little seen spring reverb features I like

[gordian knot]

I like the features on my spring reverb.

There's an updated "lancet" version that's been out for a couple of years (now, the new one uses a type 4 tank where the old one used a type 9 ...TBH I don't think either one is worse or better, but they are different)

[friendship]

ya know, I'm not a "spring reverb is the only kind" of guy. In fact, as a simulator of natural reverberation, it's really shitty
I don't find it "warm" or "lush" and they are electro-mechanical which adds a weird layer on top of "analog"

and yeah, I've owned things like the RT-921

BUT I given all that, I think they are a cool effect in their own right and like overdrive clipping have become a signature sound of their own.

I was playing through my Motion sound the other day, and thinking about the external verbs I've owned and a couple of things that I really wish there would be more of on amplifiers (which I think is mainly where we still see spring tanks) :

1) and foremost...tone control. Now I don't think these have to be all super sophisticated EQ. Just a simple low pass can really add a lot to the versatility of a spring tank verb. Just like its electronic counterparts, scrubbing off a little high end can let you up the reverb in the mix without getting too in the way and really smooths things out

2) dwell control (that's basically setting how hard you drive the input transducer as opposed to a "mix" which is how much level you get from the recovery).
As a real generalization (and it's generalization so take it that way), I think the dwell can change the character of the tank across a number of different parameters (which is why I think of it as "character" as a catch-all)

anyway, rant over

but yeah, wish more amps had those. I think they add a lot for not a ton of design

once I played some kind of Fender custom shop amp that had a reverb with at least a mix and dwell knob (can't remember if it had the tone one or not). I can't remember what model it was though.

Spring reverb is one of my favorite types of reverb (my other favorite is All Of Them) but here are my gripes about what's out there:

The only digital emulation that sounds anything like the unit it's claiming to emulate to me is the FRV-1. Every other one I've heard has a nice sound, and very usable I'm sure, but that was the pedal that made me stop looking because I finally got the sound I was looking for.

What frustrates me about the other digital emulations is that they're very short on controls, presumably because they're claiming to emulate classic spring reverb. I don't mind digital emulations that are only vaguely reminiscent of spring reverb, but if that's what I'm going to be dealing with then I want a lot of control over it. Reason's RV7000 plugin has a spring algorithm which allows you to control dispersal rate, dispersal frequency, mono/stereo, all kinds of shit. This makes me use it all the time even though it's not the Classic Spring Reverb sound, since I can "tune" it (of course I can only use this in recording and mixing, not live). When I want the actual outboard spring reverb sound I use the FRV-1.

In conclusion, digital spring reverb emulations need to either nail the outboard sound, or be way more creative in how I'm allowed to control its tone. Analog is another story entirely, since the only analog unit I could afford was the Spring King, which is pretty decent actually.

[tremolo3]

What frustrates me about the other digital emulations is that they're very short on controls

Eventide Space says you are wrong.

[friendship]

What frustrates me about the other digital emulations is that they're very short on controls

Eventide Space says you are wrong.

Oh, I stopped my research before that one came out. What can you do with it?

[morange]

[friendship]

I should update my spring reverb lore

[darthbatman]

found this btw http://reverb.com/item/824409-danelectro-spring-king

[Dandolin]

I like the features on my spring reverb.

There's an updated "lancet" version that's been out for a couple of years (now, the new one uses a type 4 tank where the old one used a type 9 ...TBH I don't think either one is worse or better, but they are different)

I know-I want both. So wrong.

The version I have is really nice as a reverb, but it's also half a synth; really deep.

[ALLisNOISE]

I don't know if I had a bum one or what, but when I had the Spring King, it self oscillated (in a bad way) when ever I kicked on heavy fuzz. It did this if it was bypasses or not. Lame, because the kick pad was neat as fuck!

It just makes me want an Ekdahl Moisturizer more.

[tabbycat]

^

It just makes me want an Ekdahl Moisturizer more...

thanks for the gas inspiration, allisnoise. you just nudged me one step closer to building my own all-mod-cons spring reverb tank.

[gordian knot]

^

It just makes me want an Ekdahl Moisturizer more...

thanks for the gas inspiration, allisnoise. you just nudged me one step closer to building my own all-mod-cons spring reverb tank.

don't know the current status on PCBs, but you could consider this

http://www.tellun.com/motm/diy/tln156/TLN-156.html

I think it grew out of the old hotsprings project by anderton (if you haven't checked that out, do, it's got a couple of cute tricks)

[Gone Fission]

If I recall, the Hotsprings has parallel, out-of-phase tanks, which tends to help minimize "sproing" sounding artifacts while still getting the reverb tail. Another cool trick Demeter and Boogie used rarely but well is parallel tanks with different decay characteristics, which makes things lusher and a bit more real room sounding than most spring reverbs.

[gordian knot]

If I recall, the Hotsprings has parallel, out-of-phase tanks, which tends to help minimize "sproing" sounding artifacts while still getting the reverb tail. Another cool trick Demeter and Boogie used rarely but well is parallel tanks with different decay characteristics, which makes things lusher and a bit more real room sounding than most spring reverbs.

Yep the out of phase also added some CMR to get rid of noise.

The one thing about the Demeter that is weird with the different tanks is trying to use the unit "stereo" in a dual mono configuration (which the I/O supports) doesn't work quite so well as a matched tank type system (like the RT-921), but that's the trade-off

[SoaringTortoise]

Here are couple 100% recycled reverb units I have built which have interesting features. Both have access to the spring for fun time manipulation. The tube unit has a dry side effect loop. [youtube]http://youtu.be/JOLZZVy06wk[/youtube][youtube]http://youtu.be/wR_YKUHaEjY[/youtube]

[gordian knot]

an in-amp dual tank design would be kind of nice. maybe long tank & short tank