I bought my first Roland SRV 2000 in 1986. The price when it hit the market was app. 20.000 Dkr. or 3.000 US$. I bought the next for 500 US$ and the third for 100 US$. These units are highly underestimated. They deliver excellent reverb on drums including gated reverbs.
Sometimes the SRV 2000 works great on vocals as well as piano and guitar. It operates in 16 bits in and out and the frequency range is ‘only’ 30 to 10000 Hz and I believe that is the main reason why they sound so very natural.
Real reverb does not include higher frequencies anyway. These units sound great in the low frequencies and have a lot of them! So I often use the internal parametric eq. to cut the low end unless I use it on a lonely voice or instrument. They produce a lot of heat and that is why I did mount them one unit apart from each other. None of them has ever failed. Not even the battery!
The Roland SRV-2000 is a digital reverb unit that was introduced in the mid-1980s. It’s part of the SRV series, which includes other models like the SRV-2000, SRV-330, and SRV-3030. The SRV-2000 was highly regarded for its quality reverb effects and became a popular choice in studios during its time.
Here are some key features and characteristics of the Roland SRV 2000:
- Digital Reverb Technology: The SRV 2000 is a digital reverb unit, meaning it uses digital signal processing to create reverberation effects. This was a significant advancement at the time, as it allowed for more versatile and realistic reverbs compared to earlier analog counterparts.
- Variety of Reverb Types: The SRV 2000 offers a range of reverb types, including hall, room, plate, gate, and non-linear. This versatility made it suitable for a wide range of musical styles and recording applications.
- Controls and Parameters: The unit features controls for adjusting parameters such as pre-delay, decay time, high and low-frequency damping, and modulation. These controls allow users to tailor the reverb effect to suit the specific needs of their audio production.
- Stereo Operation: The SRV 2000 is capable of processing stereo signals, making it suitable for creating spacious and immersive reverberation effects in stereo mixes.
- MIDI Integration: Some versions of the SRV 2000 include MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) connectivity, allowing users to integrate the unit with other MIDI-compatible devices and synchronize effects with their MIDI-equipped instruments or recording equipment.
- Classic Sound: The SRV 2000 is often praised for its warm and classic sound. Many musicians and engineers appreciate the character and quality of the reverb effects produced by this unit.
- The SRV 2000 can produce the classic Phil Collins drums using the inbuilt gate. Listen here: Frida – I Know There’s Something Going On – YouTube
While the SRV-2000 is considered a vintage piece of audio equipment, it can still be found in use in some studios and among enthusiasts who appreciate its unique sonic characteristics. Keep in mind that technology has evolved since its release, and there are now many modern digital reverb units with advanced features and other sonic qualities.
These units have a lot of potential and a lot of parameters to adjust. Press and hold the Equalizer button and the Write button while powering on. This will change start mode from standard level mode to further level mode. Here it is possible to make the unit sound fatter or thinner by adjusting the further level.
This is a brilliant and very useful option. I needed some experimenting to find my sounds. One of my units has the thin setup and another has the fat setup and the one I use for drums has a fat setup too.
The SRV2000 has an undocumented feature. Press and hold the Reverb/Non Linear button, the Write button and the Room Simulate button while powering on and the unit suddenly works as a mono delay. It has to be in the Non Linear mode to adjust parameters. Max delay time is 450ms.
The unit has no balanced inputs nor has it any balanced outputs so I bought a cheap Lundahl trafo and a small box to convert the output to a balanced signal and boost the signal a little before the long travel back to the desk and this little operation made it (in my setup) sound even better. This also eliminates ground loops.
Go to the Download section/Manuals/Effects and download the manual and other Roland SRV 2000 documents.
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