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Tag: Eventide delay

Review: Distort your Audio Space with Eventide MangledVerb
Since we plan to review many Eventide products from their Anthology XI collection over the coming months, we’ll dispense with that infamous Jon Anderson lyric quote we used when reviewing Fission and UltraTap. With that housekeeping out of the way, our focus shifts to MangledVerb, an excellent mashup between a reverb and distortion effect. This is an effect especially useful for giving your beats a sense of space and doom simultaneously.

Eventide MangledVerb Features
- Combines Classic Eventide Reverb with Distortion
- Ported from the H9 Harmonizer
- Familiar Eventide User Interface
- Morph between Two Effect Settings in Real Time
- Over 180 Presets serve to Inspire your own Creations
- Mono-In/Mono-Out, Mono-In/Stereo-Out, Stereo-In/Stereo-Out
- Tap Tempo and MIDI Tempo Sync
- Supports Most Popular Plugin Formats
- Available at a Street Price of $79
- Also Part of Eventide’s Anthology XI Collection
If you like your reverb with a measure of fire and brimstone, MangledVerb belongs in your effects library. It is another winner from the folks at Eventide.

A Familiar and Comforting User Interface

Any familiarity with Eventide’s recent effects plugins makes MangledVerb’s interface feel like an old friend. In fact, you probably won’t need to read the manual before diving right in. The knobs are intuitive and pretty self-explanatory, even the dual-function Softclip/Overdrive knob.

MangledVerb in action. Check out that Guy Evans beat. Photo by author.

The Ribbon control is welcome, providing the means to perform real-time morphing between two effects settings across multiple parameters. The Hotswitch button offers similar functionality but in an instantaneous manner. Input and output level faders and meters, a typical patch management section, and tap tempo and sync functionality round out the interface.

Grungy Reverb and More

As noted earlier, diving right into MangledVerb’s functionality is the way to go. I conjured up a quick 6/8 beat, reminiscent of Guy Evans, and immediately began mangling it. The effect’s reverb functionality is self-explanatory; the same rule applies to the distortion.

The dual-function Softclip/Overdrive knob switches from the former to the latter when cranked up. Both work in concert with the Level knob to offer an array of interesting sonic mayhem. The Wobble knob serves to modulate the reverb, adding an extra layer of freakishness to the proceedings.

In addition to drum beats, MangledVerb also works great on a variety of synth patches. It turns dreamy pads into nightmares, while adding some extra bite to leads. Check out the copious amount of included presets to get some ideas for your own experiments.

If you love reverb, but want an extra measure of industrial strength sonics, MangledVerb belongs on your shortlist. Eventide fans, or anyone else looking for an inexpensive effects plugin, need to check this one out. We give it a strong recommendation.

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December 19, 2017
Review: Eventide UltraTap – a Versatile and Esoteric Delay Plugin
“Eventide Delay. Digital Delay.” – Jon Anderson, Olympia

Yeah, I know I used that Jon Anderson quote the last time we reviewed an Eventide product. Jon – bless the wee elf – permanently connected those synapses in my brain years ago, so expect to see the same quote again in the future.

UltraTap is a versatile plugin capable of everything from freaky rhythmic delays to reverberated volume swells. It’s easy to use, with an intuitive interface and great sound. If you need a multi-tap delay in your studio setup, this is a plugin that belongs on your shortlist.

Eventide UltraTap Features
- Cool Tempo Synced Delays and Volume Swells
- Intuitive User Interface
- Excellent Sound Quality
- Ribbon Control for Real-Time Effect Morphing
- Loads of Tweakable Presets
- Available in Most Popular Plugin Formats
- Street Price of $79
A Straightforward Delay Plugin Interface

Expect UltraTap’s easy to navigate interface to play well within your DAW of choice. A menu bar at the top serves to handle preset management as well as a few other useful functions, like Compare and Mix Lock. The latter helps maintain a static mix level when paired with other effects on an effect return track.

Eventide UltraTap in action. Photo by author.

The main interface itself sports a host of virtual knobs familiar to anyone who’s used a multi-tap delay effect. There are also two sliders on either side of the plugin to control the input and output signal levels. The Mix, Length, Taps, Tone, and Pre-Delay knobs all perform as expected.

The Width knob is useful when using UltraTap as a stereo effect. Spread and Taper work together to build interesting rhythmic delays. Taper behaves in a similar manner as the Feedback parameter found on other delay effects.

UltraTap’s true freak gets applied using the Slurm knob. From the manual: “Slurm combines slowly varying (random) multi-voice detuning (micro-pitching) modulation AND smearing/slurring via a very small-reverb-like diffusion. The end effect is that the taps get increasingly smeared (lose their attacks and definition) and more chorused as Slurm increases.” Obviously, Slurm tweaking lends itself to real-time experimentation.

Chop serves as a tremolo, gate, or volume swell effect depending on its setting; the neighboring Chop Speed knob becoming active based on the value of Chop. Many cool LFO modulation effects are possible. Tempo and the ribbon controller (see below) also come into play, so experiment at will to generate interesting results.

Use the Tempo Sync slider to sync UltraTap to tempo in either a manual or automatic fashion; the latter setting uses the DAW’s tempo. The Tap button sets the tempo manually when Tempo Sync is turned off.

UltraTap also features a cool ribbon controller which lets you morph between two different effect settings by dragging a slider along the ribbon. The Hotswitch button works in the same manner, but gets toggled instantaneously, instead of based on the ribbon position.

UltraTap rewards Experimentation

While Eventide’s Fission plugin focuses more on useful utility functions, UltraTap is simply a fun for sonic experimentation. I spent an evening creating interesting polyrhythmic effects while beatmaking. The effect is capable of cool volume swell effects as well.

Check out the host of factory preset effects to get an idea of what UltraTap can do, but it is also easy to build your own presets from scratch. Eventide’s effects pedal interface style adds to its intuitiveness. The sound quality is also top notch.

If you love delay effects, UltraTap belongs in your plugin library. At a street price of $79, it’s an easy recommendation.

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September 22, 2017
Review: Eventide Fission offers a Unique Take on Effects Processing
“Eventide Delay. Digital Delay.” – Jon Anderson, Olympia

Musicians, engineers, and producers looking for a unique effects plug-in for their toolbox need to check out Eventide Fission. This effect splits an incoming signal into its transient and tonal components; separately effects each one, and then recombines the two separate streams into one. The variety of aesthetic and utilitarian uses of Fission is nearly limitless.

Eventide Fission Features
- Structural Split Technology separating Transient and Tonal Content
- Six Transient Effects (Delay, Tap Delay, Dynamics, Phaser, Reverb, Gate + EQ)
- Seven Tonal Effects (Delay, Compressor, Pitch, Chorus, Reverb, Tremolo, EQ)
- Real-time Split Waveform Viewer
- Artist-designed Presets by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Suzanne Ciani, Richard Devine, and more
- Supports AAX, AU, and VST Plug-in Formats
- Street Price around $100
Fission’s structural split functionality is an innovation not typically available in an effects plug-in. It rewards experimentation in more esoteric scenarios, but also works nicely for repairing audio. It is worth downloading to become part of your plug-in collection.

The Fission Interface is Clean and Intuitive

Fission’s user interface is split into three major sections. Control of the transient processing happens at the top of the screen, while the tonal section lurks at the bottom. Management of the structural split happens in the middle, as well as a useful real-time waveform viewer clearly detailing the transient (blue) or tonal (green) content within the overall signal.

Fission in action in the studio. Photo by author.

A menu bar at the top allows for the loading and saving of Fission patches. Additionally, the global mix level and gain settings are at the right of this section. A compare toggle, info button, and the ability to lock the structural split type round out the menu bar controls.

Eventide Fission in the Studio

The intuitive Fission interface warrants a combination of experimentation with empirical analysis. I loaded an “in-progress” drum and bass beat in 5/4 and added the Fission effect on the FL Studio master bus. The structural split section includes a source type setting, and one type – “Electronic Beat” – seemed appropriate for a drum and bass signal. I used the Smoothing and Trans Decay controls to fine-tune the split, while keeping an eye on the waveform display.

I quickly added a delay effect to the transient section and a pitch shifter to the tonal content. This beat now seemed to come straight from some seedy drinking establishment in a distant galaxy. Very cool! Each effect – whether transient or tonal – includes its own set of parameters which should be familiar to any audio engineer or musician. Nearly all of Fission’s controls are automatable as well.

In addition to its more esoteric sound design and effects functionality, Fission also works well in a variety of audio repair scenarios. One obvious example is tuning a drum beat or even removing the ringing from a snare drum without impacting the transient content. Eventide provides video tutorials detailing how to accomplish a variety of these tasks using Fission.

Eventide Fission is a unique entry to the audio effect plug-in world that simply does many things no other effect attempts. In a creative sense, its intuitive interface inspires and rewards experimentation. A whole host of practical functionality is also possible with nary a hassle. At a street price below $100, this plug-in belongs in your studio.

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May 2, 2017