NEUNABER IMMERSE REVERBERATOR
Neunaber Have never been short on original ideas. They have been the sweetheart of the unconventional. The cult of players who make soundscapes not tunes. The abstract and the surreal weigh supreme. That is not to say their new reverb can not supply theirbiggest fans with many ways to twist, bend and pulverize a sound
into ethereal sonic soundwaves.
Strymon have cornered the market with the Big Sky for sounds that
compliment the guitar but in reality do not exist in nature. The first to recognize their potential were that respected and admired group of modern fusion players who produce music that evoke a surreal world of dreamscapes that float you weightlessly through space.
All reverbs for guitar tend to have Hall, Plate and Spring as they
work well on guitar and have become the basic standard
guitar reverb sounds. Finding these on any pedal even with a very short list of choices is a given.
Now Strymon may not have invented 'wet', 'shimmer' and 'echo reverb' but they have turned them into the 'new normal'.
So what do you get with the Immerse??
Well the first is easy to see. A good quality of build and parts.
You get first and foremost a sound quality the compares to the very best. You do not get the usual monster pedal that takes half the space of your board. Although most players can not take advantage of a stereo sound they have not omitted it.
On the other hand you do not get the endless variations of control that are in Strymon pedals nor do you get a set of basic presets that the majority of cheaper pedals have.
You do get a sound that easily compares with the best. You get the "Big Sound' but for the small bucks.
A pedal that can fit your wallet and your board.
CODA
For me it's a no brainer.I have to have a quality sound or I will be haunted until I have it.
I only have the room for a B size pedal.
I have always been price conscious because of years where I only lived off my money from gigs.
I expect in about a month.. maybe sooner I will be back here with a 'hands on 'review.
Paul, can you tell us how it compares to the Caline Snakebite , which you covered some time ago? I suspected that the Caline was a possible clone of one the Earthquaker reverbs , but clearly the neunaber emerged more recently. ( for what its worth I think the snakebite is an outstanding pedal, I got one on the basis of your opinion and wasn't disappointed). Maybe you could apply your wit wisdom and pedal-sourcing ability and give your readers a reverb shootout? Thanks , Paul ( another one!)
ReplyDeleteThe Caline is a great pedal for the price. The thing with digital is it gets down to sampling rates. The way digital basically works is much like old analog movie film. I am sure that you are aware that film is actually in reality hundreds of still pictures shown at a fast enough rate it appears to be a smooth constant motion. Digital audio is works in much the same way. A stream of samples (think of them as sound pictures) are played back to your ear. In short there is technically a gap between each sample. So the more samples the better it sounds.
ReplyDeleteThe other key element is the digital to analog converter...this takes those sound pictures and actually turns the digital medium back into sound. So the best pedals have high sampling rates and a better digital to analog converter. Mobius make arguabley one of the best Reverbs as well as the most popular. The Immerse is equal to the Mobius and a couple of hundred cheaper. The great thing about the Caline is that it may be humble but it is still pro.
Used in the right spot with the right player on a word class recording and it will in no way not hold it's own.
The cool thing about the Immerse is that it is a bargain for the quality of the unit. In short you get a state of the art Reverb pedal for very reasonable price.
I am re-writing this post. I digressed to much and it is misleading. Add to that I have more info on the unit that is
ReplyDeletebetter suited for you to decide if it is the kind of sound you are looking for. I intend to buy one but it may be awhile yet. I just ordered the Empress Echo System. (not cheap!!!) I also have just received another OD and have a Flanger coming and within a week a new compressor. Of course those that follow this Blog know 'awhile' for me is usually not more then a few weeks and usually even less. LOL
The re-write is complete.I think both the clarity and the new comparison video do the pedal justice.
ReplyDeleteSome will note the absence of several other popular reverbs. They do not stack up against the better sound as a result of the better hardware used in the Neunaber's build.Many have written excellent logarithms that i will admit too.
The MXR Reverb is questionable unaddressed. TRUE! It has a bright cutting tight sound that grabs your attention.But it costs more...doesn't have a Hall reverb...a major omission and without stereo outs could band it from being effective in the studio. It is not near as full sounding as the Neunaber. On first listen it gets by on some really great flash that hides this fact.
A Reverb shoot out is good idea. It can be done.
ReplyDeleteYou must have notice that I am doing what everyone did before this site. I listen to endless video's and find the best and compare. I then take the best product by borrowing the vids I listen to but I the critique both the product and the vid. BECAUSE THE MAKERS DO NOT ACTUALLY LEND ME THE PRODUCT OR PAY ME I CAN BE RUTHLESS. I then pick the very best..buy it just like you and edit my review. I even come back weeks later to update you how the pedal works out in time in the real world. So I will have to rely On someone else's shoot out. But I will point out the flaws in each reverb as for one thing they have flaws and secondly as I said I am free to be ruthless. LOL
Fortunately there is a good shootout of the big sellers.
Some makers confide in me and tell me how to tell me how to spot crap by looking for specific things.
Some online retailers even tell me what is garbage too. But also put me onto great makers that I am not aware of.
They also know many of the makers ...so they can give me a heads up on the A-holes...so I can be much more on the look out for short cuts in design and parts quality and in their rip offs of pedals I need to hear so I can seek out the original. Often original designs are made by artisans who are more into the pedal then the bucks. Their product is both better and cheaper ....but it is also under the radar because it does not have the marketing that the guys who steal the design have.OUCH!