Wave Arts MasterVerb 5

I run Logic 9 and Ableton 8 and this plugin works flawlessly in both programs.  Yes the manual is clear enough, it also gives you some good tips on how to mix and generally use the plugin as well as some good definitions of what the elements of "reverb" are.  It also does a good job getting you familiar with the interface, this is a pretty strong plugin with a lot of tweaking capabilities so I recommend reading through the manual.  Overall, I would say the configuration and setup is not simple.  Its not too hard either, getting a good sound out of this plugin does not take a lot of work, but there are a lot of options you can mess with, so its not simple compared to your average reverb plugin.  Yes, the typical functions are all laid out right in front of you. 


SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I run the earlier mentioned programs on a Macbook (2.2ghz, 320hdd, 4gb Ram) and it does work correctly and wonderfully.  So far, I have never lost a custom preset, had a crash or come back to the plugin after closing down the DAW and anything change.  As for performance, this beast gets a solid 10 out of 10.  I have only been using this plugin for about a month.

OVERALL OPINION

What I like most about this plugin is I finally found a reverb that stands up to Logic's built in "Space Designer."  The sounds in Masterverb are truly realistic and, with the help of the presets, obtaining a great sounding 'verb for whatever you need is no more than a 15 minute task.  Another thing I thought was nice is they included an 'Undo" feature in the plugin, similar to the "compare" button found on Logic 9 plugins.  You can only go back on one action, but its better than nothing.  Well, we bought this plugin for around $200, which is pretty dang expensive, but it is really a great sounding reverb app.  So far, I haven't heard another reverb plugin come even close besides the "space designer."  This is definitely a must have if you need a solid reverb option but don't want to lug around rack gear.  10 out of 10 for sound quality, but it better be for $200.  I have used many reverb plugins (IK mulitmedia, Logic 9, Ableton 8, audio damage, PSP...)  This one sits on the top of the list.  Yes, I would definitely make this choice.  My studio partner and I want to invest more into Hardware gear in the future, but don't want to buy anything until we can afford the really nice stuff.  Until we can do that, we are very happy with the performance of Wave Arts plugins.