Hardwire RV-7 Reverse Reverb Function Question

[the_farewell_party]

So, I recently received my Hardwire RV-7 reverb pedal from an eBay seller in the mail, which I specifically selected for its reverse reverb (wanted to get an MBV-type sound).

However, one thing that's bothering me about the reverse reverb function is that there is no dry signal; there is only the wet. If I turn the "level" knob all the way down, for instance, there is no sound at all.

This is bothersome because, when using reverse reverb, as I get no dry signal and only get the reverb, there is a significant delay between when I play a note and when the note is heard. Barely sounds like reverb at all; more like some weird cross between a slow attack and a delay with no dry signal. It's a surreal, otherworldly sound that I like, but it's barely usable for music because the significant delay makes it hard to coordinate anything.

Is this pedal supposed to be this way, or is mine busted?

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

i used to have one a while back. i'm pretty sure thats how its supposed to be on the reverse.

[the_farewell_party]

i used to have one a while back. i'm pretty sure thats how its supposed to be on the reverse.

I see.

Is there a similarly-priced pedal that does reverse reverb with a dry signal mixed in? Does the Digiverb do that?

[brandnewzo]

Unfortunately that's how it's supposed to sound and there's nothing wrong with your pedal. If you want to be able to mix in the dry signal, try the Digiverb instead.

[the_farewell_party]

All right. Hmm, that sort of information is the sort of thing I like knowing before I buy something, but it wasn't on their official site, any of the pedal demos/reviews I looked at, Amazon, or the eBay page from which I purchased it. Oh well, sometimes these things happen. Maybe this is a wake-up call to start trying pedals in person rather than getting everything off of the net based on YouTube videos and such.

I feel kind of silly now that I realize that they delay isn't so unworkably long when I set the decay knob lower. I just thought that decay should control how long until the reverb dies off, not how long until it starts. So, as it turns out, the pedal is still usable for my purposes, though I'll probably still think about that Digiverb for the added versatility of having some dry signal to work with.

Thanks for the help, folks!

[frigid midget]

Yep, its one of the few modes on my old RV-7 -if not the only one- I couldnt put to good use. Awesome pedal otherwhise, great bang for the buck too.

[spacelordmother]

What a strange "feature." smh.

[julius_deane]

You guys need to quit picking on the best reverse reverb ever made just because you don't know how to use it.

If you cretins really need the option of your precious dry signal, check out:
Zoom CDR
EHX Cathedral and Holy Grail Max
Various MIDIVerbs (Alesis)

[julius_deane]

Oh, and the big eventide and strymon.

It is odd that their copy doesn't mention it. Reverse reverb is such an oddity that no one seems to do it exactly the same. I also think none of the manufacturers understand how it's going to be used. Not that there's just one way.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

^yea man, i remember putting the reverse "wet only" to good use. just different sounds.

@ the farewell party....it does control the "decay" or length of the tail, its just that the whole reverb tail is flipped around so w/ longer decays u got a longer tail in the beginning.

[onyxrhino]

Yeah, the "wet only reverse reverb" is the most common complaint I see about the RV7. I am surprised the OP wasn't aware of it.

Personally, I love the Digiverb. I think it's my favorite reverb pedal (and I have lots of reverb pedals). It's really very tweakable, and, using the gate setting, I can get the exact right balance I want between wet and dry and I can get the rise time exactly like I want it too, so I get as much MBV-style sound I want, but not any more than I want (if that makes sense).

That said, the reverse reverb on the RV7 sounds great and no other pedal I've tried sounds like it. It's great for shoegaze. The Zoom CDR unit has an emulation of the same effect, with wet/dry mix, if you want to go that route.

[greyscales]

I actually really dig the wet-only reverse on the RV-7. It would get to messy with dry included, at least for my use of running it into dirt.

Tinkering with the decay goes a long way though.

[julius_deane]

The Zoom CDR unit has an emulation of the same effect, with wet/dry mix, if you want to go that route.

It's not a wet/dry mix, it's a dry on/off "switch." It's not as good as the RV-7 or Digiverb, but it offers so much else, I'm using it now instead. I've also adapted Line 6's Ducking Reverb to achieve similar results when run before dirt.

[Warpsmasher]

Just stick it in the loop

[Gone Fission]

I recall for several reverse reverb effects reading forum complaints that there was no all-wet mix available. First thing I usually do with a reverse algorithm, delay or reverb, is nix the dry sound. Maybe I should go back and see what a more subtle mix can do, but that always seemed to be missing the point.