Can the Ventris sound as lush as the Specular Reverb / Tempus?

Published on Oct 27, 2018 Slenterende Beer

"This is a quick comparison between the GFI System Specular Tempus and Source Audio Ventris. I bought the Ventris to see if it could replace my Specular Reverb V2, but I also wanted to compare it to the Specular Tempus. The Tempus has all the reverb algorithms of the Specular Reverb plus some extra ones, and it also has 10+ delay algorithms.

This video is by no means an extensive review of the features of each of the pedals, there are plenty of videos on YouTube which offer just that. I thought it would be nice to hear the two side-by-side, so I tried to recreate the default algorithm on the Specular Reverb V2 (called "Spatium" on the Tempus) with the Ventris, using the "E-dome" setting. Here's what's in the demo:

00:00 - 01:45 : Volca Bass + Specular Tempus
01:45 - 03:50 : Volca Bass + Ventris
03:50 - 05:10 : Volca FM + Specular Tempus
05:10 - 06:30 : Volca FM + Ventris

I could have gone into much more detail to recreate the sound of the Specular - the Ventris offers a wide range of parameters that can be tweaked. Overall the Ventris can sound much brighter (depending on the "Treble" setting) and its tone decays slower than the Specular. I think the modulation of the Specular gives it a more natural sound, but that's something that can be tweaked in more detail on the Ventris - diffusion, modulation depth and rate, not all of which are available on the Specular Tempus - if I wanted to get closer.

I decided to try the Specular Tempus after I saw this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vczmq...

I wasn't too impressed with the extra things the Specular Tempus has to offer compared to the Specular Reverb V2 that I've owned for a year now. The additional reverb types are good, but in the end I just want that one huge ambient sound, and that's already available on the Specular Reverb. The delay algorithms to me all sound rather 'synthetic' - I'd rather get a delay pedal that sounds more natural. So I will return the Tempus, but I will not get rid of the Specular Reverb just yet. :)

As you may have seen on this channel, we also use the Strymon Big Sky. To clear that up: we're two guys, and I (Abel, I made this video) own the Specular Reverb V2, and now the Ventris as well. Joep, the other guy, owns the Big Sky. So you're probably wondering - which would I pick? For me that's easy: the Big Sky. Nothing beats the Clouds mode, and the realistic reverb settings (room, hall, plate, etc.) all sound very natural. With the Ventris I tend to think the realistic reverbs sound a bit metallic, or too clean, but from using them in jams I think that can add something very interesting to the overall sound.

Video recorded with iPhone 7. Audio recorded with UFX1204 in "standalone" mode, recording directly to USB HDD."