Review
By Giuseppe Digloria
Sound Quality
90%
Build Quality
90%
Usefullness
90%
Mojo/Funk
100%
Reliability
95%
By Giuseppe Digloria
By Steven
Was not too sure what to expect when I got this one, but what I got was a very usable digital reverb and digital delay box, with a lot of really useful presets suitable for guitar in particular. The ‘Tap’ button on the front panel for setting the delay time is an excellent idea that makes using hardware delays almost as convenient as a plugin in terms of setting the delay time.
There is also a very usable speaker cabinet simulator that I have found to work really well on guitar that has been recorded using, in my case an Avid Eleven rack. Suddenly my guitar tracks sound far more like the real deal, i.e.: a speaker cone pushing air! I should address the reverbs some more as I do not want to make out this box is only for guitar. The reverbs are very very nice, sit well in a mix and sound pretty smooth to my ears. So all in all, this is a very worthwhile investment.
By Randy
One of the Greatest Multi-FX processors ever made. Feels extremely satisfying when you create an amazing sound. Block diagrams from the manual are very useful for this.
By Steve
The PCM 80 is an effects landscape. Making your own presets with this unit is extremely rewarding.
By Vince
Famous Lexicon sound plus crazy pitch/filtering effects!!! Love it!
By Gary Jones
I have had my Lexicon 300 for about 6 years now and love it. IS it as good as the big brother models? I am not sure as I have not had the pleasure of using them, but for me this thing is on every mix, could not live without it. Smooth tails, pretty quiet in operation and apart from one small repair, it has been very reliable too. If you have the coin buy it.
By U-Fly Studio
It is a soft and musical machine. the internal programs are not necessarily prodigious, but as soon as you know the machine, you get fabulous results. always easy to put in a mix. The Hi cut filter is also one of the softest that can be. The Bricasti M7 is rougher, more like a 224. The 480L’s UAD plug is very close, almost equivalent to my hardware machine. just a little more harmonic distortion in the treble of the real 480L.
By Simon Alexander
Probably like a lot of 480L owners now, I had to wait until one came up at a sensible price but make no mistake about it, it was well worth the wait! while you’re probably thinking, why bother, as plugins are getting so good at emulating the originals at a fraction of the price? I personally believe there is something missing by not having the original hardware in front of you and I’m sure as time goes on, these units will be snatched up by enthusiasts and studios.
The 480 is a legend! I wanted one for years and have no regrets in buying a really nicely presented example. It’s a flip of a coin as to which is better suited from the 480, a 224 or an RMX but I’m certainly am glad I have two of those 3 giants in the Reverb world. The quality of the actual algorithms is breath taking ! I have recently sent separate emails to two Studios that have the 480 and the RMX and asked them to compare both to their Bricasti M7’s… Their response was quite surprising with both the older Reverbs being preferred by clients and engineers.
The U/I on the 480 via the LARC, is very easy to use and the Machine itself is not just a reverb, but a box full of multiple effects that can be split into two separate effect machines and thus having the left input split with the right and effectively having two 480’s on each input, with separate stereo outputs. Having never compared the Classic Cart on the 480 with a 224, I’m not going to say it’s the same, but I’ve heard it’s pretty close and has most of the 224’s presets. I have the 480 plugin and it’s a good reverb, but the 480 just sounds more organic and rich to me. One thing that users will find a little nuisance it’s the noise of the cooling fan, but it’s a small price to pay for such a unique piece of equipment.
By Steve Clark
The Lexicon 480 is a long lasting old love and will never break. Still in todays time there is no other effect like the 480L. It is smooth and gentle and better than any other reverb ever made. Sure it will be replaced more and more from modern Reverbs in Plug In quality, but all of them have the goal to reach the sound of the original one, the Lexicon 480L.
By Anonymous
It was extraordinary when it was released, and still today it provides incredible reverb for my mixes some 28 years later. Can plugins sound as good? Not as far as I am concerned, I will keep the 480L until it dies.
By Mixroom.One
Using it primarily for Tiled Room, which sounds really lively and spacey on drums, separate percussion or to get some instrument, mostly guitars, move a little bit to the back of the mix, but retaining it’s urgency. It does not sound like a 224 or 224X as you read sometimes, but it sure has a classy sound. The delay sound quality is great also, really biting through the mix, and the flange and chorus FX are up with the better of them. Admitting that i actually use it not that often maybe comes from the fact that i sure have some big workhorses in the control room that often get used because they are default connected to the sends and returns of the console, like 2 224’s, 2 300’s, an AMS RMX16 and a SST282 by Ursa. But the PCM70 sure deserves to be used big time!
By Magnus Consitt
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