Erbe-Verb B&G | Shared System 'X' | Episode 03 | Back in Black

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"Yeah. I made episode 03 before I was able to finish episode 02 so I decided to post them both. There's no need on this channel to manage posts to maximize views, I just want you to be able to find information when you need it and I just LOVE to make content like this. I made a lot of videos about the EV in the past and it's covered in the old Shared System tutorials (link in video). In this video, I am going to try something new.

In this episode, I'll only use Erbe-Verb and DXG in a feedback loop. So no fancy 7U case layout this time, I made this video to find out if it can still be relevant in 2024. Since I am totally biased, you'll need to decide for yourself. Honestly, if you need a regular reverb, maybe a stereo module would serve you better.

Erbe-Verb is going for a limited rerun in black and gold, so this also means it's getting old and possibly moving to retirement. Without speculating too much, it's possible that MakeNoise is working on a successor now they have this amazing new ARM DSP board. But again, I have no idea. What we DO know is, that Erbe-Verb is widely considered as one of the best reverbs in eurorack, even though it's not the best reverb as a reverb. Que? It excels in creative use and abuse. It will never get old and whatever comes next, it will pair well with the EV (it pairs really well with a Mimeophon, StarLab, Sealegs or Desmodus Versio).

Apart from the sound design fun, Erbe-Verb plays a big role in the Shared System signature sound. While it's partly overshadowed by the more recent Mimeophon, the Mime's 'halo' only adds a little space. It's nothing compared to the 'icy sheet metal in deep space' sound from the EV, which can easily double as a classic spring- or plate reverb when 'absorb' and 'tilt' are used to tame the high end. I've never been a fan of the predelay, but it can do amazing things with modulation and gates/triggers.

The Erbe-Verb is 'mono IN' so it needs to be used as a send/return with a stereo voice like XPO or Spectraphon. Here's where a ModDemix comes in handy. You can use CH1 and CH2 to pass on your stereo mix to let's say an X-PAN, and use the Sum out to EV. Then you can patch the EV's stereo out to X-PAN's aux inputs. It's a lot of patching and modules for a verb, but it provides a lot of freedom."