Alesis Quadraverb

Like most rack units with a lot of patches the adjusting of the patches is slow and cumbersome. I love knobs to twist so much better. Why can't they just put knobs on this things?

I really liked the sound of this unit compared to the Midiverb 2 which was dark compared to the Quadraverb.

The eq could have been better but still improved my vocals during recording on my home studio.

I used mine only for home recording projects on a 8 track Tascam 688 home recording studio.

I think it sounded better when used between the Tascam and the 2 track recorder during mix downs then when I had it in the effects loop of the Tascam. Having everything going through it to get to the 2 track recorder gave my originals a better blended sound. It made everything [instrument, vocals, effects like reverb] sound more like a live performance in one room than a series of mixes manipulated into sounding like a one take performance.

During vocal recordings I would run the vocals right thru it [as opposed to running it thru the effects loop of the Tascam}. I used the 15 band eq patch to make the vocals sound furthur away from the mike.

This unit would have been a lot cooler if the 15 band eq could have been used with the all the other effects instead of with only the reverb.

One day it died completely. It doesn't work at all now. i could get it fixed but i'm sure buying a new rackmount would be a more practical use of my money. Maybe a dedicated stereo eq and a lexicon for reverb, phase, delay and all that. Maybe expensive multieffects are not the way to go considering if one goes they all go.

Like an company I'm sure they are a ripoff when it comes to support. We live in a disposable world. Why bother fix last years technology? Unless of course it's an old guitar or tube amp.

I play grunge and metal. I've been playing for well over 20 years. I own a Yamaha SPX90, Alesis Midiverb2, Rocktron 300A Compressor and a Alesis HR-16 drum machine.
Well, it broke and I'm not fixing it. I don't need a ton of patches that are midi controlable. I would rather have numerous rack effects with easy and fast knobs [not slow and difficult buttons] to quickly adjust my sound with.
I suppose I got my moneys worth with 500 hours of use on it before it died. 50 cents an hour. cool .....rock on!

The Quadraverb is very easy to handle.I bought mine second hand.
I don't have a manual but as I mentioned before it is easy to handle.

My setup is: Fender Strat HM USA with EMG pickups.I run this trough a
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre Amp, Mesa Boogie 50/50 stereo Power Amp, a Rocktron Prorax CE1(compressor) and Prorax EXH(hush),The Quadraverb and Roland FC50 Midi footswitch.The Quadraverb is a bit noisy but with the EXH you can handle that.Yes I can get the sound that I want.
But I like Steve lukather,Scott Henderson,Larry Carlton,Arnold van Dongen, Leendert Haaksma and Lee Ritenour.The Effects are good.

I admire the intuitivity of the Quad... I bought it 2nd hand, and it lacked a manual. I spent a few hours fiddling with it and found what i needed to edit the patches.

My setup is a Boss VF-1 through the Quad to a Valvestate 8240. I experience buzzing from time to time... especially when using distortion, other than that i have no noise problems. The colorisation could be better at some points, but considering the multitude of the Quad im satisfied.

havent had it long enough, havent had the need to contact them. Mine looks pretty beat up, but works fine.

I play different styles of music, everything from Van Halen, right down to Marillion, Yes and the alikes. I would probably replace it if it was stolen.

I love this unit and have owned it some 13 years. I used to have a manual, but not anymore. Bought it in 1990 for $299.00 USD. I love its warm feel for vocals, used it for guitars and even bass. Had it through 4 track to 8 track reel to reel, now use it on an input mixer recording into computer...still sounds great.

Warm soft feel, kinda noisey, but does what it supposed to do. Use it now with computer digital tracks. I always liked to vocals using reverb and chorus, has such a warm lush feel in the sound. Kinda like a rock ballad deep reverb vocal sound without the fake sounds as found in cheaper units.

never broke...use it more now than in the past 3-5 years.

Called once for upgrade, could not help me at all! Basically told me to fly a kite in so many words...lol

I play and record rock and rock ballads,not good for country....use microverb II for country vocals.

I bought mine 3 years ago, boxed and with manuals for #80. The following is my opinion.

Colours the sound quite distinctly. I would say that it sounds grainy and harsh. It makes anolgue gear sound a little digital....but this is NOT neccesariy a bad thing I've had superb results from this unit. The Quadraverb proccessor can create colours that no other effects processors can produce. Try using a DX7 through this....you'll see what I mean. For analogue synths, use an analog effects processor. If you want harsh, metallic cold balls from outer space, then this is it. Overall its a little noisy and unrefined sounding but make no mistake this IS a quality unit found in most studios world wide.

Never gone wrong.

Never had use them! Hopefully never will. Long live my Quadraverb.

If the sound is to your taste (Personally I use this unit for harsh Underground electronic music) then its bloody cool/useful! Personally I believe it excels in this area.

If you are easy listening/pop/classical music producers then buy a Lexicon or something in that order. Vocal processing is not a strong point of the Quadraverb.

Overall an absolute bargin for the current 2nd hand price. An original Quadraverb is an asset to any studio, enough said.

It took a bit of getting onto, still fighting with it somewhat, especially for lead tone, trying to figure out if putting the effects pre or post eq, which is better?
Manual came with it.
I found editing to be really easy, again with a bit of time.

I find the Quadraverb does sound really good, again, it just takes time to get the sound you want, all the effects eq, chorus, delay, reverb etc... sound very good.

I haven't had a problem with mine yet, but again, I haven't had it that long, still awaiting the trials of the road.

Haven't had a problem yet, so I can't say.

I think the Quad is pretty versatile.
One negative thing I will say is that in the graphic eq config, you can only use delay with it, no reverbs or anything else, for the life of me I can't figure that one out.

Once you get the hang of it, it is really easy to get the sounds you're after. I worked with the manual for a couple of days and never had to open it again

I'm using it in the effects loop of my carvin nomad. I highly recommend a midi foot controller (I use the art unit with 5 patches per bank) for stage use. Sounds clean with some coloration, but this can be fixed with the eq section. Factory programs generally suck. All my programs are highly edited and designed for specific sounds I'm after. I write programs in banks of five for natural one button progression through tunes(ie rhythm-slight reverb, chorus, lead reverb, lead reverb/delay, delay with chorus input for full blown over the top stuff).

The input module get scratchy after a few years, with only a couple of sweet spots where it would work, then died. I called alesis and got a replacement module(very easy to install) quickly and for pretty cheap. I've had it my stage rig for years without other failures or problems.

My experience was good as detailed above.

I play guitar in a 10 piece rock/blues/motown/swing band and I always get compliments on my guitar tone. Easy access to great sounding reverbs and delays, and all the spaced out flange/leslie wierdness you could want. When I step up to play a lead I want the whole room to take notice. With the eq/pitch/reverb/delay configuration you have to be tone deaf to be unable to write an awesome lead guitar patch. Don't waste your time with the factory patches for guitar effects-they all suck wind bigtime. The key is in the mix section- you must balance the effects level with the dry signal level and use the eq to minimize any tone robbing coloration. I'd be lost without mine and would definately try to replace it if lost or stolen. I'm so used to it now I could write patches in my sleep. Mine is always on. Write a bypass program if you want no effects. Just make sure the eq and level match the bypass tone.

Turning the unit right on will get you going. The up & down value buttons are convenient when switching between programs; and the seperate effect buttons on the front panel are better than having to deal with things usually buried deep in menus. I haven't really edited the patches much, so I can't comment on that. I also don't have the manual since I bought it used, but I'm a little dissapointed that Alesis doesn't have one for download on their site when it seems like they've covered all their other products.

I use my Quadraverb as part of an effects loop mostly on keyboards and synths where I find it excels. I've also used it on vocals, another place where it really comes through for me. There is absolutely no noise that I can detect, however my studio has a Mackie console which has very low noise to begin with, so this may vary according to setup. Just about all the effects are great, in particular the choruses, flangers, and phasers. I happen to really like the Kings Chamber. I can certainly see this unit for studio applications as well as live performances and guitar players.

I haven't had a problem since I got mine.

I'm a producer of mostly electronic music (dance, techno, house) and also rap and some rock. Most of the effects I use in my songs come either from the actual tone generators I'm using or from the effects plug-ins in Digital Performer and Pro Tools. However as far outboard gear goes, this is one of my best pieces. The Quadraverb was the first effects processor I ever used, and when I built my studio I knew I really wanted to have one. Fortunately I can say I haven't been disappointed. Although the thing is about 12 years old now it still is a very useful piece of equipment that would compliment most any setup. Basically if you're looking for a more modern expensive processor, then try something like the Midiverbs. But if you're looking for quality effects in an intuitive package, then I don't think you can go wrong with a Quadraverb.

Easy to control, nice feature is pressure sensitive +/- knobs.

Very good for any guitar except distortion. Somehow, you can overdrive the inputs in order to distort ;-) All kinds of combination of hall, chorus and delays are available.

It crashes sometimes (1:100 times) producing VERY LOUD noise. All other times, it works fine.

Multi-purpose, never sell it, always handy, not-so-high-quality gear.

Once you get the hang of it it is very easy to program. Still, with all the variables, going through the list to change things takes time. It would be easier if there were some sort of analog remote.

I am quite surprised at the comments about this box being noisy. When I first purchased it I was A-Bing it against all of the other boxes that were available. Every other one altered the original sound. Only this one sounded identical with the addition of smooth reverb, delay, etc. If you use the effect cancel you will see how the original tone stays the same and only the effect is added. I love it.

Never had a problem.

Had it upgraded to a + with no problem.

Because it does not have idiot-easy programming I can't give it a ten, but the sound...sweet!