FabFilter Pro-R 2 -> Released Thursday November 2, 2023

[Jac459]

So you don't have V³ (Vallhalla VintageVerb) yet? You should get that first, I'd say.

I just have the free supermassive of Vallhalla and I like it (don't love it).
Good advise, I will give it a listen !

[DrGonzo]

So you don't have V³ (Vallhalla VintageVerb) yet? You should get that first, I'd say.

VintageVerb kind of killed my desire for reverbs to be honest. Every time I check out a new reverb, I ask myself if it is better than VintageVerb. The answer is 9 out of 10 times no.

[Jac459]

So you don't have V³ (Vallhalla VintageVerb) yet? You should get that first, I'd say.

VintageVerb kind of killed my desire for reverbs to be honest. Every time I check out a new reverb, I ask myself if it is better than VintageVerb. The answer is 9 out of 10 times no.

Oh !
Then is Pro R2 in the bag of 1/10 or 9/10 ??

[DrGonzo]

The 1/10 I am afraid. But that's just because VV fits my personal taste 100%.

[MrJubbly]

R2 is now a great reverb, one of the best.

The new features and improvements really did elevate it.

It was already very good for clean, if perhaps 'tamer' reverbs than many other plugins. But the new enhancements allow for a greater range of uses.

As for Vallhalla DSP, I also own all of their products and they are also great. But, generally for different types of situations.

It's just good for users, to be able to pick their preferred weapons of choice, for any given scenario.

[Jorchime]

So you don't have V³ (Vallhalla VintageVerb) yet? You should get that first, I'd say.

VintageVerb kind of killed my desire for reverbs to be honest. Every time I check out a new reverb, I ask myself if it is better than VintageVerb. The answer is 9 out of 10 times no.

Same for me!
I like FabFilter UIs, but I couldn't argue to get Pro-R so far.
With VintageVerb and various other reverbs I feel that I have to learn them in depth before getting another Plugin even makes sense.

Not sure if I'll ever reach that point, though?

[egbert101]

I'm in the same boat. FabFilter Pro-R2 looks like a deluxe luxury reverb item, that I would love to own, but I really do not need it at all with my economy class Valhalla plugins.

[jens]

So you don't have V³ (Vallhalla VintageVerb) yet? You should get that first, I'd say.

I just have the free supermassive of Vallhalla and I like it (don't love it).
Good advise, I will give it a listen !

Something to keep in mind when you do:

The 20 included "Modes" are partly vastly different, even though the interface stays the same - the controls don't always do the same either (especially "attack" is often controlling different parameters), so it's really as if you were switching to another reverb under the hood, which you need to get to know. The further down the list a mode is, the newer it is. IMO most of (if not all) the finest ones are not the original ones, so it makes sense to start testing the from bottom to top instead of the other way around.

My most favourite one - imo the pinnacle of the whole thing so far - is Palace, the newest one - it's Quantec-inspired and can be made to sound pretty close to a QRS or Yardstick but is a lot more flexible and for my taste also better sounding (due to the added modulation, etc.). For Palace alone I'd gladly pay more than twice of what V³ costs. It imo wipes the floor with most other reverb plugins. It's just beautyful - and extremely flexible and versatile.

Nonlin does gated and reverse reverb plus more (Think AMS RMX)...

Sanctuary is inspired by the EMT 250; many others by Lexicon but then there's also Cathedral and the "Chaotic" modes which very much do their own thing...

And on top of all that there are then the three "Colours" which vastly affect the overall character of each Mode.

https://valhalladsp.com/2023/02/10/valh ... the-modes/

https://valhalladsp.com/2023/01/25/valh ... de-palace/

https://valhalladsp.com/2021/11/23/valh ... dral-mode/

https://valhalladsp.com/2017/05/06/valh ... os-reigns/


Every update is free by the way - it's all included in the 50$ I paid 11 years ago.

[Jac459]

So you don't have V³ (Vallhalla VintageVerb) yet? You should get that first, I'd say.

I just have the free supermassive of Vallhalla and I like it (don't love it).
Good advise, I will give it a listen !

Something to keep in mind when you do:

The 20 included "Modes" are partly vastly different, even though the interface stays the same - the controls don't always do the same either (especially "attack" is often controlling different parameters), so it's really as if you were switching to another reverb under the hood, which you need to get to know. The further down the list a mode is, the newer it is. IMO most of (if not all) the finest ones are not the original ones, so it makes sense to start testing the from bottom to top instead of the other way around.

My most favourite one - imo the pinnacle of the whole thing so far - is Palace, the newest one - it's Quantec-inspired and can be made to sound pretty close to a QRS or Yardstick but is a lot more flexible and for my taste also better sounding (due to the added modulation, etc.). For Palace alone I'd gladly pay more than twice of what V³ costs. It imo wipes the floor with most other reverb plugins. It's just beautyful - and extremely flexible and versatile.

Nonlin does gated and reverse reverb plus more (Think AMS RMX)...

Sanctuary is inspired by the EMT 250; many others by Lexicon but then there's also Cathedral and the "Chaotic" modes which very much do their own thing...

And on top of all that there are then the three "Colours" which vastly affect the overall character of each Mode.

https://valhalladsp.com/2023/02/10/valh ... the-modes/

https://valhalladsp.com/2023/01/25/valh ... de-palace/

https://valhalladsp.com/2021/11/23/valh ... dral-mode/

https://valhalladsp.com/2017/05/06/valh ... os-reigns/


Every update is free by the way - it's all included in the 50$ I paid 11 years ago.

Whaou, thanks a lot for such a detailled explanation mate. I am downloading now...

By the way, a production question, are you having one or 2 reverb in an FX channel and try to compose with those as a coherent space or are you authorizing yourself to mix different reverbs ?
I know the theory of placement but in electronic music I end-up doing more by feelings than a real logic (for example different instruments with different... rooms simulation).

[jens]

By the way, a production question, are you having one or 2 reverb in an FX channel and try to compose with those as a coherent space or are you authorizing yourself to mix different reverbs ?
I know the theory of placement but in electronic music I end-up doing more by feelings than a real logic (for example different instruments with different... rooms simulation).

I'm not doing electronic music (I guess calling my music indie pop/rock probably describes it kind of adequately) and guess I'm in the same boat as you. I kind of have some guidelines in my head and some (mostly self-created) rules I tend to follow, but my reverb-useage is perhaps best described as wildly chaotic (which is why it helps tremendously to have GoTo plugins/algos).

Sean claims reverb should always be used as sends but that seems like bollocks to me. That way you can't really place your sources in anything that resembles any kind of virtual room (or otherwise you'd have to send each track to a bus first which you process individually first before sending it into the reverb). I instead insert them and set them up the way it sounds good to me. For that I tend to re-use the same plugins with similar setting on several if not most tracks.

E.g. I might use Fame first on all or most tracks (mostly using the respective channels of room 2), then send some/most of them through V³ or Sonsig afterwards and instead perhaps a little spring reverb here and there...

and I think that's also more or less how they did it on most classic records - what sounds good is good.

[Jac459]

By the way, a production question, are you having one or 2 reverb in an FX channel and try to compose with those as a coherent space or are you authorizing yourself to mix different reverbs ?
I know the theory of placement but in electronic music I end-up doing more by feelings than a real logic (for example different instruments with different... rooms simulation).

I'm not doing electronic music (I guess calling my music indie pop/rock probably describes it kind of adequately) and guess I'm in the same boat as you. I kind of have some guidelines in my head and some (mostly self-created) rules I tend to follow, but my reverb-useage is perhaps best described as wildly chaotic (which is why it helps tremendously to have GoTo plugins/algos).

Sean claims reverb should always be used as sends but that seems like bollocks to me. That way you can't really place your sources in anything that resembles any kind of virtual room (or otherwise you'd have to send each track to a bus first which you process individually first before sending it into the reverb). I instead insert them and set them up the way it sounds good to me. For that I tend to re-use the same plugins with similar setting on several if not most tracks.

E.g. I might use Fame first on all or most tracks (mostly using the respective channels of room 2), then send some/most of them through V³ or Sonsig afterwards and instead perhaps a little spring reverb here and there...

and I think that's also more or less how they did it on most classic records - what sounds good is good.

Thanks, very useful... I feel less shame now haha.

By the way, you are a good salesman... I bought VVV already... .

I was feeling I would end-up the weekend with a reverb but it didn't turn out to be the expected one lol....

[Jorchime]

Whaou, thanks a lot for such a detailled explanation mate. I am downloading now...

By the way, a production question, are you having one or 2 reverb in an FX channel and try to compose with those as a coherent space or are you authorizing yourself to mix different reverbs ?
I know the theory of placement but in electronic music I end-up doing more by feelings than a real logic (for example different instruments with different... rooms simulation).

Maybe a bit over the top, but I found this great course the other day:

They offer a workflow where you have single virtual stage, but use multiple instances with different early reflections to mix everything either close, mid or far in this room.
I think it's an interesting place to start, but of course in the end anything that works is good.

As a loose rule: reverb as send makes sense for mixing, as insert for sound design, I'd say.

[Jac459]

...
As a loose rule: reverb as send makes sense for mixing, as insert for sound design, I'd say.

Yes, this makes a lot of sense...

[egbert101]

Sean claims reverb should always be used as sends but that seems like bollocks to me. That way you can't really place your sources in anything that resembles any kind of virtual room (or otherwise you'd have to send each track to a bus first which you process individually first before sending it into the reverb). I instead insert them and set them up the way it sounds good to me. For that I tend to re-use the same plugins with similar setting on several if not most tracks.

God I hope Sean reads this and corrects us all with an essay!

[OscSync]

I'm quite confused by the Import IR feature. Initially I read and thought that sounds quite revolutionary but having thought about it, how is it any different to any convolution reverb already out there?