R3-500 Analog Rooms is a Windows VST3 Reverb effect Plugin

R3-500 Analog Rooms is the first time I have made a reverb using All-Pass diffusion. I tried having all the echo points diffused but it just wasn’t pleasing for me – too “swooshy” – so it didn’t stick. Instead, I kept the first of the mid echoes (L1 & R1) as traditional delay lines to keep the feel I need. If you want that swooshy sound, simply raise the Decay past 50%. At 100% it will break up entirely.

As the name indicates there are three sections where echoes are made and five echo points overall (actually six but we won’t let facts get in the way). The room spaces are made from early, mid, and late echoes. Each section feeds the section after and combines at the final mix point.

The signal moves from stereo to mono depending on the section. This is very deliberate with only the mid echoes delivering stereo to the final mix. This may seem a backward step in this modern age, but remember that this is called “Analog Rooms” as it is meant to feel very much like good quality analog units which are commonly summed to mono as this is a) a limit of the times and b) how real rooms work.

Controls

• Early is both a pre-delay and the first stage of reflections.
• Long defines the Mid time range as: 125ms or 500ms
• Mid L2 & L2 set the times for the two echoes on the left
• Mid R2 & R2 set the times for the two echoes on the right
• Late sets the late echo time
• Decay sets the decay or feedback amount along with the diffusion amount
• Shape sets the balance of the L2 & R2 input between Early – L1 & R1
• HP sets the roll-off point for bass
• LP sets the roll-off point for treble
• Dip is a band reject filter that removes at the set frequency
• Mod Rate sets the LFO rate.
• Depth sets the modulation amount
• Early sets the level of Early echoes in the Wet signal
• Mid sets the level of Mid echoes in the Wet signal
• Late sets the level of Late echoes in the Wet signal
• Dry sets the dry signal level. Set this to 0% when used as a Send effect
• Wet sets the wet signal level

Suggestions

• Early with low feedback and a high level can operate as a mono chorus.
• Mid with low feedback and a high mix level can operate like a multi-voice chorus.
• Late can either help shape the room tail or act as an echo, both have great value in building specific spaces like “close” instruments or rooms with a far wall (or door to a dirty alley where seedy things happen).
• Shape lets you change the feel of the mid part of the room by using some or all of the L1 & R1 to drive the L1 & L2 points a) later and b) with a more complex signal seeing L1 & R1 have their own feedback which is fed forward.
• Decay does lengthen the reverb tail with feedback but also increases diffusion at the same time so higher values can actually seem shorter. This is where the Late time can really help if you want both long and “swooshy”.
• Dip is an odd choice on the surface but the Band Reject has a very powerful effect on the sound of the space being created. If you don’t want it “to seem to be there”in-play”, move to fully 0% or 100% as the results are probably what you want anyway, esp at 0%.
• Mix 100% Wet is a great way to hear only the space being created. Balance up the three parts then put the Dry back in (or swap back to monitoring the Master) to set the right wet balance.

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EchoSwitch: Tri-Mod Delays

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Fl-Ch23: Chorus + Echo

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Looser: Tape Movement

Looser Tape Movement is a FREE VST3 (Win only) for emulating Wow & Flutter in Tape. This helps soften the pin-sharp feel of digital or DAW-sound. Watch this video and the EchoSwith video above to see in action and hear how it adds depth.