Empress Reverb - Multi Reverb Machine

Product Information

Another thing to consider is the power supply needs of this pedal. A power supply is not provided, and the Empress Reverb requires a minimum of 300mA from a 9VDC source. While there are plenty of technological design advantages one can expect from this pedal in exchange for this minor inconvenience, it is worth noting to buyers that you will need to consider the ability of your power supply to accommodate this pedal or others like it, such as the Strymon BigSky which also requires 300mA from a 9VDC source. Some reverb pedals allow you to adjust the pre-delay to be a certain note value, for example, 16th notes. The decay time could be adjusted to whole notes or half notes, depending on the tempo of the song. This is a simple way to tighten up the tempo of your reverb pedal, but it’s not the most accurate. Shimmer is a bright-sounding reverb that gets its tone from being processed by pitch shifters. The actual reverb itself can be from any setting, but it sounds unique after being shifted up an octave to emphasize the higher frequencies.

On a reverb pedal, you’ll find that there are several adjustable parameters that allow you to control different aspects of the effect. Although these controls may seem complex at first, when broken down, they’re quite easy to understand. The main parameters found on a reverb pedal arePresets was over the top (to much effect) for my setup, but it's easy to make your own. I allways make my own, so no problem. The output knob can boost or retract, which is a plus. When i get the midi setup, i actually don't need a clean boost for my lead tone. There is more than enough boost available in this box. Arguably, no company is more closely associated with reverb than Fender, and it’s certainly lived up to expectations with this stompbox. It’s loaded with three reverb machines – Hall, Room and Special – with two switchable variations for each, effectively giving players six different reverb styles. All of which sound superb. Though it’s as common an effect as you’ll find, reverb can be a divisive subject. Many guitarists can’t play without it—relying on the air and space it provides to enliven flat and uninteresting guitar and amp tones. Others hate the way it can muddy dynamics. One of the beautiful things about the new Empress Reverb is its potential to appeal to reverb fans and skeptics alike. It’s an impressive, all-in-one reverb solution with sound-shaping potential beyond the most obvious applications and the ability to also sound great in modestly applied doses.

My Review: I have had the pleasure of trying out nearly every reverb pedal on the market. I have to say; the Empress Effects Reverb Pedal truly rivals any reverb pedal available. This pedal really shines with its plethora of modern, unique, and highly customizable reverb effects, but I also cannot understate just how much I love the more classic Spring, Plate, Hall, and Room settings as well. Each classic setting is rich and lush, warm and natural, and the decay is smooth and gradual, giving your music a sense of space and dimension. The three modes can be alternated using the toggle switch. There’s the “dark” mode which is best suited to lower octaves, and the “rise” mode which creates ambient swells of reverb. There is also the “dream” mode, which resembles a latching pad. The secondary functions of the switch give you access to various wave shapes so you can modulate the tone and characteristics of your chosen reverb setting. The Empress’ cornucopia of features and presets could make heads spin. But the control set is very thoughtfully and sensibly laid out and easy to navigate, which minimizes a potentially formidable learning curve. That said, keeping the manual at your side for first experiments is a very good idea.

Does this Empress rule?

The next development after echo chambers was plate reverb. Due to the cost of building a room, especially for reverberation, the invention of plate reverbs like the EMT 140 revolutionized the process for producers. There are seven reverb types to play with – Spring, Plate, Hall, Room, Modulate, Shimmer and Dynamic – together with a +Delay option that combines reverb with a simple delay. The Dynamic option is interesting because, as the name suggests, it introduces more reverb depth the harder you dig in, which can be used to great effect. Analog Dry Path - Dry signal is left untouched, and blended with the wet signal using VCA. (no zipper noise, hooray!)

Gated reverb has similar coloration to room reverb but differs in the length of decay time. The signal is passed through a noise gate that cuts off the tail before it naturally decays. By gating the reverb, you get complete control over its rhythmic nature, and you can create arpeggio-like patterns using this effect.That said, it's generally accepted that reverb should be placed at the end of your effects chain to unify the rest of your FX pedals with a homogenous dollop of verb. One little remark on the features: an USB port for connection with the PC (that many other pedals do have) would enlarge the tweakability. Especially some more adjustable parameters for the delay function would make the pedal really complete for me. Pristine Classic Sounds - pristine sounding classic hall, plate, spring and room sounds that rival or surpass studio units costing many times more. If you run a distorted tone, experiment by placing your reverb pedal in your amp’s FX loop, if it has one. This will place reverb after the preamp, which should improve clarity no end. Placing it before a driven preamp will distort and muddy the reverb, which is rarely a great idea.