IKM CSR Reverbs - your opinions? alternatives?

[Caine123]

hi guys, so im starting to see if i wanna/can replace my IKM plugins and with reverbs im not a pro so if someone has more experiences can you say something about the CSR reverbs? i used a lot of CSR Hall and like the sound, but trying to replicate the sound with e.g. Valhalla Vintage Verb it isnt much the same, or im just using the wrong settings.
so i wonder how the CSR plugins are rated?

thx

[WasteLand]

always personal of course, but the CSR reverbs are excellent. many settings, great sound.

i own more reverbs and do use them, in my workflow not every reverb works for my home brewed sources.

in my opinion they are quite underrated. and once you have them, well, with every t-racks full number update you get the new ones.

but do you miss something, don't get the results you want, need? if they work for you, well that is the answer.

[Caine123]

always personal of course, but the CSR reverbs are excellent. many settings, great sound.

i own more reverbs and do use them, in my workflow not every reverb works for my home brewed sources.

in my opinion they are quite underrated. and once you have them, well, with every t-racks full number update you get the new ones.

but do you miss something, don't get the results you want, need? if they work for you, well that is the answer.

i like the CSR Hall, but IKM sucks, they suck so hard i have wasted so much time with bughunting, crashlogs sending etc. i want to get rid of them....

[ramseysounds]

I got all 4 in a group buy a few years ago. Once they got bigger guis they were a breeze to use. Always one of the first I reach for.

Just be aware every reverb known to man will now be listed by others

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

If I recall correctly, the algorithms were coded by Martin Lind of Relab fame [this was years before Relab] and these were Lexicon-inspired (at least the Hall, Plate, and Room). I want to say they were going for the Lexicon PCM-70 or PCM-90 vibe but I don't think anyone ever claimed these were meant to be a direct clones. You could look at the Lexicon PCM Native bundle as one option. Exponential Audio's verbs would be like a much cleaner, more modern take on these. ValhallaVintageVerb would probably be like a more characterful, more grainy version of these. I do think the CSR verbs have a bit of a low-mid build up that benefits from an EQ. I also just really don't like working with the CSR GUI. Frankly, never use them. And every time I've tried to revisit them recently, I wasn't personally wowed.

So yeah, take a look at Lexicon and Relab (Sonsig and LX480) or even Exponential if you want other stuff in that ballpark. If you want an alternative to the "inverse" verb, look at the Nonlin mode on VintageVerb or the UAD RMX16 plugin (or impulses).

[Synth Master Jedi]

If you like the sound, which the OP said that they did, then why replace them?

The OP also said that they tried another reverb and they weren't able to replicate the sound.

There are so many different types of reverbs around from different companies.

I say keep the IK reverbs, why replace them?

If you're looking to branch out more in the reverb world, then you could consider getting some more, but keep the ones you have.

It all depends on what type of verb and sound you're looking for. There are many good reverbs available today from too many companies to list.

[Synth Master Jedi]

Exponential Audio's verbs would be like a much cleaner, more modern take on these.

They might be EOL now since being taken over by Izotope. I'm not sure if they'll ever be updated again, but all of them can be had for a steal these days. If somebody can get them for real cheap, like 10 bucks a piece, then I think they're good verbs to have, even if they are EOL and if they will still work on somebody's machine/OS etc.

I remember back in the day when those verbs were hundreds of dollars a piece, and people were praising their sound even back then at that cost.

Izotope totally devalued those verbs when they bought them out.

[BERFAB]

I used to use CSR on everything. Great sound, easy to use, etc. And, relatively easy on CPU. However, upgrading my setup allowed me to use 'heavier' fx like Aether and Breeze2. Breeze2 is a great all-rounder with an extremely clean sound. Aether is really capable of anything, and IMHO the gold standard of verbs.

CSR has more of a vintage sound (hence "Classic") and I still go back to it when needed. However, if you are a Native Instruments collector, note that the RC24/RC48 reverbs also cover this space. In addition, again with the NI collection, Replika covers tons of ground in the reverb/delay space. But for sheer reverb creativity, it's hard to beat NI's Raum which, similar to the IK collection, is actually a trio of reverbs intended for ultra creative use. It does the standard reverb stuff quite well, but it's also very easy to take it to very creative places. And, at $49, (they gave it away free at launch years ago) it's a relative bargain.

Cheers
-B

[martinjuenke]

I like them as well.
Simply doing their job with clean GUI, good sound and reliable behaviour.

[martinjuenke]

... they suck so hard ...

We all suck sometimes, don't we?

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Exponential Audio's verbs would be like a much cleaner, more modern take on these.

They might be EOL now since being taken over by Izotope. I'm not sure if they'll ever be updated again, but all of them can be had for a steal these days. If somebody can get them for real cheap, like 10 bucks a piece, then I think they're good verbs to have, even if they are EOL and if they will still work on somebody's machine/OS etc.

I remember back in the day when those verbs were hundreds of dollars a piece, and people were praising their sound even back then at that cost.

Izotope totally devalued those verbs when they bought them out.

I'm not sure if Lexicon is planning on updating the PCM Native collection to Apple Silicon either. So yeah, buyer beware.

[kritikon]

I'd possibly buy some EA verbs if they become a bit cheaper...are they VST3 or stuck in VST2? Currently it doesn't matter to me, but at some point I'll update Cubase so I don't really want any VST2 legacy plugins if I can help it...

[vurt]

... they suck so hard ...

We all suck sometimes, don't we?

not my ex

[Synth Master Jedi]

Exponential Audio's verbs would be like a much cleaner, more modern take on these.

They might be EOL now since being taken over by Izotope. I'm not sure if they'll ever be updated again, but all of them can be had for a steal these days. If somebody can get them for real cheap, like 10 bucks a piece, then I think they're good verbs to have, even if they are EOL and if they will still work on somebody's machine/OS etc.

I remember back in the day when those verbs were hundreds of dollars a piece, and people were praising their sound even back then at that cost.

Izotope totally devalued those verbs when they bought them out.

I'm not sure if Lexicon is planning on updating the PCM Native collection to Apple Silicon either. So yeah, buyer beware.

I don't have the PCM native collection myself, though I have used various hardware Lexicons for a long time.

I would buy the PCM native collection, but Lexicon first needs to show me that those verbs will be kept current and updated. Currently, I haven't seen any evidence of that.

I don't invest in things that costs hundreds of dollars if that thing has a questionable or shaky/unclear future.

When they release an updated PCM collection, then I will certainly consider picking it up.

[Synth Master Jedi]

I'd possibly buy some EA verbs if they become a bit cheaper...are they VST3 or stuck in VST2? Currently it doesn't matter to me, but at some point I'll update Cubase so I don't really want any VST2 legacy plugins if I can help it...

I don't use VST myself, I'm a Mac, Logic, AU guy, but on the product page for one of their verbs, you can see that it says VST and VST3, no mention of VST 2.

https://www.izotope.com/en/shop/exponen ... xverb.html