30 Nov 2015
Reverbs are truly my favorite "effect" on the market. Whether it is an analog or digital unit, physical or modeled, reverb has always intrigued me. As such, I do happen to own most of the ones from Reason's RE arsenal (albeit sans the Numerical Sound options, as they are a bit out of my budget to "collect them all." I would certainly love to own them all to thoroughly test them against the available options out there if I ever had the chance/opportunity though, haha). That being said, everyone hears their "perfect reverb" a bit differently, but here's my two cents, for what it's worth.
Softube's TSAR-1R - It is great, but it is limited. The TSAR engine is a tremendously powerful engine that adds some truly life-giving reverb to even the dullest of tracks. The TSAR-1R lacks some editing options that really come in handy when trying to control and shape the room. This being said, I would save (or splurge) on the bigger brother, the TSAR-1. It is an absolute go-to for anything acoustic/real (basically anything but synths) - vocals, acoustic guitar, drums, pianos, and almost any sampled instrument (where I was truly blown away by the TSAR-1 is when I added it to Bitley's Koto sample in the Fairlight Platinum Refill; the reverb truly made a sample from nearly 30 years ago sound like the real thing). Being able to tame the room is absolutely worth the extra money. The lack of adjustments of the TSAR-1R feels like my hands are tied behind my back in the overall mix. But the TSAR-1 and TSAR-1R simply sound... clean, rich, and realistic. The downside to this purity is that the TSAR has a very difficult (*cough* impossible) time sounding like an effect, it always sounds like a mastering-quality tool. It won't get crazy, it won't get weird, it is simply creates fantastic sounding "spaces." It just dials into great-sounding reverb instantly, and it is truly hard to come up with a bad sounding patch with this one.
Synapse's DR-1 - To me, this is not a very "realistic" sounding reverb, but it does sound great as an "effect" reverb for synths, pianos, etc. This reverb offers some fatness/thickness that admittedly the TSARs do not have from the get-go. But, truth be told, this reverb is IDENTICAL to the reverb effect found in Antidote. Same dials, same sounds, same everything pretty much. I ran the same recorded piano track through Antidote in one sequence, and then through the DR-1 in another, and could not find any distinguishable difference between the two. This being said, it is a great choice, and for $20 it is certainly a nice one to have in the stockpile to pull out on electric leads, washy pianos, and ambient pads.
Rob Papen's RP-Verb - Simply put, the demo songs for this product suck. Badly. I almost never would have bothered demoing this thing had it not been on sale last year at the same price. But I am glad my curiosity and reverb-collecting-impulsiveness made me click on this one. Oh my goodness, this is one powerful (and at times unwieldy) reverb unit. In terms of hardware equivalents, this is the closet reverb I have come across in the Rack Extension realm that can nearly pull off Strymon's Big Sky reverb engine (Haven't heard of it? Go check it out!). This is definitely much more of an "effect" reverb than a "real" one, despite how many options and knobs this thing has to add variation and walls inside of a room. That being said, this thing can get absolutely massive, fat, thick, and eery within 7 seconds of playing with the knobs. This reverb also adds a few nice varieties of reverb that are not convential, such as their "space" and "storm" reverbs. The other add-ins of this reverb, such as the Ensemble (aka Sparkle/Shimmer in the guitar pedal world) are a nice touch, as well as the distortion. The gates are solid and the EQ being able to be switched between Pre/Post reverb is the icing on the cake. This is a beast on anything ambient related, but that being said, it is not a go-to for a typical mix. Best used for on electric guitarists going for that Sigur Ros/Andy Othling vibe, turning Rhodes into sultry pads, and adding some dirt and ambiance to a mix.
Synapse's Fat Space - IMHO, just like the cake, the name of this unit is a lie, this is not "fat" at all. It can't be pushed nearly as "far" as the description makes this thing sound. Instead, it is a very smooth and subtle reverb that adds field depth without adding the heavy mid-tones if that makes sense. Honestly, I tend to think of this reverb as more of a complimentary reverb that pairs nicely with any of the other reverbs listed above. It is one not to use by itself, unless if you are wanting a rather shallow-feeling reverb experience. But throw this reverb after a DR-1 or TSAR-1 and you now have a very capable and very lush reverb. I find this unit best used on vocals, pianos, and drums (but again, it is typically best paired with something to bring out the mids in a reverb, unless light is what you are going for).
Unfiltered Audio's Renoun - Admittedly this one never really "wow"ed me. It's not bad, it is pretty solid, but with RV7000 MK2 and the near infinite amount of free impulses out there it feels like the Renoun may struggle a bit to make its name in the "must haves" in my racks. It is not a thick reverb, but feels more at home between the RV7000 and the DR-1. There are a couple of different things that do make this reverb a bit more unique though, one of which is the modulation ability. I felt like mentioning this one as it is currently $15. Again, this is not a "bad" sounding reverb, but I feel like now with the RV7000 MK2's new capabilities this one may end up in the closet for a bit. This thing does shines nicely on electric guitar chains and synths.
TL:DR - I would honestly suggest splurging on the TSAR-1, NOT the TSAR-1R. The magic of this RE cannot be created with the RV7000 MK2. The RP-Verb is also a very good buy. Both of these are on my "cannot be without" list of REs. For your music, if mostly live instruments, the TSAR-1 will be an invaluable tool that will totally change your mix.