Del-Verb Ambience Companion Review: Unpacking Universal Audio’s Amazing Spatial Pedal

Del-Verb Ambience Companion Review: Unpacking Universal Audio’s Amazing Spatial Pedal

Universal Audio’s Del-Verb Ambience Companion has been in the marketplace for over a 12 months. While it garnered some preliminary reward when it first launched, the sheer variety of guitar pedals hitting the market as of late meant that different delays, reverbs, and multi-effect packing containers quickly changed the thrill. 

This sharp improve within the recognition of such pedals is probably going because of the growing variety of music producers utilizing pedals on their plugins and {hardware} synths, opening up fully new ranges of creativity (together with that coveted out-of-the-box sound). But in contrast to guitarists, whose pedal boards comprise 5-10 pedals they use religiously, music producers like me take a distinct strategy, investing in a couple of alternative pedals for particular functions of their workflow. 

So by means of that lens, let’s dive into the Del-Verb Ambience Companion by speaking about what it’s, what my favourite components of it are, what I wasn’t impressed by, and some alternative ways it shortly wiggled its approach into my workflow within the studio making melodic, natural home music. 

So, let’s begin by explaining a number of the extra tedious and technical elements of this synth earlier than deep-diving into this pedal to determine if it’s value choosing up to your productions (and guitar taking part in, after all). A handful of audio examples of included all through the overview, all of which function a dry sign of a loop or riff adopted by the sign ran by means of the pedal simply to make it straightforward so that you can hear precisely how the pedal sounds stay in motion!

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What Is The Del-Verb Ambience Companion

The Universal Audio Del-Verb Ambience Companion is a dual-function reverb and delay pedal integrating six genuine impact fashions from the UAFX sequence. The reverb part provides three modes:

• A traditional tube-driven spring reverb
• An atmospheric plate reverb
• A clear corridor reverb impressed by early digital models

The delay part contains three vintage-style echoes: a ’70s tape echo, an analog delay, and a precision digital delay. The pedal additionally options two setting-specific knobs, Color, and Mod, for intensive customization. The UAFX Control app enhances performance with downloadable customized voicings and extra tweaking choices.

The Del-Verb Ambience Companion contains a number of utility options, similar to analog dry by means of, spillover/trails performance, faucet tempo, and stereo/twin mono operation.

 Each reverb and delay impact replicates famend {hardware} models, offering many tonal choices that harken again to the golden days of analog. You can alter particular components of every impact with the Color knob and add distinct modulation results with the Mod knob, which is a superb function! 

Universal Audio’s Del-Verb Ambience Companion Delay and Reverb Pedal options stereo processing, permitting for separate reverb cases and delay for max depth and environment. The pedal operates in stereo and twin mono modes, retaining the dry sign’s purity with analog dry by means of and providing buffered bypass operation to take care of sign power over lengthy cable runs. 

Okay, with that each one out of the best way, let’s dive into my sizzling takes and favourite components concerning the Del-Verb Ambience Companion.

The Del-Verb Ambience Companion Review: The Pros!

It Handles Transients Incredibly Well

Producing melodic home music, I naturally gravitate to utilizing reverb and delay quite a bit in my productions. I like discovering plugins and instruments that accomplish this impact in distinctive methods. Until not too long ago, all the delays I used tended to scrub out the supply sign, pushing it additional to the again of the combination by dampening the transients, which acquired misplaced within the ping-pongs and echos of the impact.

But the Del-Verb Ambience Companion did one thing that I very hardly ever discover in delay results; it was capable of course of and deal with the transients of the supply sign extremely effectively, which means the lead sounds that I wished to sound spacious and evolving with out sinking into the background of the combination did simply that! 

This was additionally useful when including rhythm and momentum to particular drum sounds. I typically need to add a little bit of delay to my hats or bongo loops for this precise objective, however this often comes at the price of transient power. But that’s not the case whereas utilizing the Del-Verb Ambience pedal.

Every Change Is Meaningful 

I’ve reviewed a TON of various delay pedals and plugins over my time operating this web site, and those that delight themselves on being particularly for ambient music often have an enormous suite of knobs, parameters, and buttons that assist me dial within the sound to precisely what I would like. That’s enjoyable, however typically I need some touchpoints to form my sounds or areas shortly.

But the Del-Verb Ambience Companion provides a flexible spectrum of various sounds and textures, all from its small and manageable 8-point interface (six knobs and two switches that toggle between the assorted kinds of delay and reverb).

Every flip of the dial or flip of a swap on this pedal adjustments the supply sign noticeably and impactfully, which is enjoyable, inspiring, and, most significantly, helpful.

It Molds Itself To What It’s Being Used On

I ran a sliding guitar solo by means of the pedal, and then a shaker loop by means of the precise settings, and the outcomes have been utterly completely different. I discovered it tremendous fascinating to listen to simply how completely different this pedal sounded when different devices have been run by means of it, even when the settings on the pedal remained the identical. 

This was very true when taking part in with the parameters in actual time. If a pitched instrument, like a guitar solo talked about above, was being affected and  I adjusted the Delay Time parameter, the anticipated leaping of the pitch would apply to the sign, as you’d anticipate.

But if I ran a shaker or hi-hat loop by means of the identical impact whereas adjusting the delay time, cool artifacts would POP out of the loop (together with some cool skip-heavy grooves). 

But the identical settings, utilized to a pitched instrument or ambient texture would sound utterly completely different, which actually impressed me to do this pedal on as many various issues as I may within the studio, if something simply because I used to be curious to listen to the way it sounds on all the pieces from drums, to leads, foley texture, and extra. Take the above instance and evaluate it to the one under, what was a textural, gritty and groovy hat loop is now makes an attractive sax pattern much more sultry (attempt saying that 5 occasions quick!).

The Del-Verb Ambience Companion Review: The Con

Its Bulk Might Not Be For Everyone

This is a cumbersome pedal; there’s no different method to say it. 

It’s much more cumbersome than the Maestro line of pedals I reviewed a couple of years in the past, and I believed these have been clunkers! 

Many guitarists play complicated Tetris video games with their pedals, attempting to suit as many onto their pedalboards as attainable. The Del-Verb Ambience Companion takes up sufficient actual property for 2 smaller pedals, which is one thing to think about. 

This could also be tremendous should you’re a music producer searching for pedals to run your {hardware} and softsynths by means of and you’ve got all of the room of a small studio to spare (it slides completely into my studio setup alongside my sequencers and multi-effect pedals). 

But it’s value considering twice should you’re a touring musician or must be hyper-selective due to the house in your pedal board. It’s not fully a deal-breaker; it’s extra like a primary, not a 3rd, strike. 

How I Used The Del-Verb Ambience Companion

On Counter Melodies 

Shorter and extra intermittent riffs that harmonize with or play alongside the principle melody in my initiatives actually come to life after I add spatial results like reverb and delay. 

This is as a result of they typically have more room between the runs of notes, which the delays fill in. Because I may get such a variety of various delay sounds from the Del-Verb, it shortly changed into a Swiss Army Knife of spatial results for riffs and motifs that assist the principle melody and different ear sweet like that. 

On Drums 

As I mentioned earlier than, I like how transient-forward this pedal could be, making it my new go-to software for including delay so as to add a bit extra momentum to my drums. The crispiness of the preliminary assault on layers similar to shakers and hats is an X-factor right here that’s straightforward to fall in love with.

Messing round with the completely different delay occasions additionally created thrilling grooves and shuffles. I discovered that operating a hat loop by means of the pedal, recording the result, after which enhancing the end result by eradicating pointless hits in order that solely the perfect, most wonderful, and swingy-est parts of the loop remained generated some fascinating rhythms. 

On Soundbeds

I like having discipline recordings and different foley samples within the breakdowns of my tracks, and I’ve had nice success operating these identical discipline recordings by means of the pedal to create hyper-washed-out sounds alive with motion and shade. 

These layers got here to life after I experimented with the completely different parameters on the pedal and recorded the outcomes over time. I checked out many of the opinions and breakdowns of this pedal whereas familiarizing myself with it, and I used to be enthusiastic about how nice it sounds on lead synths and guitars for ambient music, which is true in its personal proper. Still, it additionally sounds smashing on lighter and evolving textures within the background of the monitor. 

Should I Buy The Del-Verb Ambience Companion?

The Del-Verb is a unbelievable, albeit cumbersome, guitar pedal able to far more than simply washing out the sign of your six-string electrical. It packs a ton of performance and options into an excellent easy-to-navigate interface, making it enjoyable and galvanizing to make use of. 

Sure, it’s as vibrant as you want it to be and about as transient-forward as you would ask for, however not in a approach that brings a number of perspective. Suppose you’re a lead guitarist in a rock or metallic group searching for a delay pedal with a tone of chew and shade. In that case, you’d be higher off with one thing just like the Keeley Dark Side Multi-effects Pedal ($50 cheaper than the Universal Audio pedal, I’ll add). 

But suppose you’re searching for an unbelievable, delicate, in all the perfect methods, and versatile spatial pedal that tackles each the duties of a guitar pedal and an ambiance generator for sounds, drums, and different supporting devices. In that case, the Del-Verb Ambience Companion is a complete no-brainer. 

Learn More About This Pedal While Supporting Our Team Of Writers Through Our Affiliate Partnership With Sweetwater Here

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May 19, 2024 at 02:45AM