Any PCM91 users here?

[Arpangel]

I need a good "realistic" hardware reverb, just bought a PCM91, found the manual, but no mention of reverb times, I can't check it out as it hasn’t arrived yet, but I'm after realistic small rooms and halls, I'm hoping it's going to be better than my LXP1, which does amazing small rooms, but, it's very noisy, hoping the 91 will be just as good, if not better, but with lower noise.

[Hugh Robjohns]

The marketing blurb for the 91 waxed lyrically about its ability to create realistic small rooms which are far better than its predecessor (the pcm90). Although I have a 90 here and it does a pretty decent job of smaller spaces...

My elderly 90 is a little noisy via the analogue I/O, but absolutely fine via the AES I/O which is how I have it hooked up.

[Arpangel]

The marketing blurb for the 91 waxed lyrically about its ability to create realistic small rooms which are far better than its predecessor (the pcm90). Although I have a 90 here and it does a pretty decent job of smaller spaces...

Thanks, yes, 90/91? probably not much difference, if any, although there are those that do wax lyrical the older the PCM units get, but the older they get, the more unreliable they become, I thought the 91 will be good enough.

[MOF]

I had one and was very pleased with it, I don’t remember it being noisy. It had a wide selection of room types and lengths of reverbs.
I sold it when Logic bundled a convolution reverb, I saved the presets after using the impulse response through it and since then I don’t think I’ve used any of them, certainly recently as I’ve gone over to plugins from UAD principally.

[Arpangel]

I had one and was very pleased with it, I don’t remember it being noisy. It had a wide selection of room types and lengths of reverbs.
I sold it when Logic bundled a convolution reverb, I saved the presets after using the impulse response through it and since then I don’t think I’ve used any of them, certainly recently as I’ve gone over to plugins from UAD principally.

I bought this as it had to be a hardware unit, to go with my modular synth "mixer-mixer" when I'm patching and coming up with ideas I don’t necessarily have the computer on at all, or want it on. I have all the Valhalla stuff on the computer, UAD 224, and loads of other things, they are what they are, but the hardware approach goes with with the modular, it’s just more immediate.

[R_A]

What about your Eventide 2016. Surely this is a magnificent room machine?

An old employer had both a PCM91 & PCM90 and used them over many films and high budget TV dramas. Excellent machines.

[Arpangel]

What about your Eventide 2016. Surely this is a magnificent room machine?

An old employer had both a PCM91 & PCM90 and used them over many films and high budget TV dramas. Excellent machines.

They are, or were in my case, I sold my 2016, it was a great machine of it's type, but I’ve got stuff in software that occupies similar territory, the Lexicons have a sound I’m lacking in, it's very unique, despite what some people say, I've always had a Lexicon, but been without one for ages.
For me, the whole Eventide thing has been done to death, with so many imitators making cheap stuff, it's made me avoid it altogether now, in favour of a more realistic, natural type sound, and a minimal approach to effects.

[ken long]

PCM60 user here and very happy with it.

[Arpangel]

PCM60 user here and very happy with it.

Simple, great sound, still very popular in large PA rigs, because of it's simplicity.
My PCM is arriving today "EXCITING!"

[Arpangel]

PCM91 arrived yesterday, it looks new, just a tiny bit of rack rash, immaculate case and fascia. Sounds fabulous.
I still get a frisson of excitement unboxing quality gear like this, and seeing it in the rack.
I'm now going to extend my splurge on a new interface, I've short listed three, Focusrite Clarrett 8, the SSL equivalent, or a Motu, not sure yet, I’m almost sold on the Focusrite, the only thing putting me off is the colour.
The SSL has no Midi, so that really is a deal breaker.
Motu 828 only works on Catalina or later, so that’s me out.
That leaves the Focusrite, which works with my OS, and has Midi.

[Arpangel]

An issue with my PCM91, I only have one send left, normally other units I have say use the left input for mono, no indication on the 91, I’m assuming I either just use one or split the feed into two?

[Drew Stephenson]

Try it and see?

[Hugh Robjohns]

An issue with my PCM91, I only have one send left, normally other units I have say use the left input for mono, no indication on the 91, I’m assuming I either just use one or split the feed into two?

Page 1-9 in the manual. Use a Y-split cable on the input.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I'm now going to extend my splurge on a new interface, I've short listed three, Focusrite Clarrett 8, the SSL equivalent, or a Motu ...

A 'shortlist', by definition, contains all acceptable contenders that meet all core requirements...

...except that two of your listed products fail those requirements in major ways. So it's not a 'shortlist' at all... it was just a list of available interfaces that caught your eye!

Your actual 'shortlist' comprises only the Focusrite... making your decision incredibly easy!

But I sense you have money in your pocket and a burning desire to splurge on stuff you don't actually need just for the craic — all this talk of new mics, new monitors, new interfaces, new effects, new instruments...

Married life is getting expensive, but not in the usual ways.

[Arpangel]

Life is short Hugh, may as well use my money while I can, but that doesn’t mean wasting it.
The PCM91 hasn’t been a success, sounds fine on some things, but it doesn’t have that magic, that enables you to “play it” like an instrument.
What’s more surprising, switched on my Behringer FX2000 after hours playing with the 91, amazing difference, no contest in fact, the Behringer gels with an instrument whereas I’m waiting for the 91 to grab me, and it doesn’t, the difference is like chalk and cheese, shame, I thought it would be miles better in every way to the Berry.

[Nazard]

Life is short Hugh

"Maybe none of us really understands what we've lived through or feel we've had enough time", (Kasuo Ishiguro).

[Hugh Robjohns]

I'll offer you a tenner for it....

[SafeandSound Mastering]

I have been using Lexicon Native PCM this evening but I think is based mainly
on the PCM 96. It is my go to reverb, so incredibly light on the cpu and is perfect for what I am doing. (another 90's throwback tune, which is almost there !)

https://lexiconpro.com/en/products/pcm96

As I gather the PCM native reverb bundle is now VST3 enabled and downloadable through Flux who seem to have taken over the VST3 delivery etc.

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/le ... ive-reverb

It is rather expensive but I nabbed it for about £170.00 when it was on sale sometime some years ago. It has had so much use, got my moneys worth of enjoyment out of it. And now seeing it is VST3 looks set to continue onwards.

[Arpangel]

I'll try and get into it again today, maybe there's something in there that's worth keeping it for. Also, I'm wondering if just feeding the left channel only is having a detrimental effect? I’ll change that as soon as I get a splitter.
I am disappointed, I know some don’t like it and prefer the older units, but I didn’t think the difference was significant.
I bought it because I thought it would give me more realistic halls and rooms, for our percussion, my old Lexicon LXP1 was very good for this and that was a low end unit, but it was noisy.
The best way I can describe the 91 is that the sound isn’t very involving, I can when you forget about the reverb and it just becomes an enveloping space that gels with the music, I thought let's adjust a few things, but it still sounds unconvincing, it's not an ambient space machine, but it isn’t anrealistic classical music production tool either IMO.
We need it for our Marimba, and various percussion stuff, to simulate that typical small concert hall sound, that I like. My FX2000 can do it well, my software verbs are fine, but I was trying to capture that typical old Lexicon family sound with hardware but the 91 doesn’t seem to have that family sound.
Just sorry I got diverted down this road, I can return it and tell them to hang on to my cash until I see something else I need, not the end of the world.
If this was my only hardware reverb I'd probably persevere with it, but I know that I’ll just go strait to my FX2000, so what’s the point in keeping it?
I have what I have for a reason, and it’s not budget related, its the best at what I need, and it’s stayed here for a reason, I'm not being hasty about parting with money on expensive things that aren’t necessarily better.
PCM Native is probably fine, but it’s software, and I already have all of the Valhalla stuff which I love.

I'm now going to extend my splurge on a new interface, I've short listed three, Focusrite Clarrett 8, the SSL equivalent, or a Motu ...

A 'shortlist', by definition, contains all acceptable contenders that meet all core requirements...

...except that two of your listed products fail those requirements in major ways. So it's not a 'shortlist' at all... it was just a list of available interfaces that caught your eye!

Your actual 'shortlist' comprises only the Focusrite... making your decision incredibly easy!

But I sense you have money in your pocket and a burning desire to splurge on stuff you don't actually need just for the craic — all this talk of new mics, new monitors, new interfaces, new effects, new instruments...

Married life is getting expensive, but not in the usual ways.

Read the last line above.
I'm not getting any younger, and I’m not sitting here in some sort of self imposed austerity, I may as well have quality stuff if I can, but so often you have to see through the marketing blurb and sometimes it's designed to be the best for the manufacturer not the buyer, in terms of optimising profits, and we get into the law of diminishing returns.

[SafeandSound Mastering]

You have wired up L and R outputs and panned hard L/R ? Rather obvious I know but worth asking.

I insta stopped using Valhalla after hearing PCM and others myself. They were good but rather too dense and muddy for my taste.

Qualitative judgement is difficult it has to be said. Much depends on usage, depending of whether you are trying to faithfully recreate a space in the real world or fine with purely "effects" and spatial and seperation enhancement.

And just general tastes, maybe even mixing style.

If it is not doing what is expected or desired for you then the search is not over.

I feel totally covered for every scenario ITB. I think I have 10 verbs here. My faves are Seventh Heaven Lite, Tai chi Lite, Relab 480L Lite, FF Pro-R V1, Lex PCM, Cherry Galactic, Polyverse Comet, Adam Szabo Solaris (free) Cubase Roomworks SE, Eventide UltraReverb and Blackhole. I managed to get all on deals over 9 years or so, that can save you a small fortune. It is rare PCM is not in any music I make.

I use some EQ sometimes, though not for 90's recreations.

These days you could believe you have not done reverb right unless you have clipped, widened, gated, expanded, ducked, M/S processed, EQ'd, compressed, multiband transient enhanced, side chained and multiband saturated it.

Good luck finding what you need.

[MOF]

If it is not doing what is expected or desired for you then the search is not over.

Good luck finding what you need.

Arpangel quite likely won’t find what he’s looking for, judging by many of his posts!

[Hugh Robjohns]

The PCM91 is a true stereo-in / stereo-out reverb processor.... so only connecting one input channel isn't going to let the algorithms work as intended!!!!

As for sound, while not quite as powerful as the famed 280 or 300 studio machines, it draws on the same algorithms and sounds very good to my ears. The 91 has more presets than the 90 which I have, but the core sound is similar... and I still love my 90 which does very convincing small room spaces.

In other words, you've not set the unit up correctly and you're not giving it a fair audition...

And it is well worth reading the manual because there are a lot of hidden corners of creativity in there if you go looking for it.

And if you really do decide you don't like it, my offer still stands...

[SafeandSound Mastering]

I would have thought you could get some idea of the verb character by using just one input as you probably would do with a vocal.

Let us know if it sounds better, I would have thought it would just be dual mono-ing the mono signal internally for the A/D conversion.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I would have thought it would just be dual mono-ing the mono signal internally for the A/D conversion.

You'd have thought wrong...

Referencing the User Manual for fact-based information:

The PCM91 is a true stereo-in / stereo-out reverb processor....

If you only have a mono input YOU MUST USE A Y-SPLITTER TO FEED BOTH INPUTS .... if you want the algorithms to work — and sound — as intended. Exactly as explained on page 1-9 of the User Manual

If you don't use the equipment in the way the manufacturer advises you can't blame it for not performing as you hoped....

[SafeandSound Mastering]

I am duly and fairly corrected.