Quad Shimmer: Four pitch shifted voices feeding into a lush modulated reverb.
Triple Shimmer: Two pitch shifted voices embedded in the reverb decay network, plus a third voice external to the network.Dual Shimmer: Two pitch shifted voices, embedded in a larger modulated reverb network, shifting the reverb decay in both positive and negative directions.Slow Shimmer: Similar to Fast Shimmer, but with a much slower attack.Fast Shimmer: A modulated reverb that quickly decays into endless pitch shifting tail.This card is perfect for adding some diverse, rich reverb to any electronic track. Made by the masters of digital reverb Valhalla DSP, this card features 8 completely original algorithms made to combine luscious reverbs with multiple voices of pitch shifting for a myriad of options ranging from standard room reverbs all the way to drenched alien landscapes and etherial ghostlike clouds of drippiness. The Valhalla Shimmer card is a versatile reverb DSP card designed specifically for the Tiptop Audio ZDSP module. Highly recommended.We are still open and shipping orders during the Covid epidemic. All in all it's a very, very good FX unit. When performing live that might be different. That said, as I only use this unit in the studio, and usually only have 1 or 2 presets active during a session, this is not a deal breaker for me. For that reason only 4 stars for handling. Unless you buy the 3-way switch, that is. Meaning you have to skip quite some banks before getting to the previous one. When using the device without the software, you can only switch banks upwards. The user interface looks a bit outdated, but it's installed easily and works quick and intuitive.
The SpecLab software is very easy to use. Especially for long and lush reverbs, but I also found the "standard" (Room etc) sounding very good and instantly usable. For me the Specular Tempus' algorithms have a lot more instant wow factor than the Big Sky. So I sold it and bought the Specular Tempus based on some example video's I found online. I initially bought a second hand Strymon Big Sky to replace my defective Lexicon, but couldn't get used to it - handling and sound wise. Coming from a (now broken) Lexicon multi-FX unit, this one sounds a lot more modern but with the same "quality vibe". Both the reverbs and the delays sound lush and absolutely gorgeous. I use the Specular Tempus for my synths (Sub37, NTS1, MicroFreak) in the studio. the kill dry is obtainable only by going in a submenu, it's not really practical. Maybe it will be present on the Specular Tempus V2? Hope so. Fortunately on new models GFI has already adopted a great method, that's by clicking and turning a determined knob. But also the fact that you have to go all the way around if you want to swap to a previous banks it's a bit cumbersome. the way to swap banks: switching between banks stomping on both switches is a bit of a pain when I don't have the pedal on the ground, that's 99,99% of the time. For example you can even have a ping pong on a tape delay, that's a thing not every pedal can do. Even the delays are awesome, and can be modified in the great thought desktop app to change even parameters that aren't available on the pedal itself. The reverb algorithms in this pedal are out of this world, Infinite and Anti-shimmer above all others. This is a must have pedal for all those people that love reverbs. If you're into VSTs and want to save 350€ go check the Valhalla vintage verb that is similar. It is a keeper despite the disappointing interface. This one definitely has its own sound which is very good and will cover nicely reverb and delay territories. Starting with flat buttons (I prefer the round shape), the tricky use of long press or combination of buttons, the slow response of the pedal leaving you in some occasions puzzled about the state, there is something a bit messy about the interface.Ĭonclusion: finding a good reverb is not an easy thing. Handling: while the sound is good, I don't find the use of the pedal very easy. There are also a number of delays and a some modulation that extend the territory of applications. If you're looking for a super wide lexicon like effect, this reverb is the right choice. With the infinity algo you can create drones. Sound: very nice and soft reverb the shimmer (which is over used nowadays) is also subtile enough.