PTF 224 White Reverb recreates the Lexicon 224 as a plug-in

Past To Future Plugins has released PTF 224 White Reverb, a software recreation of the Lexicon 224 digital reverberator. The original unit dates to the late 1970s. It is probably best known to synthesists as the "Vangelis reverb" heard on the Blade Runner soundtrack.

The plug-in models the signal path of the hardware: its input filtering, its digital conversion characteristics and the network of eight delay lines that generates the reverberation. Impulse-response measurements taken from an original unit guide the reverb programs.

Programs and controls

There are nine programs. They are two small concert halls, one large concert hall, a vocal plate, an acoustic chamber, a percussion plate, a constant-density plate, a room and Chorus A. According to the developer, the eight reverb programs match the decay times of the sampled hardware within 8% across seven octave bands from 125 Hz to 8 kHz. The average deviation is 2.2%.

Bass and midrange decay times can be set separately, with a crossover control marking the boundary between them. Reverb times range from 0.6 to 70 seconds. Treble Decay adjusts the high-frequency decay, and Depth sets the relationship between the early reflections and the reverberation tank. Pre-delay goes up to 255 milliseconds.

A secondary control page covers mix, input and output levels, bandwidth, mode enhancement and decay optimization. It lets users go beyond the original operating settings.

Converter, remote and presets

The engine reproduces the original conversion with a 12-bit mantissa and a 2-bit exponent, along with an eighth-order input filter at about 8.1 kHz. Those elements give the bandwidth and signal-dependent noise associated with the hardware.

A virtual version of the white remote control comes with the plug-in. It has the program buttons, the CALL, IMMED, SET and SHIFT functions, four registers and six sliders. Users can pick a detailed 3D-rendered interface or a classic flat panel.

The plug-in ships with 42 factory presets in six banks. The four registers store custom control settings with the DAW session, and extra presets can be saved as files. It handles stereo in and out, or mono in and stereo out, with wet/dry mix and bypass.

PTF 224 White Reverb is available now for macOS and Windows. The introductory price is €62, down from the regular €80. A 7-day trial version is available.

Source: Past To Future Plugins