Is there a really good Alesis Midiverb 2 emulation as a plugin?

[planetearth]

Thank you very much for your impressions, Steve! This helps a lot.

I don't have the setup to integrate external hardware well in my DAW. I would need to buy a new audio interface in addition to the unit and that seems a bit too much at the moment.

So after knowing that the impulses are at least similar to the sound of the original unit, I can now use the impulses responses to emulate the Midiverb2 color without asking myself every time I use them how much I miss compared to the actual Midiverb2.

Yeah, you won't miss much by not having the actual hardware.

Thank you very much for your impressions, Steve! This helps a lot.

I don't have the setup to integrate external hardware well in my DAW. I would need to buy a new audio interface in addition to the unit and that seems a bit too much at the moment.

So after knowing that the impulses are at least similar to the sound of the original unit, I can now use the impulses responses to emulate the Midiverb2 color without asking myself every time I use them how much I miss compared to the actual Midiverb2.

They definitely do get the Midiverb II colour. I picked up SPX90 IRs last year and they do likewise. However the thing that goes missing is the effect each unit has on the dry signal and how the dry and wet signal mash together.

Hopefully I'll be picking up an SPX90 in the next couple of weeks to run some tests.

Where did you get the SPX90 IRs? I used one briefly in the early '90s, and I've been looking for IRs for a while.

Steve

[Teksonik]

Hopefully I'll be picking up an SPX90 in the next couple of weeks to run some tests.

I have an SPX90 I'd consider selling....I've owned it since new....mint condition....

[planetearth]

For some reason I thought that Goodhertz Megaverb is supposed to emulate a Midiverb.

Based upon the description they provide, I don't think so:
viewtopic.php?p=7220890

Here's what Goodhertz says about the Megaverb:
"Meet Megaverb — an incredibly good, “bad” digital reverb plugin. On the one hand, it is a recreation that captures that iconic sound of the 1980’s. On the other, it is a modern piece of precision engineering that pushes that sound further, opening up your music to a world of sounds that those early digital reverbs could not imagine or implement."

On the one hand, the MIDIVerb II was never "that iconic sound of the 1980's"--if any reverb was, it was arguably the Lexicon 224 or 480L. (Although an argument could be made that the MIDIVerb II was "that iconic [reverb] sound of garage bands in the 1980s".)

And on the other hand, the MIDIVerb II also didn't have any editable parameters or almost any of the controls the Megaverb has.

The Megaverb looks interesting though, I'll give it that. I'd be more interested in finding out what it's supposedly recreating.

Steve

[PatchAdamz]

The Alesis Midiverb 2 was an affordable box when it came out in 87 but it has likely been surpassed in the world of plugins...

I think I still have one lying around here somewhere with a Yamaha SPX-90, Lexicon LXP,PCM 70, etc...
Haven't plugged em in for some time.

[Teksonik]

Sorry if this has been posted already, don't have time to go back and check. Nomad Factory 80's Spaces on sale for $39. Regular $179

"Nomad Factory introduces 80's Spaces in collaboration with MoReVoX; a uniquely designed plug-in that captures the essence of and spacial realization heard on many of the great records of the era.

80's Spaces is an original "80’s vibes" plug-in.........."

[Heartfeltdawn]

Where did you get the SPX90 IRs? I used one briefly in the early '90s, and I've been looking for IRs for a while.

Steve

From here:

https://impulse.surefyre.com/

[VariKusBrainZ]

https://impulse.surefyre.com/

That looks really cool

and has given me some ideas on how to sample my old reverbs

[planetearth]

Where did you get the SPX90 IRs? I used one briefly in the early '90s, and I've been looking for IRs for a while.

Steve

From here:

https://impulse.surefyre.com/

Thanks for the link. On that site, they ask which reverb we'd want them to sample next, the MIDIVerb II or the ART Multiverb. So far, 90% of the votes are for the MIDIVerb II. I doubt this will be a free set of IRs, since they charge £10.00 for the SPX-90 II IRs they're currently offering. Still, they may do a better (or at least, more comprehensive) job at getting the IRs for the unit.

Steve

[devkerr]

For some reason I thought that Goodhertz Megaverb is supposed to emulate a Midiverb.

Based upon the description they provide, I don't think so:
viewtopic.php?p=7220890

Here's what Goodhertz says about the Megaverb:
"Meet Megaverb — an incredibly good, “bad” digital reverb plugin. On the one hand, it is a recreation that captures that iconic sound of the 1980’s. On the other, it is a modern piece of precision engineering that pushes that sound further, opening up your music to a world of sounds that those early digital reverbs could not imagine or implement."

On the one hand, the MIDIVerb II was never "that iconic sound of the 1980's"--if any reverb was, it was arguably the Lexicon 224 or 480L. (Although an argument could be made that the MIDIVerb II was "that iconic [reverb] sound of garage bands in the 1980s".)

And on the other hand, the MIDIVerb II also didn't have any editable parameters or almost any of the controls the Megaverb has.

The Megaverb looks interesting though, I'll give it that. I'd be more interested in finding out what it's supposedly recreating.

Steve

Megaverb was inspired (in part) by the Midiverb II, along with some other less “cheap” digital reverbs from that era. We don’t generally do emulations at Goodhertz, though — we’ll often start with a model of something to get a sense of how it sounds and then make our own version, pushing it further & in new directions.

Probably the best way to get a sense of what Megaveb is recreating is to look at the historical presets: https://manuals.goodhertz.co/megaverb/#presets or give the demo a spin.

[devkerr]

Where did you get the SPX90 IRs? I used one briefly in the early '90s, and I've been looking for IRs for a while.

Steve

From here:

https://impulse.surefyre.com/

Thanks for the link. On that site, they ask which reverb we'd want them to sample next, the MIDIVerb II or the ART Multiverb. So far, 90% of the votes are for the MIDIVerb II. I doubt this will be a free set of IRs, since they charge £10.00 for the SPX-90 II IRs they're currently offering. Still, they may do a better (or at least, more comprehensive) job at getting the IRs for the unit.

Steve

FWIW, an IR of a Midiverb won’t get you very close to the actual sound because of how much it depends on the analog conversion, sample rate, bit depth, noise, stereo crosstalk, etc, of the actual unit. So much of the sound is non-linear stuff that can't be captured in a convolution.

[planetearth]

Where did you get the SPX90 IRs? I used one briefly in the early '90s, and I've been looking for IRs for a while.

Steve

From here:

https://impulse.surefyre.com/

Thanks for the link. On that site, they ask which reverb we'd want them to sample next, the MIDIVerb II or the ART Multiverb. So far, 90% of the votes are for the MIDIVerb II. I doubt this will be a free set of IRs, since they charge £10.00 for the SPX-90 II IRs they're currently offering. Still, they may do a better (or at least, more comprehensive) job at getting the IRs for the unit.

Steve

FWIW, an IR of a Midiverb won’t get you very close to the actual sound because of how much it depends on the analog conversion, sample rate, bit depth, noise, stereo crosstalk, etc, of the actual unit. So much of the sound is non-linear stuff that can't be captured in a convolution.

Thanks for the clarification as to which reverb(s) inspired Megaverb. The presets list is interesting and any reverb that has a presets called "Theme from Ernest Borgnine" and "Mallard of Love" has to be pretty cool.

And I agree that much of the MIDIVerb II's sound was in the hardware of the unit. I mentioned that a couple of pages ago, but I don't expect you to read every post on each page. It probably does bear repeating that any IRs should be used with a grain of salt, since the reverb's hardware still imparts some character to the sound--even in a brand-new, $4,000 Bricasti.

Steve

[joachime]

FWIW, an IR of a Midiverb won’t get you very close to the actual sound because of how much it depends on the analog conversion, sample rate, bit depth, noise, stereo crosstalk, etc, of the actual unit. So much of the sound is non-linear stuff that can't be captured in a convolution.

But when making an IR of a hardware unit such as Midiverb II, you are capturing the whole audio chain with the converters, sample rate, bit depth etc.

[planetearth]

FWIW, an IR of a Midiverb won’t get you very close to the actual sound because of how much it depends on the analog conversion, sample rate, bit depth, noise, stereo crosstalk, etc, of the actual unit. So much of the sound is non-linear stuff that can't be captured in a convolution.

But when making an IR of a hardware unit such as Midiverb II, you are capturing the whole audio chain with the converters, sample rate, bit depth etc.

In theory, yes, you are. But since the MIDIVerb II is not a true stereo effects unit, you'll get somewhat different results depending upon how hot your signal is when you get your IRs, and which inputs and outputs you use.

For example, you'll get different results from the MIDIVerb II depending upon whether you use both inputs (which will still result in matrixed stereo at the outputs), or one input and both outputs...or one input and one output. Even using both inputs with a mono impulse will give you different results than if you'd used a true stereo impulse, since the MIDIVerb II more or less "sums" the inputs and the outputs. I can tell you from experience that the unit does not like "fake stereo" signals at the input. You get terrible phasing sounds with most of the reverb presets, based upon how the unit sums the wet and dry sounds.

Also, there are only two LEDs to show signal strength: The green one shows that a signal is present, and the red one shows that you're almost clipping. There's some wiggle room in between the two, but not much. If you want to get the most out of the algorithms, you might want to "sample" the unit when the red LED is barely flickering. You won't clip, and you'll get the best S/N ratio the unit can offer, pretty much.

I have a feeling that Bricasti M7 owners don't have to worry about these issues. I know of several effects units that operate in true stereo and offer better input metering. Maybe getting IRs from those units gives you more accurate results, I don't know. If someone would like to loan (read: give) me a Bricasti, I'll find out and report back to you all.

Steve

[devkerr]

FWIW, an IR of a Midiverb won’t get you very close to the actual sound because of how much it depends on the analog conversion, sample rate, bit depth, noise, stereo crosstalk, etc, of the actual unit. So much of the sound is non-linear stuff that can't be captured in a convolution.

But when making an IR of a hardware unit such as Midiverb II, you are capturing the whole audio chain with the converters, sample rate, bit depth etc.

I wish that were true — it'd make our jobs as devs a lot easier!

You're going through the whole chain when making an IR, but you're not "capturing" it all. IR's can only capture linear time invariant systems. Stuff like the analog conversion, sample rate effects (like aliasing), bit resolution, are all super NOT linear time invarient. So you might get some poor linear recreation of those things with an IR, but it's not going to come close to the real thing. If you want to simulate hardware with all its quirks, you need to use other techniques.

[shaftenberg]

I know this is an old thread, but I desperately searched for a good Alesis Nanoverb (v1) replacement. I loved the "Chorus Room 1" and "Nonlinear" preset and every Reverb I tried, nothing came close. So thanks to this thread and with a bit of research I made a few Impulse Responses from the original hardware unit.
To my ears they are indistinguishable when I load the IR's to Reaverb (Reaper). Maybe in theory this should not work as devkerr explained, but in practice I am very happy with the results.