1978 was the hot year for reverb… in 2020. Both the CXM 1978 and the Vongon Ultrasheer looked to the past and Lexicon’s famous plate algorithm.

1978 Plate attempts to adapt this particular algorithm to ZOIAnese. V2 offers a number of refinements and features made available through the optimization of firmware 2.0. The result is a lush, modulated reverb, which includes some interesting opportunities for more adventurous reverb sounds.

The previous release included two versions — A, which sounded fuller to my ears, and B, which was more accurate to the original design. V2 uses the Plate A as its foundation, as most of the feedback I got was that A sounded better but B had better features (separate wet/dry levels, a pre-delay — see below). Both original A and B versions are bundled in the .zip package; I may still explore a more “lo-fidelity” design based on the B version.

**This patch requires firmware 2.0**, which you can download here: https://empresseffects.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/1000275389-updating-firmware-on-the-zoia

The download includes a .zip containing these patch notes and the previous iterations for purposes of archiving. You will either need to unzip the folder (or let the patch librarian do it for you): https://github.com/meanmedianmoge/zoia_lib

Controls:

Stompswitches:

Left stompswitch — momentary, will max out the reverb decay

Middle stompswitch — latching, will introduce feedback into the pre-delay (this can also be achieved by pressing the UI button on the front page; this button will become bright when feedback is active)

Right stompswitch — momentary, will max out the pre-delay feedback (regardless of whether the feedback is on or not)

Front page:

The controls can be grouped into three groups.

The top two rows govern PRE-TANK controls.

There is a low-pass filter which controls HIGH DAMPING at the beginning of the chain. There is also a high-pass filter which controls the LOW DAMPING at the end of the early reflection generator. The two can be used to extensively shape the tone of the reverb.

There is also an INPUT GAIN control, which can cut or boost the input signal. You can use this to temper hot signals, but the main reason I included it is because in the process of revision, I made an error with a connection and ended up doubling the gain going into the circuit. I liked the sound of the clipping signal overdriving the diffusers, so I added it as a feature, rather than a bug. This can get quite loud, so you can compensate for the gain with the WET LEVEL control below. A setting of ~.2500 is equivalent to the original’s input gain.

The second row is devoted to the PRE-DELAY.

The first control is PRE-DELAY time. This extends up to 1 second. Because firmware 2.0 introduces linear control of delay lines, this module accurately represents the time in milliseconds, i.e. a pre-delay time of .120 = 120 milliseconds.

The FEEDBACK AMT and FEEDBACK ON button allow you to turn on feedback for the pre-delay. Short delays with feedback (~1-10 milliseconds) introduce some really cool comb filtering effects, with added overtones and resonances contributing beautifully to the reverb (for best results, don’t go crazy with the feedback amount — maybe ~.8-.85). Long delays with feedback create a combination delay/reverb, where waves of sound strike the tank in succession.

The next two rows govern REVERB TANK controls, and they are essentially unchanged from V1.

DECAY controls the amount of time the signal feeds back through the “tank.” Up to near infinite reverb (this may produce oscillation in some cases).

DIFFUSION controls the gain and size of the diffusers. Higher diffusion results in a “smoother” reverb. Lower diffusion produces a more echo-y sound, akin to a multi-tap delay.

MOD RATE and DEPTH control the modulation of the tank. You can get a little kooky with these at maximum settings. The modulation depth has been slightly tweaked for V2.

The final row governs OUTPUT.

There are now separate DRY and WET LEVEL controls, rather than a mix. I find this approach much more useful in many ZOIA patches where different settings can affect the amplitude of a wet signal (such as in this patch, where the input gain, damping, and decay can all contributed to the perceived loudness of the wet signal), so expect to see it often in future patches and revisions.

The patch is derived from this paper (adjusted and translated to ZOIA), linked on the Vongon website: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~dattorro/EffectDesignPart1.pdf

The patch is stereo input and output, but the input is summed to mono before the output taps reconstruct a stereo image.