Alesis MicroVerb IV

very easy to use, even without the midi pedals. Not sure about editing. Manual is extensive and comprehensive. I bought mine 4-18-97

Some noise is audible to my ear. I would guess 90 db @ .03%. Effects are good as multiple pedals without the wires. 90%+ effects are great.

Very dependable, Especially with the midi pedals. I would trust it with out a backup for gigs, even with clumsy roadies.

I've never upgraded or dealt with the company except for mailings witch arive promptly.

Wish I had the Quad. Actually I wish I had 4 of them.

Like most processors, a little effort is required, but in this case, very little effort. The effects are laid out in a way that makes them easy to remember, 100 editable presets, followed by an identical 100 , which apparently have slightly different settings of the same patch and can be edited AND stored. The front panel has a chart of the layout: 0-9 Hall,10-19 Room,20-29 Plate,30-49 Chorus/Flange, 50-59 Delay,60-69 Pitch Shift,70-89 Multi-effect (Reverb & Flange, Reverb & Chorus,Reverb & Delay),90-99 Dual Send (A mono send-ie. Left Channel In Chorus, Right Channel In Reverb -both come out stereo.) I guess One could send bass through flange and guitar through Reverb, but if you and your friends are that hard-up for effects, I would suggest a second job. As for editing, two knobs control delay length, feedback, room size, reflection brightness, flange depth, sweep rate, etc. My only problem is that I've been unable to see the exact values of the presets, when you turn the knob to adjust, a value replaces the effect #, but doesn't tell you what it was set at before you changed it. However, the original value is easily approximated by turning the knob. The manual is to-the-point and effective, it comes with a 8 1/2 by 11 quick reference guide. It include definitions and suggestions for using the different patches. My unit is software version 1.02

I tested the noise level by boosting gain on the rest of my equipment with and without this unit. When all of the settings are set on extreme levels, and the mix is all effect, this thing is nearly noise-free. I only did this on the reverbs, but I suspect the chorus is just as quiet, and the flange maybe a little noisier. But it still is quiet enough. As with any processor, this unit can exaggerate existing noise, so care must be taken to adjust the presets in a way that fits the music going in. Some presets sounded great on my keyboard synth sounds, but awful on piano sounds. Several of the presets sounded bad and useless with my instruments and music styles, but several more sounded excellent. If you only find 15 good patches out of the hundred that work for you, it's still a bargain. Reverbs can sound real, and chorus can sound natural when adjusted properly.

It seems sturdy enough, but the knobs feel a little cheap.

Never needed it.

I'm planning on buying another since the only downfall this thing has, is that except for the multi-effect patches (which have two effects but one adjust knob for each instead of two), you can't use reverbs and chorus's together like I wish I could. But seeing my reverb on one processor and my chorus on another will very be user-friendly and affordable as well.

The Microverb IV is a pretty straight forward multi-effects processor with a huge selection of rooms, plates, choruses, flanges, delays and multi-effects. Each effect is easily edited. You can set the decay on a reverb or the length of a delay with the twist of a knob. In fact, there are so many effects it's easy to get lost. There's input/ouput monitoring, a value wheel with 200 presets, input/output control and a mix knob. I don't really understand the values assigned when editing different effects. It's numeric readout with no real value other than "higher or lower" -

The old adage about getting what you pay for still holds true. I won't argue that the MIcroverb IV is a tremendous value but it can't hold a candle to other "under $400" units. Even though Alesis recently lowered the price on this unit, I think there are better sounding units out there within $50 of the best deal you'll find on this unit. All things considered - some of the effects on this unit are pristine - others are useless. I especially like some of the plates and a few of the choruses (23,28 &32) are some of my favorites. My major complaint with this unit is the sensitivity of the high cut knob. It seems you go from glass rattles to knocking on wooden boxes with not much room between. This is a very "tuneable" unit - be ready to spend lots of time experimenting with different patches, levels and volumes. This may sound like I'm very critical of this unit but now that I have it installed in my home studio and I 've played with it for a while - I don't think I could live without it. For the money - It really is a great tool.

Alesis is reliable. Period.

I had a problem with noise the first day I used it (daisy-chain) - The people at Alesis were super helpful. I have quite a bit of Alesis gear - it never breaks.

It's a great unit. It's super cheap. It has everything!! It sounds great in my studio. I wish it had auto-levelling. It's probably the best selling 'verb out there. It just doesn't sound quite as good as my Lexicon Alex. But the Alex is also 50% more expensive - so... It's a lot of bang for the buck. I don't think you'll be disappointed. You can always use another Multi-Effects somewhere. Trust me.

Simple, flexible controls. Clear manual and reference card. I'd like to see an on/off switch and an internal power supply.

Beautiful true stereo effects--much much cleaner than the Microverb III. Some of the flanges and multieffects are noisy, but not so much that they aren't useful.

How did people live before affordable 18 bit processors like this one?