Latest User Reviews

The Empirical Labs Distressor is a remarkable tool for enhancing the sound of drums and rock guitars. I have been using two of them for years and they are my preferred choice for compressing the kick and snare, as well as for rock guitar. If you’re unfamiliar with the unit, a good starting point is to set all knobs at 5 and then experiment with the ratio buttons to achieve different sounds. The nuke feature is particularly impressive for adding grit to your mix. I highly recommend this compressor to anyone looking to improve their sound. It’s a must-have in any rack setup.

Owned it since new, still use it today. Great reverb.

The only way I can describe the sound is Creamy! The remote was amazing. The one-and-only.

One of my regrets, was selling my Rev1! About 10 years ago. I first saw one being used in SAE London and immediately wanted one. When they came out, they were a fortune over here in the U.K and Yamaha placed it directly into the AMS / Lexicon 480 price bracket.

Unfortunately, the seed was already set and most studios went either for one or two of the others, so consequently these units are quite rare. I eventually bought one on an auction site and I have to say I was surprised now reminiscent the sound was to a Rev 7. I’m told, Yamaha used the same LS I chip inside both units but with more options for the Rev 1.

The remote control looks absolutely fantastic and has pretty much every permutation available to the end user. The display, while intuitive is helpful but not a necessity. These weigh a ton, so if you rack it, be aware!

Feels like there is some weird digital magic in that box!

Had it from 1996 – 2017! Never any issues! You get what you paid for – and that´s a lot. Super reliable and stable. The only thing that had a defect was the external Yamaha Power Supply.

Excellent sounding reverb from short to very long evolving reverbs. It can beat most of the Lexicon stuff easily.

Sound great but the -10dB input makes it better suited for old school guitar rigs and small band PAs than for the studio work that I hope to use it for. Also the Symphonic is a little too “clean” compared to the SPX-90, but still in the ballpark though.

Just ask yourself : Why can the SPX990 be found in 8 on 10 studios? Why can it be found in 8 out of 10 PA-systems ? No more comment.