Best ambient reverb?

[Klinke1]

The thing with shimmer is that it's basically a reverb and a pitch shifter combined. You can take a simple chord and run it into a 5th up + 1 octave up reverb (shimmer)... instant lushness. Add pre-delay so it trails around behind the notes in an organic way and it's a really cool effect. You can then have it constantly applying the reverb to the input signal, or (what they call in the effects pedal industry) "regenerating" shimmer, which creates a feedback loop on the output so an octave up feeds into itself - so the octave up shimmer morphs into 2 octaves up, then 3, and 4 and so on until the tail decays. That's what creates that angelic thing. If high in the mix it can start sounding really cheesey and gimmicky, but cutting the high-end brings the lush back.

Anyway shimmer is awesome! I need to buy Valhalla's... Christmas sale?

This track was made entirely on guitar - the main pads are volume swells through shimmer.
http://sorashima.bandcamp.com/track/raytheon

I made Shimmer patches last weekend.. Soundtoys Rack has a preset:
Guitar: Chrystal Choir... it's nice.

... Then i took Bidule and put in:
Soundt. Chrystallizer-> Replika in diffusion mode -> Rc24 crossfade to Rc48 (I couldn't decide.. now can simply check each or mix in both..) -> Output + Feedback(Gain) -> Crossfade dry/wet = Jackpot

It is tranforming audio and whole songs into majestic string like symphonies..
My ears are still ringing.. and now i will load up Cubase. (Junkie needs his Shimmer-fix)
The Bidule setup has floating plug-in windows, while Soundtoys is tidier looking but more complicated.
Chrystal Choir preset uses Echoboy as diffusion and Primal Tap in Reverb mode = Many, many knobs

[annode]

Many yrs ago when I was a kid, my father had albums like "101 Strings" or "Mitch Miller and the Gang sing show tunes". These were all so schlocky and drowned in reverberation or overly lively halls just for the sake of showing off this new thing called reverberation. Now that cheap schlocky,kitschy sound has found a new home in everybody`s so called ambient production. The more lush and reverberant the sustain the better. This is not ambient, it`s schlocky, kitschy schmaltz. Super long tails/trails don`t make a genre good, imaginative ambiance creation does. So really pls tone down on the fake, phony sounding verbs.

Just my take on it all.

[caulixtla]

These were all so schlocky and drowned in reverberation or overly lively halls just for the sake of showing off this new thing called reverberation. Now that cheap schlocky,kitschy sound has found a new home in everybody`s so called ambient production. [...] Super long tails/trails don`t make a genre good, imaginative ambiance creation does.

I understand the sentiment ... one current trend is to take out a Big Cloud or good software verb (I like the Valhalla stuff, right now my go to reverb is Vintage Verb, but I also have Valhalla Room and Valhalla Plate), increase the mix and decay to max, and call it a “song.” But this does not mean that a very compelling song can not be made from the sound of reverberation. As evidence, I humbly submit exhibit one, from the 1990s: 12:18 by Global Communication



Still not convinced. Exhibit two, “An Ending: Ascent” from 1983 is a Yamaha CS-80 drenched in a bunch of reverb (I believe the EMT 250), which was applied both forwards and backwards, from the days when you flipped the reel upside down to get a backwards sound:

[Vectorman]

Useful thread. I was listening to a demo of the Strymon Big Sky and thinking gosh, that sounds nice. Happened to look in here and was reminded of Valhalla Shimmer which, despite having had Valhalla Room for years, I'd somehow forgotten existed. Picked up Shimmer and putting some clean guitar through it put me in mind of some of the Big Sky modes. So I pulled back up the track I'm working on atm, and a few carefully placed ambient guitar bends/washes done with Shimmer ended up being the perfect thing to add depth and "goosebump factor" to the song in places.

I'm not really an "ambient" guy per se (even though I do really like some ambient recordings like Patrick O'Hearn's Glaciation), but Shimmer sounds so nice, I might just have to put a one or two-minute ambient intro on a song.

[annode]

I understand the sentiment ... one current trend is to take out a Big Cloud or good software verb (I like the Valhalla stuff, right now my go to reverb is Vintage Verb, but I also have Valhalla Room and Valhalla Plate), increase the mix and decay to max, and call it a “song.” But this does not mean that a very compelling song can not be made from the sound of reverberation. As evidence, I humbly submit exhibit one, from the 1990s: 12:18 by Global Communication

I don`t want to veer this thread in another direction, so i`ll just respond to this only.
- Concerning the 'Global Communications' track above, I like this a lot. It reminds me of the recently released Max Richter - 'Sleep' (From Sleep). There is an exaggerated amount of verb used IMO, but...considering the track is imaginative, and in that it is a cyclically minimal ambient composition, the long thick verb doesn't step all over itself. The 8 bit voices suggest an ethereal theme well fitting for a cathedral verb. Cathedral would also cover up the roughness of 8 bit voices. But, if me, I would have liked to hear the verb gradually get longer throughout the track, not be heavy all through it.

So yes, some ambient music uses heavier verb with imagination and tact. It`s those who abuse it. Verb can be a beautiful effect when used imaginatively and purposefully.

Concerning the Eno track;
- I know this track well, of course, it's a classic. Again...it`s a choir/ethereal cathedral verb effect...very appropriate but I believe it`s not reverb but a multi-tap delay. The verb-effect trail is very short if you listen.(1 sec) I believe it`s just as much the length of the organ notes and synth/sampler release that give it the effect of a dense, long verb. This is a well produced piece of ambient.
It is also minimal as well as cyclical in composition which make it a classic ambient style.

[The Chase]

xoxos makes a very good reverb with pitch shifting in the feedback lines for the Eno sound as well.

I also really like Abstract Chamber, as my go-to for long reverbs. It does a great job retaining bright textures over long decay times without turning into muddy noise.

[MogwaiBoy]

Agreed, Abstract Chamber is very cool - great modulation. Very lush.

[sazb30]

Really enjoyed the track you posted MogwaiBoy. Very nice indeed

[MFXxx]

I would personally look at 2CAudios B2 or/and Aether. B2 is certainly a goto for floating creative ambience inho.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I think sample construct provided a pretty nice audible summary. I would add to that Aether though, which has lovely long tails. I think I like it even more than B2 for ambient reverbs. RC24, Ubermod, VVV also favourites of mine.

Actually although it's very simple, I have to give a shout out to the diffusion mode in NI Replika. Very nice sounding as well.

[Constructed Identity]

Just going to give a shot out to my newest, Reverberate2. I'm still learning, but it's got stunning liveliness in a convolution with more controls than I know what to do with. Replaced Epicverb with it on last months one synth challenge entry.

[Constructed Identity]

Many yrs ago when I was a kid, my father had albums like "101 Strings" or "Mitch Miller and the Gang sing show tunes". These were all so schlocky and drowned in reverberation or overly lively halls just for the sake of showing off this new thing called reverberation. Now that cheap schlocky,kitschy sound has found a new home in everybody`s so called ambient production. The more lush and reverberant the sustain the better. This is not ambient, it`s schlocky, kitschy schmaltz. Super long tails/trails don`t make a genre good, imaginative ambiance creation does. So really pls tone down on the fake, phony sounding verbs.

Just my take on it all.

So true. And why I don't like 95percent (or more) of the stuff released on some record label in the 90's-00's

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[MogwaiBoy]

I think since it seems blackhole is at a permanently ludicrous price now vs shimmer, that i will just get shimmer for $50 for the huge stuff which i need ever so rarely..
me).

You can just about buy the physical Eventide Space reverb effects pedal for the price of that .dll and get tonnes more value for money.

[BBFG#]

Valhalla and 2cAudio both have that sound that grabs me.
Aether and Shimmer seem to be the two that add dimensions I don't otherwise have.
Only 2cAudio is on sale now.

But as far as the 'shimmer' effect goes..
What else besides Valhalla Shimmer does that specifically?