3 on 3 – Hardware or Plugin? (Reverb Shootout)

I have processed some drum noodling with 3 highend hardware reverbs & 3 algorithm based plugin verbs. Are you able to tell the hardware from the plugin?  In each section three examples are processed with hardware, three are processed with plugins.

Hardware = Lexicon m300, Lexicon PCM 70, & TC M5000

Plugins = CSR , Sonitus Reverb, & Fabrik R Studio

Hall Presets

Room Presets

Eric Written by:

15 Comments

  1. SWAN808
    November 10, 2009

    actually harder than I thought!
    I have had to listen to them several times…
    Ok I think 2, 3 and 4 are the hardware reverbs.
    I think 1 is the Fabrik R which is to be fair a hardware quality plugin.
    5 and 6 sound like plugin reverbs to me – not sure but prob 5 is CSR.
    Thinking perhaps 2 is the TC-brighter and more transparent…
    3 is the PCM 70 and 4 is the M300

  2. November 10, 2009

    not good test, actually 🙂
    you should test all this reverb stuff IN THE MIX.
    all these tests with simple drumloop + verb is useless and do not work in REAL situation at all!
    for example, modulated reverb tail cuts better thru the mix. but in your test it can be not transparent.

    just my 0.2c 🙂

  3. November 10, 2009

    update: my friend was made the similar test as you. he tweak a cheap “synthedit” reverb like tc 6000. but it is useless in the real mixing situation.

  4. November 10, 2009

    This is just all in good fun/curiosity. Nothing more..

  5. SWAN808
    November 11, 2009

    Im wondering what the answers are…

    • November 11, 2009

      1=m300
      2=m5000
      3=pcm70

      4=Fabrik R
      5=csr
      6=sontius
      ____________

  6. SWAN808
    November 19, 2009

    Great. Almost got them correct. Mixed up the Fabrik R with Lex 300. Different reverbs but both quality. Its the Rooms that really give it away. They are the real test for a reverb it seems. Lower quality small reverbs just sound awful.

  7. Markmadsen
    November 19, 2009

    m300 sounds the best. Give us some IRs for that??

  8. sprawl
    November 19, 2009

    as always the hardware reverbs sounds much wider and more 3D.
    if you switch from one sample to the other you clearly can hear an increase or decrease in the stereo field.
    more stereo=hardware
    pretty easy test 😛

    300L clearly is king of the hill.

    and i dont really like the pcm70 i think.

    cheers

    • rhythminmind
      November 19, 2009

      People love or hate the 70. It’s one of the more unique. I love & hate it depending on the application.

  9. November 20, 2009

    I bet Andi Vax’s 2 cents are stolen, just like the pics of the mastering suite that used to be on his website that he lied perpetually about not doing. Even tried passing the blame to his web designer.

    • November 26, 2009

      i already ask on this “stolen web pics” quesion. please read gearslutz topic carefully.

  10. bababubu
    November 24, 2009

    i would sell my b&w for a room that acoustically treated as andy who’s!

  11. November 26, 2009

    rhythminmind, do you have redline reverb, artsacoustic and aether for similar tests?

Comments are closed.