This is Not Rocket Science (TiNRS) thought it might be nice to create a space, within space, where cosmic entities exist as the elements of a deep galactic reverb. The reverb is based upon a conversation between entity Bopp and entity Steve. Bopp is the originator of sound, whereas Steve is the receiver. Filling the void are elements such as Delay, Tail, Diffuse, Pitch and Envelope; all parts of a reverb that we usually experience together, but here, Bopp & Steve let us approach each one separately as the reverb is deconstructed before us in a signal flow tempered by individual wet/dry mix knobs. The results are epic, exciting and more than a little peculiar.
So, to get a handle on it in simpler reverb terms, we have a Delay section which includes pre‑delay and early reflections spilling into diffusion and defining the flavour of space; and we have the Tail section where echoes and reflections are devolved into a backwash of noise. You can then define how much of all this your input signal encounters along its journey through the space. Along the way, you can push the pitch of various elements around and pull an envelope off your signal to control other things.
It can function as a captivating and sometimes badly behaved delay effect with a choice of Ping‑pong, Waveguide (your sound trapped in an angry pipe) or Multi‑tap modes. It has CV controllable Length (delay time) and Feedback, and a quirky Pattern control that shapes the character of each mode. At the Tail end, you can explore three modes of space reverb, from the ridiculously intense Dense mode, the pared‑back Float mode with dampening or shimmer, and the granular Sparse mode that is like throwing together slices of audio in any order or direction the mode desires. A Temperature knob can act as a tilt EQ, throwing your reflections quite dramatically into high or low registers, or, in Float mode, as a shimmer generator. Most knobs seem to do more than one thing depending on the mode.
Diffuser
There are other elements too, like the Diffuser, a flavour‑enhanced all‑pass filter that can place your sound in space before it enters the rollercoaster ride of Delay and Tail. The Chorality knob more often than not introduces multiple voices in a similar way to chorus, except when it’s guiding the probability of the playback of granular slices. With every element alive and working on your audio you can find yourself falling into a blissful state as you are smeared across the universe. But it’s in the pulling apart of the reverb that we find unexpected sound‑design entities that can take us in completely different directions. On its own, the Diffuse introduces strange widenings, the Delay scatters and manipulates, and the Tail has an unusual foggy focus, much of which you’d miss in a regular reverb. It’s one of those rare cases where the sum of the parts is perhaps less interesting than the parts themselves.
And then there’s the Pitch section. Bopp & Steve has three mind‑bending pitch‑shifters that interrupt the deconstructed reverb conversation and impose wild shifts that may or may not be related to what you’re feeding it. There’s a Regular mode where all three shifters play loosely around the same note, a Chord mode where they all shift to a different note, and then there’s Free mode, which is unquantised and follows the Transpose and Control knobs. You can use those same knobs to mess with the pitch changes in either mode but you can also plug in a MIDI keyboard and turn your reverberations into an otherworldy playable instrument.
TiNRS have unearthed some versatile sound‑design elements that can be completely at odds with the usual generation of huge spaces.
Overall, in pulling apart the often taken‑for‑granted reverb, TiNRS have unearthed some versatile sound‑design elements that can be completely at odds with the usual generation of huge spaces. While the epic sound of cosmic overload that pours out when everything is pushed to the max is completely awe‑inspiring, I’m finding the individual elements more fascinating because there’s so much to discover here. If TiNRS could grant one wish it would be some kind of preset system so that I could revisit some of the destinations I find on my travels. But then Bopp & Steve is not a set‑and‑forget reverb, it’s a playground of spatial effects that will leave you spinning, excited and at times happily baffled.