I Think I Found The Best Reverb 🌌

[@BennJordan]

Yes, this very much is a gear review video. It took weeks to make, and there's even a Part II coming next. I mentioned very clearly in my previous video that it would take a few weeks to transition. More importantly, the reason I'm winding down videos like this is because I don't enjoy it as much, not because I made a promise to anyone. If that changes, then I may decide to do them again. It's my channel, after all. 😂 If that is unacceptable to you, fair enough. Here's how to never see my face here again: www.makeuseof.com/how-to-block-youtube-channels/

[@CaptainJack2048]

There'll be a part 2? There's gonna be an echo of the reverb video? Okay, sorry, that was bad. I'll go sit back down now and wait for the video to start.

[@ThompostHoey]

👍 keep up the good work, benn!

[@Djnitrane]

Can't wait for part two two two two twoooooo.

[@jestempies]

I'm pretty sure we all know Benn must have been paid off by the Big Gear Review.

[@screamingstrings76]

How dare you make use of your hard work!

[@MerisUs]

A friend tapped our shoulder regarding this video. We're absolutely blown away. There are so many companies out there making amazing effects . So to get your #1 vote is a big deal. This is the most comprehensive and meticulous demo we have ever seen haha. It looked like ALOT of work. We're grateful. Your custom patches sounded absolutely gorgeous.

[@ogmakefirefiregood]

Great sounding pedal guys, thanks for the dedication to your art. As a worship guitar player, I'm sure I will find a use for the unit. Also, the Lord enjoys Metal. God bless.

[@BennJordan]

Congrats. You've more than earned it! 💪🏻 I can only imagine how long you spent making this pedal, but it deserves to be the reverb to beat. Thanks for helping make my single guitar notes sound like Eno albums.

[@joshuabenton3785]

SPOILERS!!!! lol

[@sgraider2425]

Please make a desktop editor

[@skylermann]

Wow a comment from the manufacturer! I am much more likely to buy! Thank you Benn for choosing this relatively unknown pedal!

[@kihokahoka]

Hello Benn, I am one of the guys at GFI. We're honored you picked Specular Tempus as the best "affordable" reverb as there are so many awesome reverb out there and the ST itself has been around since 2018. Your demo video of the Specular Tempus algorithms is still the best one we've seen so far.

[@john808welk]

Thanks for putting out such a killer pedal. I got mine a few years ago and have been using it every day since!

[@orryfishburne5326]

Ive been using the ST since 2020 and love it. U guys made a wonderful pedal. Thanks for doing what u do!

[@montazownianr1]

It is the best padal also.

[@Raumweiter]

I bought the GFI ST thanks to Benns Video. I´m very happy with it and eagerly waiting for a V2!

[@antongabrielmaza]

I love the ST. Thanks for releasing one of the best out there.

[@martinomburajr.5905]

Your obsession with sound is amazing. I can watch hours of your videos going down these crazy rabbit holes. You take us on journeys we appreciate. How you don’t have 1Mill subs yet is a mystery

[@GGprods-o2x]

Cuz there aren't 1 million nerds that care enough. I do, but I recognize not too many people are gonna watch this through.

[@stefansynths]

I would love an in-depth video on reverb DSP. I know it wouldn't perform well, but it could be a valuable resource for more people to get involved with this dark magic.

[@TimBeauBennett]

I'd watch it

[@ceounicom]

I think his video where he talked about how good the Empress reverb was (5?) yrs ago either had some extended digressions along those lines, or was preceded or followed by one like that

[@dexstrumental]

Have you seen his video where he shows off making a custom algorithm inside Melda TurboVerb?

[@boriscat1999]

There is a lot you can do in in Pure Data with a drag-and-drop programming interface. And run your created effect on a (relatively fast) PC. There is also some rather affordable hardware that pd can target such as ElectroSmith's Daisy development board or Patch.Init() eurorack module. The lower-end (affordable) hardware runs out of space for the fancier reverb algorithms, but dropping from stereo to mono basically cuts the resources needed in half.

[@GeorgeL909]

And my axe! (I would watch it too)

[@johnnyjules2008]

Years ago when I discovered your channel, I bought the Empress Reverb because of your video. I'm still in love with the both of you.

[@Androlicus-l9x]

I also bought the Empress after watching his review. I’d love to know how it compares against these now.

[@TheForeboding]

Confession to make. I have a bit of a Reverb pedal addiction myself. Got the Empress, Mercury-7, Hall of Fame 2, Secret Path, Nightsky and since yesterday I have the Slöer too. I used to own the Big Sky, Blue Sky, Slö and Blackhole. The best? That doesn't exist. Any pedal works for any combination of instruments, but they all have their own character. The fact that this video came out yesterday, right when the Slöer arrived is scary timing. Thanks for this Benn.

[@BobGuido]

Right! There is no best because each reverb has its own character and quality that can be useful on it's own or in combination with others.

[@silverXnoise]

I played guitar in a post-rock band a while back, and our reverb of choice was (and still is) the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail. Simple, workmanlike, but its sound is versatile and beautiful. I like these new “shimmer” reverbs, but I don’t know that I’d have anything else on my pedal board.

[@WellsOliver]

Would be interested to see how these compare in your mind to the plugin-realms, particularly the Valhalla stuff. I guess even BigSky is now a plug-in. Good video.

[@bryant8635]

So much of the “gear sphere” is just a game of telephone from forums and KZbin telling folks what sounds best, all subject to opinion (and sponsorship). You sir did the math and brought the receipts. That’s proof we can trust. Thank you.

[@Queerpunx]

As a reverb lover, I'm looking forward to this. UAFX Golden continues to blow my mind when it comes to spring/ plate.

[@GTChris]

I feel the same, it's in a league of it's own as best sounding reverb pedal, partially because it's one of very few true stereo reverb pedals. If only they implemented midi cc over usb and maybe added some more experimental algorithms (I would gladly pay a small amount for that) it would take the crown over everything else out there at the moment. The only drawback left would be the controls, but the esthetics slightly make up for that.

[@johanh9637]

Have you tried U-HE twangstrom vst? Awesome modelled spring reverb with settings for changing the spring setup and physical dimensions and tension among other things.

[@TayTayMakesBeats]

​@@johanh9637I've been happy with Audiothing Springs but twangstrom sounds amazing.

[@delta-9969]

Plate seems to be the hardest one to get right for some reason. There's a ton of good-sounding algorithms out there now that sound convincing, right up until you demo them against an actual plate.

[@ofthe7552]

​@@delta-9969decay and mix low, a hair of modulation, bass and treble at noon. Sometimes I turn bass up a tiny bit, sometimes the treble but the plate sounds great thru a loud clean amp.

[@isaiahburkhart349]

Looking forward to this. Just picked up a Mercury X demo a couple days ago and it is blowing my mind. Taking it slow with all the options. I found your channel just a year ago and have been very impressed with the content. I really appreciate the transparency. As someone who has worked serving others for the last 25 years, it has become commonplace to complain - even when the service is free. I have learned a tremendous amount from your content and I hope you stay true to your path. I also love the gear vids, so if you want to keep sprinkling those in occasionally you're not going to hurt my feelings. Have a happy holidays.

[@acid-mask]

1. I don't know how or why it took me this long - but I just subbed. 2. I totally understand the move away from gear -- gear can really GET IN THE WAY of music - which I think can be difficult for us synth heads to internalize lol. Our sound design preferences, musical influences, approach to song form, harmonic preferences, etc are all gear-independent so to speak. Like if you gave the RZA a korg volca sample - he is still gonna make bangers. All that being said - I really hope your channel maintains an element of sound/music exploration and tweaking creative processes/assumptions. What you have to say on those topics is often very insightful! Peace - and thanks for being the most beautiful grist in my smooth little brain's content mill lol

[@christopherscholl639]

I loved the long format demo. Reverb is fun to listen to. Thanks for this.

[@funkingitup1805]

I picked up a DD-500, RV-500, and a MD-500 all for $200 a piece. Maybe they aren't the best, but they are the best for $200. I'm thankful to all of those that sold them to run off to Strymon.

[@molliemicrobe]

I'm sure this will be one of the best videos ever made on reverb pedals, very excited to see it! Don't listen to the trolls, their engagement just boosts your video in the algorithm anyway :)

[@ZigbertD]

The Meris LVX is my favorite delay pedal, as soon as I got it I was thinking "I hope they put this "modular" system into a reverb pedal". I'll be getting the Mercury X as soon as possible. I like the graphical UI a lot, it's a logical and elegant solution to making such a complex set of options and parameters less "menu divey". On the LVX at least I wish there was a way to skip forward to the next parameter set, like for example scrolling through three parameters for eight delay taps can be a bit tedious. Don't know if this issue crops up in the Mercury X. In any case, the quality of the sound and the amazing set of features make it a must-have for me.

[@bodenschatz10]

Well this is the one I was waiting for: seals the deal for me on the MercuryX. Gorgeous.

[@BlackAera]

Hey Benn, the algorithms we get today are so good that I became a usability first buyer. I used to judge my tools for their sound quality but 14 years after I started making music, I focus much more on the user experience as everything sounds so friggin' good these days. Hopefully you will be covering some of the more unique specialist reverbs in the future or recommend something for us folks who don't care much about tweaking stuff to perfection but rather look for a beautiful sounding plug and play toy, that sparks our creativity with simple controls and colorful playfulness.

[@VincentsVideoVisions]

My favorite is the Vetris dual reverb for more modern sounds and the Quadraverb 2 for something a bit more vintage.

[@johnhennessey5]

I just got the Vetris dual reverb, it’s pretty good so far but I feel like I haven’t unlocked its potential. Any tips or good settings?

[@Emefak]

I got myself an Empress Reverb heavily influenced by your 2017 video, and to this day it still impresses me when I turn it on. It can literally transform the dullest, simplest, most boring synth sound into something lush, complex and beautiful to hear. Thanks for that video, and I was afraid that this one may create another necessity, but I am one of those that prefer their pedals screenless. It's not a hard rule, though, and it may change in the future, but I don't see myself needing a different reverb anytime soon.

[@nsjx]

Love my LVX, esp after the last fw update... didnt even know about this. Glad they kept the wonderful ergonomics for this pedal. You can turn off the bubbly stuff btw, but I find it more intuitive w the bubblez. Meris have beautiful preset fx patches to start from and they already have the c1 and c2 knobs assigned for extra customisation over the usual suspects

[@BennJordan]

I definitely want to buy one of those! I was about to but then they announced this one which took all priority. 😂

[@terrazero2972]

12:20 damn dude, was watching this while I was working and had to take off my headset and stop working to fully appreciate that little adventure. Super sick!

[@noahelias-guy5321]

Excellent analysis, I’m glad to rely on videos like these to offer some context when looking at the possibilities of pedals or plugins that I will likely never actually test myself, despite having the desire for the knowledge of the results. Thanks for these, but don’t feel pressured to continue if you need a break!

[@misius164]

more than anything, this video inspired me to listen and work more consciously on reverb with the existing gear i have

[@poofygoof]

the best reverbs take you to a "place" where what you are playing through the reverb inhabits. Ursa Major Space Station is one of those places for me... I doubt I'll ever be able to afford either an original or the digital update, but I heard the update at AES many years ago and I haven't been able to shake the sense of place it has.

[@kenhensch3996]

Has Ben ever mentioned his favorite vst reverb? That's what a really want know about. Is that going to be part 2?

[@sheeepman]

The Melda's flagship one I think

[@michaelgriffin5304]

Such a killer video! Looking forward to part 2. The amount of work you put into these is seriously impressive.

[@ofootyeabicc201]

Maybe a video on making reverbs in MAX/MSP/M4L, Pure Data, Reaktor, and/or Bitwig? Not all of us know how to do DSP in C++ but I think many would love to be able to make their own if they knew how the math black boxes worked. Or given a preset(like the base reverb in Bitwig can be disassembled), what is worth tweaking/adding more of/etc? Excellent video, keep it up!

[@wylatron]

I came into this video as a blue sky fan.. still am, but I can clearly see why this is your pic, it's clean, it's beautiful, and it does exactly what it says on the tin, and then like bucketloads more. I think I might have to have one of these. Great work as always!

[@DavidRinnan]

Dont stop! Like your humble attitude towards a new instrument!

[@chambre466]

I just bought it. I am in heaven

[@wes2819]

My favorite is Walrus Audio Slöer

[@JoshRichmanDesign]

True stereo Reverb is noticeably better and retains the spatial information. Try fully true stereo IRs.

[@bennethos]

14:40 is just insane, what you would expect from some 5K+ synthesizer maybe

[@michaelspencer-arscott]

Another extremely interesting presentation. Just when I was saying, "Gotta hear it with transients", you let us have the noise bursts - lovely! Thank you for all you do!

[@ricok987]

I got the Mercury X based on this video and am using it with Roland's D-05, JD-50, and JU-06 to create synth pads. The pedal does the job quite well when I an multi track recording. The biggest hurdle I found is deciding which Mercury X patch and setting achieve what I want because they all sound too good to decide. The only solution I have come up with is to record each variation, wait a few days and review them & pick which is best.

[@13aphomet]

These sounds are amazing.. Meris has repeatedly blown me away by every product they put out.

[@middle_pickup]

This thing isn't a reverb pedal. It's a multi-fx reverb pedal. That's nuts! Also, the fancy UI looks like the OG xbox dashboard, and that makes me happy.

[@ashleyhamlin3199]

In the market for starting a pedal collection rn so this is gold

[@ashleyhamlin3199]

Thx Benn love ur vids

[@walterharris7421]

Finally got my hands on a Mercury X and as soon as I powered it on …. OH MY GOD. I’ll never need another Reverb pedal again. Thank YOU 👉🏾Meris and THANK YOU 👉🏾 Ben !

[@jamesgrant3343]

Excellent video, really great! I’ve been searching for ever for a decent reverb pedal for bass - all I want is to put a bit of room or hall on to make the bass sit in the mix properly in the room on live gigs in smaller venues (and especially outdoors on acoustic duo gigs). I highly recommend the UAFX Golden Reverberator for this - it’s super simple and the hall reverb is spot on, easy decay and tone shaping. What I wanted was something as good as Bricast M7 in a pedal, and the UAFX is close enough for live work, and much much cheaper and more convenient!!

[@Robguitarjarvis]

I love reverbs, I have the Eventide H3500,space, H90, CXM, and Meris LVX, although I didn’t really need a Mercury X i had to have one as soon as I’d got over the shock of them releasing one in this superb format. It is absolutely outstanding and the only thing you could possibly criticise is that it does so many things, the options like the LVX are astounding. I feel so privileged to own this masterpiece.

[@markferguson3745]

As a string player and song writer, I've been full circle with Spring Reverb; I went from disliking it to loving it. Two of my current pedal options are the Surfybear Compact,- because you can't beat the real thing, - and the Source Audio True Spring.The SB is self explanatory, but the SA is a pretty amazing digital emulation, -fully programmable,- and it is stereo.Besides the faithful recreation of the more mechanical and physical qualities of Spring, it also offers a unique menu of singular options, which are well conceived and useable.

[@MarksUkuleleTips]

I just watched this video for the 3rd time, and nearly laughed coffee out my nose upon noticing the Rick Beato easter egg. 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@CatFish107]

Best reverb is the nts1 simply for the exceptional value proposition. User made reverb, delay and mod fx all packed in with a neat little mono synth for about a hundo

[@egorkin.piccolo]

amazing video! thank you, Ben. 🤙

[@1-eye-willy]

yall better play nice with Ben's reverb thing or ill come over there and whip sum ASS! 😂

[@lizardltd]

I would really appreciate your top free VST recommendations for the most common instruments/orchestras

[@mrblablablabla]

I love reverb and I love Benn for doing this. ❤

[@Waldemar_la_Tendresse]

The answer to your question is simple: a trend-setting film with an even more trend-setting soundtrack, which probably quite a few synthesiser enthusiasts love, turns this gear into VIGs (Very important gear). I still can't find a single reason not to love this product, even after watching the video again. I'm really looking forward to a comparison with the "Big Sky MX", even though it's already clear that they are two very different things.

[@the_jACK_Ripper]

Benn Jordan the PBS of reverb pedals: Brought to you by viewers like you!

[@artysanmobile]

What an outstanding test! Your ‘tools’ inputs tell me most of what I need to know about a reverb algorithm, despite your warning. I hear many of my faves for my guitar, which will be my intended use. I have to say the UI is not exactly the grand slam that the sonic quality most certainly is. I’m hoping there are or will be editor options available. Headed to the Meris site for more info. Thanks much, Benn. Your test/demo was all I could hope for reverb, a very difficult effect to demo. I like that you played way down the musicality of your inputs as they obscure the answers I am looking for. Great stuff!

[@SaintBrick]

Love these videos man. Enjoy your work in general; Confident that what ever you end up doing will be cool.

[@jethred_]

I identified and fixed a clipping issue with my audio setup while watching this video, probably because your videos are the few that I actually pay attention to.

[@macsarcule]

Did you pick my fave reverb? No. Did I love everything about this video? Yes.

[@modularsynthguy6694]

Benn, I REALLY enjoyed & watch, Several time. Keep up the great videos!

[@Iracord]

Great video-Bravo! For pedals, I Love the Big Sky and my Digi Space Station. Software is Altiverb-amazingness & now Atmos. Hardware, still 480L, PCM70v2, and EMT250 with ffISA110 EQ for Air. The British tend to delay the verb-NOT pre-delay. Sounds hottt...

[@insert_moniker]

Thanks for another great video! Your dedication to making good content and seeking the best verb is inspiring. Keep it up!

[@jedmarsillo]

I loved this. I can't wait for part 2.

[@RetrokitsDev]

Wow, quite a journey - who needs synths with a reverbs like these 😃

[@Goettel]

Love the new stuff, hardware and software (Big Sky and Valhalla for me). Also love my old reverbs, DP/2, Quadraverb GT, SE-50, M-One, MPX-100, and more in boxes. No point comment, except there's no such thing as too many reverbs.

[@adrianrodriguezmoreno6993]

Please talk about the CMX 1978 because, although you mentioned it, I really feel that the physical emulation of old Lexicon controllers can bring some joy to those of use with an "analog" or "dawless" workflow

[@cfs]

I've had a Mercury X for a few weeks and... it's incredible. My favorite software reverb by far is Cinematic Rooms Pro. Different animal. It's going to take me a long time to fully wrap my head around the depth and features of the X.

[@chuzzbot]

Thanks for smashing the premium upsell myth

[@Gary-zq3pz]

The ehx Oceans 12 dual stereo reverb and the eqd Astral Destiny are two nice choices.

[@lazylazy871]

Much love to you always get excited about your reverb videos. Practising with max to try and get good at making them. Would love more videos about reverb design. Your melda turboverb vid was great, but more of a conceptual overall explanation of steps you take with making a reverb and different ways and environments for making them. just an idea!!! You explain stuff very clearly!

[@BlueSB017]

Hi Benn, Its good to have you back......(saying in a calming Hainbach voice and wearing a soothing sweater)

[@sandyturner1911]

I just ordered the Walrus Audio Sloer, before I saw this...Great Demo!

[@mntbighker]

Thanks for all the hard work Benn.

[@tonymitchell1461]

would like to see Benn do a compaision of pedal V plug-in reverbs. where i live the Mercury x is almost 1K.

[@CatFish107]

Oooh, for the free end of things, my goto is Plateau from Valley

[@andreievkalupniek5717]

Great video Benn! I completely agree with you - I watched so many videos on the Mercury X and the CXM 1978 and I also think that the Mercury X is the best deal with the extra algorithms it offers. The only thing missing on the Mercury X are the standard and lofi clock modes of the CXM, but it offers so much more with the UltraPlate, Cathedra, Spring, Prism and Gravity algorithms. I am getting one as soon as I get some Guitar Center bucks next month.

[@BrentODell]

Before watching the video, I've recently been on a quest for a cool reverb pedal, and decided I want an Electro-Harmonix Oceans 12. I'm sure I can already do as well or better with FL Studio, but I'd like to have something in the hardware space. Edit: I should also add my goal isn't accurate reproduction of spaces, but creating interesting sounds I haven't heard before.

[@imonlysleepingzz]

Small correction in that I'm pretty sure the Meris founder previously worked for Line 6. Fantastic video!

[@lemonhscott7667]

My personal fave is the gamechanger audio light pedal

[@watchaddicts1213]

I’m happy with Software Reverb,

[@peterpeper4837]

To my mind, to make a fair comparison you need to compare it with the best plugins out there since for the price you could get a laptop(cheap one) plus interface and dedicate it just to reverb duty.

[@TheBeardsShow]

That pedal is immense.

[@AveragePicker]

I've never really given much thought to reverb but when you said "that's the end of my ted talk..." I thought, NO! What else!

[@post22]

I've gone through a number of high quality reverbs including many listed here. I still think that the Eventide Space pedal is my favorite even though its audio quality is noticeably lower than my Specular Tempus. The Space pedal is just inspiring and loads of fun right out of the box. IMO, just choose whatever one looks the funnest. Especially if you're in the $300+ territory, they are all excellent.

[@MattHalcyon]

I was really close on Space, but I got the H90 instead.

[@swanofnutella4734]

Excellent resource. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I'll look forward to the follow up. Cheers.

[@kooni1992]

Finally, a new reverb video by Benn Jordan! :)

[@irondragonrides]

As a totally unscientific approach to selecting a new reverb recently, and I have been thru a few of the ones listed, I chose the Meris MecuryX. This was based solely on what I heard from all the demos. Glad I made the right choice :)

[@jaamabay3830]

So nice, making a video on stopping gear-videos, and right next to it doing this marathon gear-video.

[@fairguinevere666]

Thanks for the reverb nerdery in the middle with the impulses! I know you've said you don't plan on doing gear stuff but I'd _love_ to see at least one video where you go through your fav algorithms (/pedals) and show us what you listen for when doing those tests. I realize that's probably niche but I would hope there's space enough for at least one video on them.

[@yikelu]

The BOSS PSU thing is probably just a CYA thing they do. I have a DD-200 and powered it with a 1Spot for gigging and never had a single problem. Best guess is your RV200 was just defective.

[@jonridley]

Everyone has their faves, mine are eventide space and Strymon big sky…

[@xeridian]

Kinda surprised you didn't choose the Ventris. Everything S.A. makes is usually higher bitrate than everything else, always true stereo and bypass, fully midi controllable and utilizes the Edit App allowing for so many possibilities. For the price they charge for each of their pedals, its really hard to compete. The fact the creators used to work for KORG is a testament to their skill set and the dual feature of the Ventris is pretty amazing.

[@TheFlutecart]

Really great video. I will not afford the Meris X. I already feel overwhelmed by the Nightsky. And it sounds great to me, just need to explore it more and set some useful programs. I'm using MIDI and new gear throws a wrench into the works. I play guitar and bamboo flutes through my pedal rig including Volante. Strymon has trained me.

[@MaashuCookiemonster]

Time spent with Nightsky is time well spent. Enjoy!

[@DemMusel]

great demo.looking forward to part 2. The Pigtronix Cosmosis def gets my award for best affordable reverb pedal. it”s like a poor mans Cloudburst.🙊

[@alexlifeson8946]

Meris Mercury 7. Reasonably affordable. Impeccable reverb.

[@NYJhono]

I adore my source audio Ventris! Should be up there as one of the best!

[@ListenToTheMusicIsaacBear]

I like the fantano yellow flannel for the outstanding review

[@jdaddyaz]

I see Benn's working for Big Reverb now. What's next Big Delay!?!?! Have you no /shame!? Thanks for going so deep into my favorite effect.

[@valdir7426]

the GFI skylar also exists as a specular tempus lite (essentialy a pick of algorithms; no delay) and is a lot cheaper

[@CFury04]

The Strymon Night Sky is the best! ❤

[@collisiondevices]

Very cool video! Mercury X really deserves it!

[@toxictaintkaraoke]

You already did this with the Specular Tempus. Great.

[@TheNimasan]

the h90 has some great reverb algos, too. i am loving mine!