It's really good for a free plugin. ^ I have had similar experience with Pro-R2. I'd rather use Logic Space Designer and that is a DAW stock plugin.

 

True, I use just Logic Space Designer mainly...

 

Here is my grain of salt on M7 (and others HEAVILY modulated reverbs)

Acousticas M7 IR is not "true stereo"
signaltonoize M7 IR were badly sampled : tails are cut
STN rhythminmind IR : sound bad ... i don't know why
Seven Heaven : 8GB for a reverb ? probably IR based so no way (for me)

EAR Nebula : nice, closer to the original but ... still lacks some modulations capture AND it is Nebula (not optimal)
Acustica products are better on this side BUT they can't capture the modulated "pitch".
More here on the subject :
https://gearspace.com/board/music-computers/566552-nebula-must-have-289.html

IRs convolution can't capture M7 ... because the soul is MODULATION.
Like any good reverb.
And IR convolution can't capture modulations.

That's why some devs added their own modulation over IR (very clever move) at "sample" level.

That's why i dropped reverbs IRs, apart for "ambience" work.
Anything else : algo reverbs

This one is lighter, so probably not IR based ... will test it soon thanks !

 

This was the first Bricasti plugin that made something really good and worthy, and guess... It's free. Seventh Heaven is bloated and expensive and just feels like a IR loader with Bricasti impulses and other dumb controls. I never really liked it and used IR's instead. The modulation on this WA plugin is really cool, the pre-delay works better than any other plugin and IR. Specially on Halls and Chambers, where the IRs sound kinda static and boring compared to the real deal. It's not a 1:1 to the hardware, but believe me: i tested all the Bricasti stuff available for software and this BY FAR the most innovative and better sounding one.

Of course what NOISIA said shouldn't be ignored since it's a claim on the product. But it feels just a small issue (the all software Bricasti have, BTW) compared to quality and innovation this one brought to the table. I think we should be thankful to WA for having the guts of giving away something they developed that sounds better than all the paid Bricasti stuff. And i feel really sorry for those who spent money on Seventh Heaven.

 

What do you think of the "Altiverb"?

 

Same problem with altiverb 7 : no real modulation
Capturing the "time" related aspect is easy (done for more than 20 years with IRs).

But the modulation side is NOT captured.
Any modulation is added "sideway".
It works better, but not perfect.

 

As someone who is trying more and more to reduce the amount of pirated plugins I have for either genuine ones or freebies, I'm glad this exists. No deep reason for this, just trying to only keep stuff I really use instead of hoarding 50 plugins that do the same thing and are never used.

 

Well, algorithmic / digital hardware reverbs also do not have "real modulation". They have algorithmic modulation. It's an algorithm that attempts to add some fluctuation / randomization to certain aspects of the sound (pitch, amplitude etc)

Personally I think that modulation is, if anything, a minor part of what makes a good reverb sound. To me IRs sound perfectly fine, granted they can sound static if soloed, but in the mix I don't think it's a major issue.

Algorithmic reverbs with modulation can sound more interactive (as in: interacting with the input signal), but they also tend to sound much more synthetic, whereas convolution sounds much more realistic (especially using real ambiences), but can sound more static. I take an IR over an algo any day!

 

Your argument convinced me. Which convolution reverb plugin can you recommend?

 

"static" sound may not be obvious in some situations, but when i tried Lexicon reverbs halls on brass / hihats ... the tail was obviously better than anything IR.

Just an example.
There is a sonic reason why algos reverbs are still used massively, whereas IRs started 20 years ago (apart being more flexible).
If it was so evident to everyone, no reverb would sell and ppl would only use free IR or Altiverb like solutions.

On my side, only one reverb, i'd go Valhalla VintageVerb
Everyone his own

It is a never ending discussion, like guitars, amps, cameras ...

 

Without getting into the whole "what reverb is best" argument, I have to say that the Lexicon RandomHall reverb is a killer even to this day.

 

Yes, for me too. And if you're common with the issues of IR's but you like the concept, you can overcome it with another plugin. As @Hazen said, even on algo plugins, there is a separated processing for mod, so i can add futher in the chain some modulator like a chorus, flutter, wow, etc... If you know the units this task can be a lot easier, like chorused mod on AMS RMX16 or tube distortion and flutter on plates. Or don't give a single fuck and do whatever your creativity chooses.

Of course with modulation added on the plugin interface can give better results since it was figured out to work well on that unit. But even on Vahalla you can fine tune the style of modulation you want for different kinds of tail and spaces. Just use the tools that make you creative and delivering the vibe that's in your head

 

oh no, it's free but still requires all the user info registration before download

 

its on sister site

 

This is a good article if you're not common with IR's yet. Can make lots of things clear:

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creative-convolution-new-sounds-impulse-responses

 

With plugins like AltiVerb the only thing you're limited to is the quality of the IR that you feed it. AltiVerb is one of the best ones of this type around. And as was mentioned, "modulation" characteristics are not captured with IR's, but eventually it all comes down to what sounds good in a mix. Plugins like AltiVerb (i.e. IR loaders) are more like the swiss army knives of reverb plugins in that fact they have as many uses as you have IR's to load into them. The quality of sound you get from AltiVerb is going to 100% depend on how good the IR is. The algorithmic reverbs are great as well but offer less diversity in everyday use. Algo's have a set number of preprogramed effects, and if you need something not in its repertoire you move on to a different plugin.

 

Last edited: Nov 9, 2024

Hofa IQ series is insanely deep. you can blend multiple algorithmic and convo based reverbs, each with high levels of customization.

 

Thanks @shinyzen for your advice, I'll install it.

 

The plugin is only circa 35 MB, but there is also AudioResources.dat installed (in Windows user folder) and it is well over 100 MB in size.

 

it doesn't have the 'Europa' preset (one of my favs)