What? No QRS?
DIY Hardware Convolution Reverb? Anyone?
- Thread starter Shroomystic
- Start date
Help Support GroupDIY Audio Forum:
What? No QRS?
I had to google that as I really didn't know that unit, somehow I was not aware of it or I don't remember if I ever heard that name. I can see now it's the Quantec Room Simulator, I never used that one and I really think I never even saw that unit in any of the places I've worked.
In the studio I worked for many years there was the Lexicon 480 and the EMTs 140 and 240, the other units I've used in different studios I did sessions over the years, or in some more high end Auditoriums.
Of all the units the ones I miss the most are the EMT plates 140 and the 240, they sounded so Lovely, but I found ways to make Altiverb and UAD (140 and 250 emulations) work for me.
Somehow I still have some problems in having a solution to replicate the Snare Plate patch of the lowend SPX90, it's seems the cheapest unit is the one being harder to replace
Last edited:
The original QRS is a milestone in reverb algorithm development in the sense that it helped users "build" a reverb how they would buld a room. It resulted in very realistic effects that would do to a mix what some call "glue".
Soon after its introduction, several manufacturers followed suit in presenting their reverbs in terms of size, damping and reflection density.
The overnight "Something in the air" craze put the AMS reverb at the front, with the QRS taking second place. At least, that's how it went in France and Germany.
Wolfgang Schwarz, instead of capitalizing on his success, embarked in a chimera, building a universal platform that would do everything, recording, mixing, FX..., in short a vision of a DAW, which required the design of a chipset that never saw the light of day, for lack of funding. That was before VST ever existed.
Under his partner's pressure, he finally agreed to make a modernized QRS, the Yardstick, which launched in the early 2000's.
I have one since 2007, which is my main reverb, used on most of my mixes.
Wolfagang met an untimely death a few years later.
Rob Flinn
Well-known member
Of course on top of your 350 euros for the mac book & interface is the cost of altiverb itself (unless one is running a cracked version). But even with that extra cost the whole package comes in under £1000 which is still a bargain in reality,
The Quantec QRS was the go-to tool for a lot of studios I worked in during the ‘80s and ‘90s - quick dial up of any simulation you wanted - sure was a lot lighter than the EMT 140 and the Lexicon 224. It was so easy to use and had a nice rolloff at the top end which took it away from the harshness which was present in a lot of digital reverbs in those decades. Certainly up there in price in those days but worth the money.What? No QRS?
In a studio I designed and built in 1991-‘92 we had a Lexicon 224XL & 480L & PCM70, a QRS, an Alesis Quadraverb, a Yamaha SPX90 & SPX1000 - all bought at an auction clearing house in ‘92 as a job lot along with a George Massenberg 8200, a couple of Pultec EQP1A’s, a couple of Orban units (I think one was a spring reverb the other a de-esser) plus an LA2A an 1178 and two 1176’s - all up was around $20K - bargain!
The most used reverbs were the 480, the 224 and the QRS for vocals and acoustic guitars and some drums like kick and snare. The other reverbs were relegated to lesser drum tracks - the noisier ones were used for vocal reverb in the cans but seldom in the mix.
Never got to work with a QRS...not sure if any of you followed but Savant Audio labs has a QRS that is supposed to be ported from the code, since I never used one I have no idea but it is a very natural sounding plugin and very flexible for less than the cost of a guitar pedal.
Altiverb still sounds the best for me as well...but its a decent plugin...
Altiverb still sounds the best for me as well...but its a decent plugin...
Last edited:
I didn't know this company. I've visited their site.
It's quite surprizing their panel of examples does not feature drums, because I think that's where the QRS makes a difference. Nothing artificial like what you have with a Lexicon or Bricasti.
indeed, they have made a good job.
With had the AMS RMX-16 at the studio, but the Keypad was not working properly plus some other button also, I had a lot of great Reverb options at the studio so I never really used the RMX-16 although it was just next to me on the rack.
Thank you so much for letting me know about the QRS and for the insight story
Now I know what one of the Reverbs in the Behringer X32(Midas M32) is supposed to be
Although in the X32 all reverbs are pretty bad and they all sound the same independently of the reverb plugin you choose.
The X32 is aa great console, but the available effects in the rack although extensive are nothing to write home about
The Reverb Beard Gang
The AMS RMX reverbs and DMX delays were a bit of a problem later on with blowing caps - tantalums failing and electros which would leak. The sponge retaining the board tops would rot as well and fall over everything - the ribbon cables would go intermittent also. Edge connectors would get ruined from cap leakage draining all over the boards. Last AMS I did a service on - a DMX15-80S - was a complete strip of all tantalums, transistor and IC replacements, leaking electro replacements, pcb track repair with Litz wire from capacitor leakage, new ribbon cables, edge connector repairs, case sponge replacement and a complete wash down to remove sponge rot. This one came from a live rig. Fix them before they fail as they’re still worth good money.
When they are going they are superb units.
Wolfgang was known as Buchleitner but born Schwarz. His wife’s name I think.
Yes, apparently, he took the name of his wife, Almuth. At the time it was very singular for a man to take the name of his spouse, who was also his business partner. Apparently she still holds fort. She's still noted as "Geschäftsführerin" (manager). I don't think the company is very active today.
Thanks for the information mate.
Unfortunately that studio, that was an amazing studio for many years, it's abandoned by it's owner company that is into bankruptcy after many years of awful and malicious management, so unfortunately I don't think those units will ever be fixed.
Shame - could offer them $100 for each unit to help their insolvency and conscience…..
I know mate, I also thought the same myself!
I would try to pick the EMT plates they have first,
those are marvelous
The first studio I was involved with in building, wiring (all discrete cabling, no multicore) and equipment installation had an EMT plate which we installed upstairs to minimise the amount of mechanical interference and acoustic coupling from the live studio - that was the big Bertha reverb.I know mate, I also thought the same myself!
I would try to pick the EMT plates they have first,
those are marvelous
pucho812
Well-known member
Discrete cabling? Learned a new word today. Must have had super big zip ties to do all of that. I imagine the bundles were super thick.
Yep - the cables were assembled across sawhorses lead-bagged to the ground out in the car park of the studio, flat rectangle wrap so they’d go around corners in the steel wall ducting. Each duct had removable capping with timber cover plates over that. I measured each run with excess tails to poke out through the wall plates.
pucho812
Well-known member
When you say no multicore, do you mean no snakes and just individual mic cables? Please explain as I try and picture it
