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What is an EMT 140?

What is an EMT 140?

The EMT 140 was the worlds first artificial reverb unit and it changed the recording world by allowing any studio to have “reverb on tap”, even smaller studios who did not have physical echo/reverb chambers.

What is plate reverb good for?

Plate reverbs are great for adding perceived brightness to an instrument. If you’re wondering how, it’s because you can use plate reverb to take advantage of a psychoacoustic phenomenon called the precedence effect. The precedence effect basically means that we hear higher frequencies before we hear lower ones.

Who used the EMT 140?

For vocals, the sound of the EMT 140 plate reverb is superb, and it saw significant use on Beatles recordings from the Sgt. Pepper era onwards.

How much does a plate reverb cost?

The construction cost will be between $100 and $500, depending upon what components you already own — a lot less than the $2,500-$8,500 for commercially available units.

Who invented reverb?

Bill Putnam
The first reverb effects, introduced in the 1930s, were created by playing recordings through loudspeakers in reverberating spaces and recording the sound. American Producer Bill Putnam is credited for the first artistic use of artificial reverb in music, on the 1947 song “Peg o’ My Heart” by the Harmonicats.

How do plate reverbs work?

The plate gets vibrated in accordance with a signal from a transducer and the vibration is sensed elsewhere on the plate with a contact microphone of one type or another. Put your ear up to any large metal item and tap on it and you will hear how steel plates were used to create reverb.

Is Plate reverb best for vocals?

Plate reverb works well on many vocals for a couple of reasons. First, you usually want your vocal to cut through the mix. Plate reverb’s bright tone boosts the presence of the vocal, helping it cut through more easily. Second, the slightly unnatural sound of a plate can help the vocal feel unique.

What is the difference between a spring reverb and a plate reverb?

Plate reverbs tend to sound very dense and bright, which makes them good for vocals and drums. Plates are quite large, and tend to be used in recording studios. Spring reverbs tend to produce twangy and percussive reverb effects, which can sound fantastic for guitar.

What can you do with EMT 140 reverb?

EMT 140 – Analog Plate Reverb Recommended uses: Bass tracks, Kick tracks, Synths, Vocals, Guitars The EMT 140 is an analog reverberation unit and was one of the first plate reverbs to be widely adopted by studios.

What was the first plate reverb in EMT?

This was the year that German company EMT came out with their breakthrough device: The EMT 140 Reverberation Unit, otherwise known as the “first plate reverb”. It was a smoother and more natural substitute for the widely used spring reverbs that were found in Hammond Organs, and far more conscious of space than large echo chambers.

What was the purpose of the EMT 140 plate?

Much like today’s convolution reverbs simultaneously provide convenience and complex control to reverb manipulation, the original EMT 140 plate established a consequential alternative to both spring reverbs and chambers. Despite its roughly 600 pound weight, the EMT 140 plate provided a smaller solution to large echo rooms.

When was the EMT 140 Reverberation unit invented?

Upon its introduction in 1957, the EMT 140 Reverberation Unit quickly garnered popularity, providing a smoother substitute to spring reverb systems, as well as proving more space conscious and malleable than reverb chambers.