KVR Audio

mholloway · Post by **mholloway** » Wed May 10, 2017 4:05 am

Hoping to get a response / discussion / tips directly from Sean C himself if possible, but any and all discussion would be welcome.

A google search did unearth much discussion of this very topic at Gearslutz and elsewhere, including contributions from Sean, but those threads are about seven years old now, so I was wondering --

Given the current, much expanded lineup of Valhalla reverb products (and the MANY reverb modes inside them!) what would be the approach to getting the big, smooth, 'dark' reverb sounds of 90s warp records bands, mostly notably Autechre? It's widely known they used a Quadraverb on Amber / Incunabula and others, so specifically info / help pointing in that direction would be best, if possible!

I'm having a lot fun playing around on my own, attempting to sculpt sounds in this direction, but given Sean's actual expertise in this area (and, based on the old threads, familiarity / love for this part of IDM history) it would be great to hear some direct approaches / strategies to getting that Alesis / 90s IDM sound with his plugins.

I own all the Valhalla plugs, so no worries on which ones are needed!

Thanks!
-M

valhallasound · Post by **valhallasound** » Wed May 10, 2017 5:33 am

mholloway wrote: Given the current, much expanded lineup of Valhalla reverb products (and the MANY reverb modes inside them!) what would be the approach to getting the big, smooth, 'dark' reverb sounds of 90s warp records bands, mostly notably Autechre? It's widely known they used a Quadraverb on Amber / Incunabula and others, so specifically info / help pointing in that direction would be best, if possible!

You can always buy a Quadraverb for $50. At least around here. They aren't expensive at all, and they exactly nail that sound.

If you want more "dark, modulated" in general, then VintageVerb is probably the best bet for Quadraverb stuff. The VintageVerb algorithms are more Lexicon-ish, less Alesis, but they definitely get in the ballpark.

The 70s and 80s modes in VintageVerb will get you in the darker, noisy territory. Nowhere near as noisy as a Quadraverb, but I don't think anyone wants that much noise nowadays. Dang, those boxes are noisy.

The new Chaotic Chamber algorithm in the 1.7.1 VintageVerb release would be a LOT of fun for ambient synths. With longer decays, you will hear some tape-type modulation noise. Turn up the Mod Rate and Mod Depth to get the right amount of warble. The noise in the Chaotic algorithms will be more BoC, less Autechre.

For the Midiverb II Bloom algorithms (not really Warp, more MBV), ValhallaShimmer is the one to go for. The Bloom algorithms are like a simple version of the Shimmer stuff. No modulation, so turn the modulation depth off in ValhallaShimmer, and let things ring out!

ValhallaShimmer is just a good bet for ambient reverbs. The longer attack, and relative "purity" of the tail, are good for SAW II style reverbs.

The "Alien" algorithms in ValhallaRoom would be good for Alesis sounds, but they might be a little sparse in echo density. I'd also turn the DEPTH control to 100%, so you only hear the late reverb. Not a lot of early reflections in those old Alesis boxes.

Sean Costello

valhallasound · Post by **valhallasound** » Wed May 10, 2017 5:38 am

ÜberMod would be fun as well for 90s Warp sounds. 2 Tap mode, using Diffusion + feedback to get the reverb sound:

<ValhallaUberMod pluginVersion="1.0.2" presetName="Warpy" Mix="0.50700002908706665039" Depth="0.50700002908706665039" StereoWidth="0.71050000190734863281" Delay="0.013500000350177288055" Feedback="0.84500002861022949219" Spread="0.5" Slope="0.5" Skew="0.5" Random="0" TapGain="0.5" Diffusion="1" DiffSize="0.39795917272567749023" DiffModRate="0.075075075030326843262" DiffModDepth="0.31799998879432678223" LowCut="0.1407035142183303833" HighCut="0.34371858835220336914" SpatialXover="0.14572864770889282227" DetuneRate="0.049049049615859985352" DetuneDepth="0.56199997663497924805" VibratoRate="0.074185460805892944336" VibratoDepth="0" OverMod="0" DriveInGain="0.25" DriveOutGain="0.75" DriveNoiseGain="0.6666666865348815918" FeedbackRotate="1" SmoothingTime="0.54134136438369750977" ColorMode="1" DelaySync="0" type="0.041666667908430099487" DiffEnable="1" Drive="1" DrivePrePost="0" Speed="1" InputPan="0"/>

I wouldn't advise ValhallaPlate. Good for all sorts of music, but too many EMT140 artifacts to fit into the more digital soundscapes of 90s Warp.

AnX · Post by **AnX** » Wed May 10, 2017 6:02 am

valhallasound wrote: You can always buy a Quadraverb for $50. At least around here. They aren't expensive at all, and they exactly nail that sound.

Wish they were that cheap here

mholloway · Post by **mholloway** » Wed May 10, 2017 7:18 am

Sweet, thanks for all the info Sean! Very psyched to check out the new Chaotic Chamber tonight, plus your other tips and the patch posted above for Ubermod. Thanks a ton!

-M

UltimateOutsider · Post by **UltimateOutsider** » Wed May 31, 2017 6:40 am

Glad I saw this thread. Earlier today I was regretting selling my MIDIVERB II because there was a specific bloom effect I used to love that I really have a use for now, and had no idea where to start with my reverb plugins.

Which Valhalla Verb for 90s Warp Records / Alesis Reverb sounds?