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AW: Akira or Virtualizer?

Sim,

I have been using the Virtualizer Pro in various setups for some time
(got it shortly after it came out), my rigs for my ensemble Eclectic
Blah as well as sometimes in my looping rigs.

Some aspects:
  * quality of the audio signal is very fine for the price. Seems like
with modern A/D D/A SoCs you can't go wrong...
  * Not very flexible from an effects combination standpoint. Either one
effect, or some pairs with two effects (reverb or delay combined with a
"basic" effect).
  * very nice and flexible chorus. It sounds very rich without "taking
up too much room".
  * long delay (5.5s)
  * A lot of "special" effects, ring modulator, vinyl noise, etc.
  * All distortions are mostly unusable. This is especially prominent
with the Rotary effects model which when driven "clips digitally", which
was a major letdown for me.
  * You have 4 dials to alter parameters in realtime - this becomes
rather aleatoric unless you sit in front of your rack with the manual or
learn the meaning of "Edit A" to "Edit F" for each algorithm.
  * Hi/Lo shelfing EQ for each algorithm.
  * No "general" modifiers, i.e. LFOs or env followers. Some algorithms
have some integrated (well chorus of course, but also the filter has an
envelope follower).
  * Surreal reverb spaces are possible - especially listen to the
"Trance" factory user program!
  * super cool "wave designer" algorthm - like a Triple-C Envelope Mode
light. You can shape the attack and release times for your signal
independently for left and right channel.

Sumnmary:
One of those devices you get when you have still one rack space left.
Some effects are very interesting, most of them are standard effects
with a good SNR. There is lots of really weird stuff, and if you don't
need that at any given moment, the reverbs are sufficient for any live
situation I can think of. I see it as a successor to the Zoom 1201.

        Rainer

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Simeon Harris [mailto:simeon.harris@bbc.co.uk] 
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 16. Dezember 2004 12:41
An: loopers delight
Betreff: Akira or Virtualizer?


i'm looking for something to replace my Vortex in the loop of my
Echoplex and i've been having a look at the Akira and the Behringer
Virtualizer Pro
 
anybody got any good or bad things to say about these units?
 
i'd definitely like to be able to run dual fx sometimes (chorus +
reverb, for example), which i don't think the Akira can do, but i like
the real time "tweakability" of the Akira...
 
help - can't decide!
 
 
many thanks
 
sim

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