Cinematic Reverb Pedals
By Jeb Silburn, Twin Town Guitars Staff Writer
Reverb is a favorite effect for many when it comes to adding depth, texture, and space to their sound. Let's explore a trio of effects that take up a more painterly mantle than some of the familiar analog classics, and pull the mind to far off landscapes; sonic territories that best fit fantasy and science fiction. Less spaghetti western sparkle, more sci-fi soundscapers...stompboxes that pull you deep into the silver screen.
From distant murky caverns, the tonal spelunkers at Walrus Audio returned from the depths with their immersive octave reverb- the Descent. Three different reverb modes, three programmable presets, programmable expression pedal out, and stereo output allows for impressive versatility, while maintaining intuitive functionality. Choose from a textural hall mode, blown out shimmer, or a reverse reminiscent of the beloved digitech rv-7. All the while, blend the high and low octaves to your liking. If you’re looking to add vast depth to your tone, the Descent will take you all the way there and back again. Experience the hall, shimmer and reverse!
This pedal ought to be catalogued under ‘things containing a flux capacitor’ for future reference. The Context V2 is the lovechild of mad science, dark magic, and a whole lot of R&D. Red Panda drew inspiration from iconic 1980’s rack mount units to develop a reverb pedal that goes above and beyond most player’s definition of “dynamic”. Eight reverb algorithms, each built out to incredible detail, enable a fantastic range of creativity to begin sculpting your tone. From there, Red Panda packed in stereo input and output, USB Midi, fully assignable expression pedal, delay plus reverb in all modes, high and low frequency damping, modulation, and infinite hold. The Context is like having a full blown Swiss army knife on your board, meeting every reverb need and then some. Whether this is a time machine, effect pedal, or lexicon of knowledge, we still do not know. Feel the sound with this pedal.
Lastly, this list would not be complete without mentioning the infamous Earthquaker Devices Afterneath V3. Admittedly, to call this one a reverb pedal is slightly cheating. A better way to describe the Afterneath is to say that Earthquaker enchanted a hive of bees and flew them into a cave, crashing about and humming with mystery. Bold imagery, sure, but in function this effect is a tightly packed slew of hundreds of delay notes. Use it to create deeply scattered washes of sound, affecting your signal chain like no other ambient reverb can. In use, this pedal can be a stretched into an aggressive hall reverb, or it can be tweaked into more of a “dying star” with the drag and reflect functions. The Afterneath V3 holds tales of barren lands and verdant woods underneath its hood, and to get lost in it is an easier task than most. Hear the magic for yourself!
Where words fail, sounds that encapsulate far-off lands are held within these sonic tools. Check out a complete selection of reverb effects at twintown.com to begin your quest.