pedal to ignore MIDI clock
messages. Sending a value of 127
causes the pedal to listen for MIDI
clock messages. (by default, the
pedal listens for MIDI clock)
Additional MIDI Control Change Notes
- MIDI switching cannot be done while in Advanced
Configuration.
- the manual preset cannot be used while using the bank preset
system.
POWERING THE REVERB
Go to www.empresseffects.com/power for a full list of
compatible power supplies.
Please Note: The Empress Reverb requires at least 300mA of
current to function properly. Any power supply rated at 9V DC,
supplying negative tip polarity ( ) and at least 300mA
of current should work.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION
The advanced configuration customizes how your pedal
operates. The options are listed in the table that follows.
Entering Advanced Configuration
While holding down the select and bypass stompswitches,
press the save button. All the preset LEDs will blink yellow
twice to confirm you're in.
While in Advanced Configuration
Each mode LED represents a different configuration item you
can change. Look up the item you'd like to change from the
table on the right, then turn the mode rotary knob to select it.
Turn the decay knob to modify the value of the advanced
configuration setting. The preset LEDs will illuminate to show
you the current value. For example, if the hall mode light is lit
and the 2nd preset LED is lit, you've configured the pedal for
buffered bypass operation.
Exiting Advanced Configuration
Hold down select and bypass stompswitches while in advanced
configuration. Preset LEDs will blink yellow twice and the pedal
will reboot.

ADVANCED CONFIGURATION REFERENCE
Option
Set mode LED to:
preset LEDs indicate:
Bypass operation
Hall
1. True Hardwire Bypass
2. Buffered Bypass*
3. Buffered Bypass with isolation
transformer on right output
(Note: when transformer is engaged the
pedal assumes stereo output operation)
Control port
configuration
Plate
1. Expression Pedal*
2. Control Voltage Input
3. Normally Open Switch
4. Normally Closed Switch
5. MIDI
6. MIDI with Preset Out
Input pad
Spring
1. No Pad (0dB)
2. -6dB Pad*
3. -12dB Pad
Preset system
Room
1. Scrolling Preset System*
2. Bank Preset System
Number of presets for
scrolling preset system
Sparkle
As you turn from left to right the
LEDs will illuminate in order to
indicate the last preset.
Number of banks for the
bank preset system
Modulation
As you turn from left to right the
colors will indicate the last bank.
MIDI channel the pedal
will respond to (when
control port is configured
for MIDI).
Ambient Swell
As you turn from left to right the
LEDs will illuminate in order to
indicate the MIDI channel. (ex. If
the 3rd LED is lit, it's going to
listen on MIDI channel 3).
Knob Lock - lock the
presets so they don't
change accidentally on
stage.
Delay + Reverb
1. Unlocked*
2. Locked - knobs are locked in
presets (not manual preset)
3. Total Lock –knobs locked and
can’t overwrite presets.