Alesis Reverbs

The reason why I bought the Nanoverb was to have a small portable unit I could take with me to gigs. Quite often at smaller venues I see that there is maybe one single Reverb Unit for the mixing board - or even none at all. As it is not really the job of the sound technician to supply the equipment (unless of course it is a requirement) it still is good to have a plan B around. So I purchased the Nanoverb from Alesis. It is really straightforward and the sound is not astonishing - but the quality is enough for most live applications. The effects can't really be edited. There is an 'Adjust' knob that sets a fixed parameter (i.e. frequency of Chorus and so on) but that doesn't really qualify for editing. Also not Presets can be saved. This unit is truly 'quick-and-dirty'. The whole thing is of course digital and has a stereo in, stereo out and bypass out on the back. UTILIZATION As I already mentioned the unit is truly straightforward. You have five knobs on the front: Input, Mix, Output, FX select and Adjust. So basically choose one of the 16 presets (Chorus, Delay, Flange, Rotary and Reverbs) and see what the Adjust knob does to the signal. That's really it - the manual really isn't needed. The unit is built very well and the five knobs give a very easy overview on the parameters - this is what makes it excellent for Live. If you want to you could build 3 NanoVerbs into one Rackspace. SOUND QUALITY I found the Chorus, Flange and Rotary to be ok at best. I don't know where I would be using them - surely not in the studio. And Live I just don't really need these kinds of effects. Delay and Reverb are very nice for Live applications - again in the studio I am not so sure. I think I would prefer a Plug-In or look for a more specific effects unit. The reverb sounds are quite dense and you need to be careful to not make the signal too wet. In the right ratio they are very usefull - too much and the signal is lost in a sea of sound. OVERALL OPINION I bought this unit a few years ago and must say that I have not used it as much as I intended to. It is however nice and small and Alesis has always been very good at making good quality devices for a decent price. I don't think I would buy it again as there are simply better solutions out today. On the other hand I am not willing to sell it because its construction is very solid and it is very easy to adjust the sound.

In my setup, I use both the QV2 and a Lexicon MPX1 and even in that situation, the Quadraverb 2 doesn't disappoint. The reverb is sufficiently lush and soft, although indeed a bit metallic at times, if you feed it sharp sounds (like digital synths). It is however not at all sounding cheap and I've previously owned cheap Alesis and Lexicon reverbs to compare it with. The other effects are very suitable for the synthesizer music I make. That said, editing is rather difficult to edit, with up to 8 processing steps that all have their own parameter. Current prices however, are insane. I've bought mine many years back for EUR 50,- and currently they go for anything between 300 and 900 US dollars. They're definitely not worth that kind of money, better go for a Lexicon MPX1 (or Lexicon PCM90, Eventide Space or Strymon BigSky if you're only after reverbs) instead.

Alesis' The Wedge is a mini reverb effects device that is designed to sit on top of your desktop. It's an older unit, but still sounds good and is quite easy to use. It's quite compact and features an easy to use interface without too much clutter at all. It's digital reverb here and isn't rackable as it's more or less a portable device. UTILIZATION Using the Alesis The Wedge couldn't be much simpler. You can scroll through the presets with the toggle wheel or make your own. It's got four sliders for the controlling the level of reverbs and also has a series of buttons for programming, storing, and further controlling the effects. I've never had a look at a manual for The Wedge, nor do I think one is really necessary. SOUND QUALITY While not incredible sounding, Alesis' The Wedge still sounds quite good and has some very useful reverb. It's got pretty much the full spectrum of different types of reverbs on here, or at least I didn't notice any major ones missing. The studio I work at has one of these on hand, although I didn't discover it until recently as it was kind of hidden in our back closet. It's definitely not the most up to date piece of gear, but still has worth and sounds good. Perhaps if we didn't have a real plate reverb it would see a bit more use. OVERALL OPINION Alesis' The Wedge is a great way to get some nice sounding reverbs in a compact device at a cheap price. For most, it's probably going to be more efficient and effective to get a nice reverb plug-in, but this is going to be cheaper. I'd check it out if you're able but it's not that readily available, so most will be taking a shot in the dark buying it. More times than not it'll be worth it, but I'd rather have a nice plug-in myself...

The Alesis MicroVerb is a compact reverberation box that can be used in the studio or on the stage. I've only used this little reverb box in the recording studio for getting some quick verb, but it's certainly suitable for any sort of use. There are a number of different version of the MicroVerb, but this review is for the original. We have one of these in one of the smaller studios in the studio complex where I work, and it's already hooked up to the patch bay so I don't know the connections in the back since I haven't had a need to hook it up. It isn't rackmountable exactly, as it takes up about a third the size of a single rack mountable space. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Alesis MicroVerb is quite simple. There isn't much to using it at all, as it only has a few different parameters to work with. This simple make up is the reason I like using it for getting a quick reverb sound, as otherwise I don't find it to be incredibly useful. There are a number of modes to choose from, including a variety of large and small reverb room sizes, two gate reverbs, and a reverse reverb mode. It also has parameters for input, mix, and output. A manual isn't needed, although I haven't seen one so I can't speak to how well it's put together or not. SOUND QUALITY While not the most impressive sounding reverb out there, for a small compact box with a good amount of different sounds, the Alesis MicroVerb gets the job done just fine. I don't think that I would use it for printing any reverb, but I use it a lot just for getting a quick sound to listen to in the studio and then later I'll print reverb with the real plate reverb that we have. I like the larger room reverb sounds the best, but the reverse is awesome sounding as well. In general the sounds aren't the most realistic, but are certainly more than useful. OVERALL OPINION The Alesis MicroVerb has become somewhat obsolete, as there are many reverb plug-ins out there that are capable of getting these sort of sounds and better. However, it is a cool little box and I do use it on occasion if I'm looking for this sort of sound. While I must admit that it doesn't make it on too many recordings that I've done, I still enjoy using it as it's nice to have for a quick auxiliary reverb if I don't want to use a plug-in or I'm in a room that doesn't have a plate reverb. All in all, while I can't say I'd recommend buying one, the MicroVerb is a cool little reverb that will still see some use out there...

This rack is wonderful, I would recommend always using an FX loop with this, or a Main In. I run this quadraverb PLUS with my strymon timeline into the fx loop of my AXE FX 2, it sounds amazing. through an amp it'd sound good but it'd be way better with an fx loop ( it could be noisy in front of an amp) I use chorus strings sounds, taj mahal, ballad snare, echo from the left/right, velocity-reverb. Resonator, ring mod, and sampling are super cool too. I use it as a lo-fi slowdive, ride, verve sound. Now I have an PCM 70 rack with the timeline in the fx loop of the axe fx. But now with the timeline I put it on feedback loop/send/return, and hook up the quadraverb on just two flange types, one slow metallic one that sync with the delay repeats on the timeline, and a fast rotary one that syncs fast/sound fluttery/trippy. I also use the sampling and then use my delay loop as well for some really layered tones. the sample is quick so you can make a cool loop that repeats, and then the timeline make more advanced loops over it. then I have my PCM 70 for all the quality reverb/delay sounds. The lexicon is more cocteau twins u2 high fidelity, Pink Floyd from that era. The alesis is more lo fi, the verbs/delays are great, but ultimately, it is not my main go to anymore. But it is a good option in the feedback loop, and as a secondary lo fi unit.

I have been using the Alesis Nanoverb for a few months now after purchasing it for under 100 dollars. You will get way more than your money’s worth with this unit. It has over 250 effects (reverb, and delay’s). It is a very small unit that can be taken with your from venue to venue or even for home use if you want it to be. There is also a foot switch insert (you will have to buy a foot pedal though because it doesn’t come with it) for a hands free work flow. 2 Analog inputs and 2 Analog outputs all in this little device that ways about a pound or close to it. You can’t rack this unit but it is small enough to fit into almost any small gig bag that you might have. UTILIZATION Everything with the NanoVerb is very easy to use, there wont be any manuals needed and you can start using it right away. SOUND QUALITY I have used the NanoVerb and seen it used on a number of different instruments in a live setting. I love the way it sounds on horn instruments because it adds that little extra bit of color that any musician will hear. I don’t really use it for voice because I don’t feel like its that effective when used for voice. The LED meters could be a little better and more accurate but that’s what I expected when getting a less than 100 dollar device. OVERALL OPINION The value of the Nanoverb for the price that it cost is incredible , you really can ask much more out of it. With all of those presets and a sold colored sound, you will find yourself using the Nanoverb more and more as you become use to how it will sound. I am happy that I spent the 100 dollars on this small device, and I would do it again any day. I was very surprise on how good it sounded and worked. It’s a simple solution if you need some reverb for your set up especially a “live” set up.

Obviously this is primarily a reverb rack unit, you do get some other effects to color things up. There is Delay, chorus, pitch mod, flange, leslie simulation (ok, nothing really nails the real sound except the real thing) and some special effects and harmonizer type effects. This is a digital effect, but clean and warm none the less. You cannot edit it through a computer, but it does have midi in/out. Besides the midi, you get Stereo 1/4" in and Stereo out. You can run mono also, but I recommend stereo, you get more out of the effects that way. You also get a 1/4" stereo footswitch input, which is Very! awesome. It gives you a couple of options. You can use it as a bypass switch (on/off effect), a control switch when you use the leslie simulation (speed up or slow down) and you can use it as a tap tempo by tapping it, or by holding it down and playing something, of which the unit figures the tempo out accordingly. VERY COOL! Yes, it is a rack mounted unit. UTILIZATION This is a pretty simple unit to use. Most basic reverb units are. You get 100 presets and 100 user banks to save into. They give you a sheet with a total breakdown of the effects and that is very helpful, don't lose that unless you have great memory. Its nice to have nearby when using this unit live. It has two knobs on the left side that are for quick editing. They correspond to the each effect preset and have different applications for each. The manual is easy to read and has answered all of my questions so far. Again, the preset list is key. SOUND QUALITY You can find this unit for under $160 and for that price, this reverb is great! Some of the extra effects (pitch mod, harmonizers) I don't really see using that much, but they are fun sometimes and I like having them there...they might grow on me. I use this mainly in recording and I use if for everything that needs a little reverb, especially vocals. But it works great for drums, guitar, keys, you name it. They have a lot of presets already edited to work with certain instruments (pretty convenient). If I had to pick, it sounds the best on the vocals, but sometimes I use it on the whole master mix and get some pretty cool post production effects. I really don't dislike this thing on anything I have used so far. Its a reverb and it sounds good, so you really can't go wrong. OVERALL OPINION I have only had this for 2 months, but I use it all the time. The best thing about this unit is how affordable it is. You really get a lot of bang for your bank. I also have to mention again the foot pedal options, I love it. So far, I can't say anything bad about it. I have used some really nice plug ins in a pro studio and some of those sounded better than this unit, but most were more expensive and overall, they didn't beat the microverb down, they were just better. I also had a yamaha REV-100 which I didn't really care for. All the plate reverbs reminded me of the song "I just died in your arms tonight," which I didn't like. In fairness, it was pretty hot stuff back in the mid 90's, but I never really liked that era for pop music. Overall opinion on value.... SWEET DEAL I would definitely buy this unit again!!