# Reverb Blind Test - Fabrik - Lexicon Plugs



## Jack Weaver (Feb 7, 2010)

Thanks for taking the time to do this for the forum. 

It's so difficult and thankless an effort attempting to please the listening needs of such a relatively diverse group.

There are so many, many presets on reverbs these days that you pretty much have to take specific presets with similar name (i.e., EMT 250 from product A and EMT 250 from product B) to really compare. In that way you would best be able to be in any kind of position at all to judge the quality of the software and the ear of the programming team. 

The Lex alone has hundreds of 'Halls' splits amongst its several programs. Choosing which to use for this sort of demonstration is overwhelming. Then of course, there is the dynamic natures and differing instrumental groupings of the program materials that have to be considered. And that's a whole different story. 

Nonetheless, your examples have been illuminating. 

.


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## Hannes_F (Feb 7, 2010)

I LOVE blind tests ...

however if it had been aif files I could load it into my DAW instantly, now I need to lookup a converter.


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## stevenson-again (Feb 7, 2010)

oh gee really? sorry about that. i think itunes will convert them.


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## Hannes_F (Feb 7, 2010)

... except that I refuse to (re)install itunes because of it annoyed me too much with its notifications, updates, spam and suppression of other audio programs.

Never mind, I managed to listen. Could it be that you dosed the reverb a bit heavily in order to spotlight it? It is very dreamy here. Just asking in order to know what was meant.


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## Hannes_F (Feb 7, 2010)

I liked Anna 2 most on the strings and second would be Anna 1. The reason is that on Anna 2 it sounded thinner to me as a cover, so I hear more of the strings themselves.

No much love for the plates here, at least not on the strings. But that should not mean they are bad, I am just more used to wanting to hear some walls.


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## stevenson-again (Feb 9, 2010)

hi hannes,
so could you tell any difference between the quality of reverb? or was it just that you preferred the mix overall of 2? have a listen to the long tail at the end of the 2 examples - that will tell you something, plus which version felt like you were getting the clearest image not-withstanding it might have been a bitt too far back or far forward?


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## Hannes_F (Feb 10, 2010)

stevenson-again @ Tue Feb 09 said:


> hi hannes,
> so could you tell any difference between the quality of reverb? or was it just that you preferred the mix overall of 2? have a listen to the long tail at the end of the 2 examples - that will tell you something, plus which version felt like you were getting the clearest image not-withstanding it might have been a bitt too far back or far forward?



Hi, I could hear that Anna-1 has a modulated tail. Also a problem often with reverb is that it has a tendency to depopulate the center (like a suboptimal spaced omni recording) and I hear this less with Anna-1 too.

So I guess Anna-1 was the Lexicon, right?

What I meant with my comment above was not primarily a question of being forward or back but of the reverb tail washing into succeeding notes. I find myself often admiring recordings where sound and reverb are blended so well into each other that I cannot really distinguish them from each other. Especially when watching in a well treated cinema or listening to great recordings, I have a hard time to tell them apart in the sense of "bang, here is a note ... and swooshhhhh, here comes the reverb tail".

Here is an example of what I mean ... a totally unknown composer, played by the orchestra to stay unnamed  The recording is far from being dry but the reverb is baked into the notes and never hanging over to the next. The only time you can hear the reverb tail itself are the big hits, that is why I love this example.

Man this reverb is short.

Do you think you could find a similar setting with your reverbs?

http://www.strings-on-demand.com/demos/Br_03_01.mp3


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## Hannes_F (Feb 10, 2010)

PS: If that helps: I found a nice hit somewhat later where I could measure the reverb time. T60 should be 1.8 seconds, that is more than I thought but still not much.


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## stevenson-again (Feb 11, 2010)

that's a lovely clip, and know exactly what you mean about the reverb being 'baked-in'. it's on of the reasons i love symphobia so much. it has the hall it was recorded in as part of the timbre and character of the samples. but the kind of reverb i am shooting for in this example is where reverb features as a timbre in and of itself. i have loved the lexicon reverb for so long because it creates a pad like effect around the source - wonderful on strings and clarinet and piano. it becomes part of the timbre and character of the piece. this is where and why you spend the money on the reverb. if you are looking for staging then convolusion reverbs are fine. it's when the reverb itself is a featured element.

i look forward to telling you which is which but i was kind of hoping others might chime in with their guesses - but it doesn;t look liken there is that much interest....


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## ChrisAxia (Feb 11, 2010)

Hi Rohan,

Very nice music as always! I actually prefer 2 and 4, which had enough of a sense of space, but without drawing attention to the reverb. 1 & 3 sounded a little too 'wet' for my taste with this type of piano feel, but that's not to say there's anything wrong with them. Just given the choice, I'd go for 2 or 4.

~C


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## stevenson-again (Feb 11, 2010)

hmm - the problem with these types of comparisons is that other factors can distract.

put it this way: can you pick which is the superior reverb leaving aside my own mixing mistakes?

i fully appreciated that just as an ordinary instrument in the hands of an expert will sound superior to a superior instrument in the hands of an amateur, but insofaras we can gauge these things is it possible to pick the superior bit of kit?

here is what i think to listen for:
- are there any nasty ringing effects?
- is the imaging as nice as it could be...or is it that neither is better, just different and it completely boils down to preference.
- in the same way you might guage tone of a string library, or a french horn, or guitar, or any instrument over another, is there one that strikes you as being superior or 'classier' for want of a better way of describing.

therefore can you imagine that 'sound' mixed slightly higher or lower depending on your preference might get the job done? or is it too hard to tell with out remixing? should i therefore remix and try and match the levels better?


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## ChrisAxia (Feb 11, 2010)

Hi Rohan,

It's very difficult to judge if the reverbs are at a different level, so if you can balance them a little better, it will be easier to focus on the tails/space etc.

~C


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## Hannes_F (Feb 11, 2010)

Rohan,

I happened to watch the Ethan Winer talk at AES. He is right in saying that a blind test requires volume matching up to 0.1 dB. Or it will not be significant, as cruel as this is 

In this case you could isolate the reverb, measure a peak for adjustion and then put it together again with the dry signal, no?


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## tripit (Mar 15, 2010)

I like the anna 2. It has more presence and definition. I'm gonna say that's not the lex.


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## EnTaroAdun (Mar 16, 2010)

m4a ?!?
Kann man das unter Win7 überhaupt irgendwie abspielen?


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## Hannes_F (Mar 16, 2010)

EnTaroAdun @ Wed Mar 17 said:


> m4a ?!?
> Kann man das unter Win7 überhaupt irgendwie abspielen?



Unter XP musste ich es konvertieren.
I needed to convert it in oder to listen to it.


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## gsilbers (Mar 16, 2010)

so what lexicon plug is this one if you dont mind my ignorance :( 
i didnt find in the comments above.

the $1800 ones, the toned down version of the aformetioned or the ones that come in the UA card? 
or the psp plugin ones?


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