Yamaha REV100

1U rack housing

UTILIZATION

Über-simple use, I didn't need the user manual.

SOUND QUALITY

Not too typical YAMAHA sound
You do what you can, but for the price it's awesome!
I'd even say it's not too far from the SPX 900 and 1000
It's very easy to use..

OVERALL OPINION

I got rid of it because I didn't use it anymore.
But I would buy it again if I ever have the need.
Mainly due to its simplicity and sound.
And it's easy to find one secondhand at good prices.

This is mainly a reverb unit with some delay and modulation options. Yes, you can edit this through a computer using software such as MidiQuest XL. This is in fact a 1u rack mount piece of gear. The Yamaha REV100 is a Digital unit. There are 1/4" stereo audio in and outs and a Midi in connection.

UTILIZATION

Yes, the sound and effects editing is fairly easy via the three main parameter knobs and the Mix knobs on the front of the unit. It is also even easier using MidiQuest. Yes, the general configuration is very simple. Simply select the patch you want and tweak it with the knobs on the front to change the mix, delay time, the decay, etc..... The only reason I used the manual was to find out exactly what all the presets were as they only display a number in the LCD.

SOUND QUALITY

I used this mainly on drums, vocals and acoustic guitar. With drums, it definitely can give you that 80's and 90's plate reverb sound which is fun to use here and there. As for vocals, I found that I didn't really like most of the sounds with the exception of some delay/modulation presets that made some cool sound effects. With the Acoustic guitar is where this unit really shined for me. It really brought some depth and warmth to my guitar and I used it on many tracks for the year that I owned it. The preamp did color the sound a little by making everything just a little muddier, but I generally used this on a bus so I was able to mix in the audio from the separate channel for the finished project.

OVERALL OPINION

What I liked about this unit was how well it made my acoustic guitar sound. It reminded me a lot of the recording I find on "Windham Hill records." What I didn't like about this unit is that the reverbs were definitely dated and didn't sound all that great on most other instruments/tracks I used it on. I paid $35 for this used on ebay and sold it for the same amount a year later so I am pretty happy with that. I give it a 7 out of 10 for sound quality. If you want your drums to sound like they are from an 80's studio, than this can help. It also works well with acoustic stringed instruments, other than that, don't bother in my opinion. I upgraded to a Alesis Microverb 4 after I sold the REV100 and the Alesis blows the REV100 out of the water. No, I wouldn't buy this unit again

Reverbs, delays, echos, chorus, flange and combos of all. 99 presets that are all adjustable by 2 knobs on front panel, plus you can get at more parameters by pushing a few buttons and can save if you want.Or use the midi interface. 16 bit A/D D/A processor with 44.1 kHZ sampling rate. Stereo in & out via 1/4" , single rack space, external power transformer.

UTILIZATION

I mainly use this for reverb, which it does well. The 2 knobs & 1 button on front give me quick access to programs , predelay & decay. The other controls knobs are input level, mix,output level. I'm not a big fan of having to read a 100 page instruction book to navigate the control of some units I've seen. I have the manual, I flipped though it once. Not really needed unless you want to use the midi controls.

SOUND QUALITY

Like I said before I only have really used the reverbs. I use this on my home stereo system to give the music more life. The reverbs are good for the price of this unit. It's not a high end Lexicon sound but does the job very well. I can't see myself ever selling it for any reason.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had this about 3 years without any problems, bought it used. It's got good reverbs & easy to use controls. I have a few other reverbs, an Alesis microverb 3 & a Lexicon Alex. This one I think is better than the Alesis , but not as good as the Lexicon. For the price the sound is very good. Unless you step up to something in the $600 & up range this one does just fine. Yamaha makes good stuff, never had problems with any of their products. You turn them on and they work.