Big Paddy Reverbs - shootout

[Orvillain]

One of those shoot outs that are pointless! But I've got the day off, so indulge me.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5w31tkbo5hgvpk6vavk2q/h?rlkey=ropagsebokbsrb0j3fe6qp0g5&dl=0

Didn't bother making them blind. Don't need to be too scientific about this.

For my money, and this kind of sound .... the Axe FX III and the BigSky just slaughter everything else. The MXR Reverb is the 3rd place one, but it is a pretty steep drop off.

 

[2112]

I enjoyed this. You can definitely hear the differences between "good enough", "good" and "great" here.

 

[Foxmeister]

I do think the Helix can do better here - I remember watching this John Cordy video la few months ago, and preferring the reverb that turned out to be the Helix Dynamic Plate, and liking the Strymon Cloudburst reverb the least.

 

[Orvillain]

I do think the Helix can do better here - I remember watching this John Cordy video la few months ago, and preferring the reverb that turned out to be the Helix Dynamic Plate, and liking the Strymon Cloudburst reverb the least.

Listening....

A is my least favourite... C is my most favourite......

EDIT: After the reveal... okay, wasn't expecting that. Was expecting the Cloudburst to be C.

 

[Orvillain]

That being said, coming back to my clips, I'm still not quite digging the Dynamic Hall on the Helix Floor as much as the Fractal Cumulonimbus, which has quickly become one of my favourite reverbs. The MXR Reverb is cool too, and in a pinch I could work with the Hall of Fame although it is clearly more metallic sounding when you open up the tone to get the same sort of brightness the others have.

The only one that I wasn't really feeling for this kind of sound - and understandably really, because it just isn't designed for it - is the Hardwire RV-7. I threw that one in more as a comparison for myself, because I might flog it. Not 100% sure yet.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

apologies

I like AxeFX best here, Strymon has nice width. MXR is usable but sort of narrower in terms of frequency response. The others felt like they were going for something different.

 

[Foxmeister]

That being said, coming back to my clips, I'm still not quite digging the Dynamic Hall on the Helix Floor as much as the Fractal Cumulonimbus, which has quickly become one of my favourite reverbs.

I agree - what settings did you use for the Dynamic Hall?

You can definitely get more "motion" and "air" out of it, and it is often quicker and easier to use the Ganymede for "cloud-type" reverb as it is simpler and thus easier to dial in - the Dynamic Hall does have a lot of controls to get your head around!

 

[Orvillain]

You can definitely get more "motion" and "air" out of it, and it is often quicker and easier to use the Ganymede for "cloud-type" reverb as it is simpler and thus easier to dial in - the Dynamic Hall does have a lot of controls to get your head around!

I dialed the motion down quite a lot, because the effect it has on the reverb tails is to add something I don't really like. Basically my whole objective was to try and dial in "smooth" sounds across every reverb. I wasn't really trying to go for the exact same modulation depth or anything, and wasn't trying to get them 1:1. I just wanted to try and represent each one in the best light for the kind of underneath-the-guitar pad effect I was looking for.

Cordy's demo is a bit OTT for my tastes lol.

 

[JiveTurkey]

MXR Epic and Mod: So GD icy and distant in an awesome way. Love both sounds.

Axe is more subtle than a lot on this test but a much better blend with the guitar tone, imo. Very moody in the best of ways. My fave on this shootout.

Helix 30m room is good. 20m is too one dimensional sounding and forward in a not pleasing way. Both are kind of flat. Sounds are good; just not a lot of depth.

I did not like the BigSky for any particular reason. The HoF Spacegeezer was surprisingly solid.

 

[dk_ace]

One of those shoot outs that are pointless! But I've got the day off, so indulge me.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5w31tkbo5hgvpk6vavk2q/h?rlkey=ropagsebokbsrb0j3fe6qp0g5&dl=0

Didn't bother making them blind. Don't need to be too scientific about this.

For my money, and this kind of sound .... the Axe FX III and the BigSky just slaughter everything else. The MXR Reverb is the 3rd place one, but it is a pretty steep drop off.

If you want that kind of reverb sound out of the helix (your axe-fx clip), currently you have to process it in a parallel chain. Add the voice box effect mixed in after the reverb. Dynamic hall has a metallic quality that I don’t care for, but at room size 30 it can get in the ballpark with that voice box.

The best and most direct path to that particular sound is still the Axe-FX IMO. Helix can get really close if you’ll DIY it and have the blocks and dsp available.

D