Catalinbread CBX Gated Reverb

In the beginning of studio tricks, many recording engineers had to invent their own effects. Double tracking and flanging started as manual manipulations of magnetic tape and the machinery used to process it. One such effect is gated reverb, the combination of digital reverb and noise gate, “invented” in the 70’s but popularized in the 80’s by Phil Collins and Bruce Springsteen. Like many now-legendary effects, gated reverb was invented by accident using the Solid State Logic SL 4000 Talkback Mic channel and AMS RMX 16 digital reverb units.

The premise is simple enough: the gate is a function of the signal strength, once the signal level drops below an adjustable threshold, the reverb tail snaps shut. Our CBX recreates this magical symbiosis with an overdrivable preamp, adjustable reverb lag time and a full wet-dry blend. The result is a lovely and expressive “always-on” reverb that won’t interfere with the mix.

• Lag: Delay between original note and onset of the gate, think of it as a pre-delay control for the gate.
• Gate: Sensitivity of the gate.
• Verb: Thickness of the reverb, low for mild reverberation, high for a harmonically rich reverb.
• Mix: Wet/Dry level.
• Pre: Level of the onboard preamp. 
• Power in 9 to 18 Volts for more headroom.