Put this video on in my truck stereo while driving home, just to listen to the stoke and the interest in exploring sonic options. A great listen! Give thanks, man. Going to connect with the Patreon soon.
I literally just sold my BigSky and bought one of these like 3 days ago. This is the perfect video while I await its arrival, awesome timing! TY! Love the JX-8P too!
Ahhh, hope you enjoy it to! I'd appreciate your thoughts on it vs big sky, i may have to borrow one to do that video too... 8P is an absolute legend, happy to have one back in the space
@@JorbLovesGear Ok Ive been playing with the Empress Reverb and the DBA Rooms for a couple days now. Wow! They are both fantastic! I wouldn't waste your time with the Big sky IMO, it has a distinct coloration to it's reverb sound I don't find pleasing. Since getting the empress and rooms, I've put all my Strymon pedals up for sale (Big sky, night sky, timeline). These new additions sound much more like professional reverbs and have been much more inspiring, right out of the box.
@@1973asdf The Empress is the best pedal reverb out there aside from the CXM1978 IMO! Specular Tempus is also a great option, especially for big deep reverbs! Bigsky is over rated!
Hey Jorb! Glad you got the reverb and loved it! It's one empress pedal I don't have, and I don't have any reverb pedals, so eventually I'll probably have to own one of these. Great video as always!
my biggest complaint with this video is that the patches all had long adsr amp envelopes which made differentiating the synth decay from the reverb decay a bit ambiguous - I feel like arpeggiated/short gate patches would lend itself better to hearing the reverb decay character. anyway I still like and subscribe
I have my JX8P on my desk right now so I have to watch this. And a Reverb pedal I've been eyeing... Don't know why I'm just finding your channel this morning but stoked I have. Okay back to watching the video...
Jorb! Just recently started watching your channel. I dig your style and well, I live out my obsession vicariously as keeping a roof and wife over my head are priorities, it’s cool to see your love for what you do and the gear you use. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing you cover beer mode in more detail. 🤣 Been keeping my gas down but I recently had to finally get myself an analog poly and I do what you do, sell other things to afford something else. And whew 😅 I think I’m set. XD module, Sub Phatty, Octatrack, and an effects unit. And a cheap tape deck for nostalgic vibes, love BOC. Now off to my Gear Anon meeting. I’m not going to buy it, nope not gonna do it. 🤦🏻
Thanks for giving me a bad case of GAS first thing in the morning! LOL I’m gonna have to pick one up. Going to run my JX-3P through it. Curious to see how it would sound on my CP-70B as well.
@@JorbLovesGear yeah, the shimverb was a bit jank unless you used it very sparingly. The feedback loop doesn't seem to have any sort of envelope or smoothing, (or it's just in the wrong place on the chain) so it's quite harsh. The ocean machine is a whole other beast. Channel called 'chords of orion' has some really good vids on it.
I went with the Strymon Night Sky and still haven't fully explored its possibilities. But with MIDI in/out, an expression pedal and sequencer, it is pretty well suited for synths. But I almost regretted not getting a Microcosm and that's the next pedal purchase if I have GAS for that. I will say this Empress Reverb pedal seems like a fantastic alternative to a Big Sky for synths. I'm a big fan of ambient so that appeals to me. But for those who aren't DAW'less, Ableton 11's built-in Hybrid Reverb is a viable alternative to these expensive pedals, too, IMO.
Sell the night sky. Get a microcosm and a empress reverb and you'll be set. (just sold a big sky and night sky, looking to sell timeline too). The microcosm and empress just blow them away IMO.
I’ll throw another shoutout to the Zoom MS 50G it’s the poor man’s H9 . Not as clean and high fidelity obviously, but it’s shimmer , black hole, tank , plates are great for synths not to mention all the other effects and the fact that you can stack 6 at once ,usb or battery powered , 3rd party free editor * and they are cheap as chips used . Got two on my little mini patch bay and I wouldn’t say no to a third . *Tone lib Zoom
@@JorbLovesGear it has stereo in Yup otherwise completely the same . I went with the 50s because all my mono synths are well mono lol and they are cheaper used normally. All my polys are digital and have there own effects with the exception of the micro freak being para/poly (whatever floats your boat Automatic Gainsey ) but still mono aural which lives connected to the patchbay with the duel 50s . Edit : they even made a weird blutooth version MS100 bt , but all three have identical sound engines . Edit 2 : maybe not sexy enough to do a video on , but keyboard sub-mixers are a big deal in our world often . My trusty old line mixer gave out on me a while back and I had to dig out my old Nady 242 ( Ternary for me ? Lol ) anyway I had to replace it as it was just a stop gap , but I was very light on funds and decided to gamble on a cheap alternative and got a Moukey MAMX3 and I have to say it’s pretty damn good . One feature it has I’ve not seen on many line mixers is that each of the 8 inputs can independently be switched either mono or stereo . They do seam to have quality control issues if the reviews aren’t bots , but I can say I have no usb power hum and it’s signal to noise is pretty damn good .
Josh! What are you doing to me?!?! I thought you were supposed to provide the alternative to GAS! Honestly, though, great video! I've loved the Empress from afar. I have a TON of different reverbs including my Lexicons (LXP-1, LXP-15, MPX-1, and Vortex), my Alesis MidiVerb II and Quadraverb, and some wonderful pedals including the T.C. Electronics T2, the Boss RV-6, the Eventide H9max, the Source Audio Ventris, and the GFI Specular Tempus. According to Benn Jordan, the Empress is the best. However, according to his video below, the Ventris and the Specular Tempus are both just a hair below the Empress. I can attest that they sound wonderful too (yet I am obsessed with delays and reverbs and so tempted to get the Empress as well). This link jumps to the end when he makes a brief observation about what ambient reverbs actually are and then he attempts to show where the Ventris measures compared to the Empress and the Specular Tempus. I look forward to speaking about this more. Reverb, Delay, and Chorus are the secret sauce that take our instruments to the next level. (This is where I'd get side-tracked into a conversation about the Novation Peak & Summit that have the most incredible reverb to be offered in a synth, plus a great delay and chorus to boot!) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yq-PYEvQHrM.html
Ted, redirecting gas is only part of the job 😂😂 I've wanted to try a midiverb for awhile, always looking for used ones. And my boss rv-5 has been a favorite for awhile! Benn does a great job, I'll have to sit and just listen to that for awhile.
Dear Jorb, you are precariously close to a reverb rabbit hole of such depth and potential expense. Please tread cautiously. Now I have to go buy another reverb. Again.
Nice FX processor. What I have learned in using synthesizers since the 70s, is that if you connect them in a chain, you can eventually get the sound you are looking for. I use at present a Merris Mercury7, going into a Polara and Obscura pedal. I have many other FX pedals also. But at present this combination gives me the expansiveness I seek for sound creation with synthesizers. I tend to gravitate towards pads and sequences. I find with practice you can mix all this on any good analog mixer and adjust levels to sync. The most important aspect of synth music creation is how you use your pedals in the chain. I feed my output of my synths into the Mercry7, which is inputed into the Polara, into the Obscura. Defining settings in each processor to work correctly as a whole, is where the magic actually happens. If you have any EQ, and gating of signal, you can hone your sound to perfection,given time. I recommend a Graphic and Parametric EQ, to further enhance Frequency and Amplitude of signals you wish to process. These EQs tend to work best if used independently of one another, fantastic sculpting tools everyone should have in their arsenal. Having had time on my side, so to speak, these methods have allowed me incredible affordability in sound creation. I use these techniques in developing the actual sounds I wish hear from my synths and even a cheap electric violin I have. My fascination at the present time is with granular synthesis, and using samples from my Korg DSS-1 Sampler, using single and dual additive waveforms drawn directly from the DSS-1, and floppy disks I have created. Sound creation is a mysterious art form, in the analog as well as digital domain. I enjoyed your exploration of the Empress, with respect Expanding Knowledge.
I know somebody released a Juno chorus pedal, but to your or anyone else’s knowledge, is there a cheap chorus that is eitcher actually the same circuit or a very similar one to the original juno chorus?
Jorb, is the Empress True Stereo, I noticed a lot of pedal reverbs cut costs by providing a totally summed to mono signal that is then mixed in with the dry signal, claiming to be stereo, but in fact only the dry signal is stereo. Only a few provide a true stereo reverb effect that will retain some panning when fully wet.
Since you say it's the best is it because you like it or have tried several ones? I enjoyed the Ventris dual reverb and am considering getting it, but if you recommend this one instead... Sounds REALLY nice here on your vid!
I haven't sat down and ran it side by side with any of the other big boys, I imagine I would feel similarly about the big sky. Just can do everything, and *will* sound good. I have a buddy with one, may need to borrow and do A/B !
Hello, please, would you recommend using a reverb pedal (Empress reverb) and a delay pedal together on synth? If so, which delay pedal is good to pair with the Empress reverb?
33:35 I believe there are three varieties of the TRS mini to Midi cable. Unfortunately I only have the old Novation ones laying around which is B and you need an A. It’s not a standard, if all possible variations are in the standards specification 🤪
In fact, here is a double tap self reply for algo sacrifice. Just picked up a couple pedals with their own fx loops (Qtron plus, and a deluxe memory boy) ooh lala! Lots of patching possibilities now. Would love your take on these kinds of pedals.
Cheers, thanks for the algo boost. lol I loved my qtron plus, have since gotten a wonderlove from 3 leaf audio. Banger. Have only messed with it on synths in passing, with my omni chord to add a filter. that was dope.
Do you happen to have access to a Yamaha DX9? Finding info on creating patches is hard to find and I like how you go into detail. I want to learn how to create different patches, not just turn this knob.. set this number... Ta dah a Clarinet! Hope that makes sense.
Nightsky is way more experimental, it almost like, resynthesizes in a lot of settings, its introducing new pitches. Empress is more general, very flexible.
I have a Nightsky and really enjoy it, but I still cannot decide if it is really a reverb pedal. It can do classic reverbs, yes, but it can also do a lot more - almost (exactly?) like adding a second synth behind your dry signal. It can get wild. I find it great to experiment with, but you do need to spend time tweaking the dials and settings to get the most from it. If you are looking for something beyond the typical reverbs, it is fantastic. For simple room, plate etc. reverbs, other options might be easier to use.
"I'm gonna try not to say it sounds good too much" 2 minutes later "It just sounds good doesn't it" 🤣 love it thanks for such a thorough walkthrough and for fueling the gas 🤣
Jorb, What's your opinion on this vs. the Meris Mercury7 vs. the Strymon Big Sky? Mostly on a tone perspective, I liked the sound of the Mercury 7 and it's mod section, but I find it's hard to get to sit in a mix. There's also this weird thing where the stereo outs sit slightly more in the right channel (to which Meris confirmed when I called them as that's part of their stereo algorithm). Anyway, I'm looking for a replacement. I was looking at the Big Sky, but this has been on my radar and it really does sound beautiful in the video. Getting it to sit right in a mix is always a different story though so really interested in your thoughts. Thank you!
I've only played some meris stuff briefly at Namm years ago with a guitar, even. But I have tried the big sky! Not nearly as intentionally as this time with the empress, though. Enough mention of it that I feel like I need to compare the Reverb directly to the Big Sky, but i need to figure out a good structure for that video first.
"I will 100% be doing a video of all of the modes, you'll have to subscribe if you want to see it. lmao". Still waiting on that modes video. I do have the pedal, but I am so much in love with it (in love with a reverb pedal, who would have thought!) that I enjoy a lot listening to others playing stuff through it
Of course it is going to sound good. This is a fairly high end unit price wise. If I had that cash I might be more inclined to go with an eventide as this doesn't sound as cavernous as those units.
I hear both sides, and most of the time live in the cheap world. And i do agree, I probably wouldn't have bought this at anything near new price if I were getting it on my own. But its pretty easy to justify this as doing the job of three 150$ pedals. And doing their jobs better. I plan on talking about more affordable options when i reach the reverb / delay episode of the synthesist's guide to guitar pedals
