In this blog takeover, Sound Engineer, Dxt3r, explores the Eventide SP2016 Reverb. Watch as he demonstrates how how the legendary SP2016 algorithms work in a hip-hop vocal mix.
The SP2016 was Eventide’s, and the world’s first programmable effects hardware. It was first introduced in the early eighties and quickly became one of the leading reverb sounds of that era. The plug-in includes authentic emulations of Room, 2016 Stereo Room, and Hi-Density Plate algorithms, each available in two versions: Vintage and Modern. The Vintage algorithms are true to the original hardware, while The Modern algorithms are brighter, more diffuse, and use a higher bit-depth. All the six algorithms accessible through this plug-in have their unique features. However, the addition of newer modern algorithms does not change its intuitive and straightforward nature.
In this video, I apply the SP2016 on a variety of vocals, particularly enjoying the Vintage Plate version with moderate mix volume on R&B vocals. It creates a very natural room ambiance with lots of depth and dimension. The Stereo Room with the microphone positioned to the rear of the room works great to keep the ambience supporting the hook and chorus section on the vocals.
This plug-in is unbeatable in terms of speed of use versus the ability to tweak. In fact, the user-friendly interface on the Vintage Plate removes some control from the engineer and, if necessary, the user must find other ways to adjust to their wanted sound. The input and output gain staging and metering are simple and useful. Its EQ bands are designed for subtle gestures rather than full-on character-shaping control. This is something that works perfectly for me, as I normally like to add an extra EQ for shaping the frequency curve.
I love that I get both smooth 12-bit style soft blending with higher resolution and more modern-sounding spaces all in the same plug-in.
In my opinion, this is what most of sound engineers need: simplified reverb applicable on every source.
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