Shopping for entry-level reverb effects

Hi TDPRIers,

I'm a few months into my first home studio setup and it's very fun and whatnot. Got a few rough drafts of some of our songs up and running.

I need some recommendations for a multi-effects unit for (close-to) zero-latency monitoring.

I currently am running a Presonus Firestudio Project as my mixer/interface with Reaper on WinXP. I use a few channels of mono analog out to go to an ART Headamp Pro6 headphone amp for analog monitoring. I have mostly been focusing on recording a good sounding dry signal and haven't really delved too much into VST effects. The interface has 8 mic/line in, and 8 mono analog outs, as well as L/R main out, 2 channel S/PDIF in/out and aux sends and returns for channels 1&2, I believe.

What I am looking for is a box that I can use to add some reverb to the monitor mix for my lead vocalist when she lays down tracks, so I can record a dry signal but she can hear some reverb to help her hear herself. If the unit sounds good enough to double as an effects unit for (mixing? mastering?) that would be stellar. I'm looking around the $100 range.

So far I've found the Peavey Dual Deltafex, the TC Electronic M350, a Digitech vocal effects unit (Digitech Vocal 300) and the Lexicon MX200 or MX300, most closely looked into the Peavey and TC models. Does anybody have any experience with these units that they can share? Perhaps someone can speak to some of these points for either unit:

1. Sound quality of reverb; which is better?
2. Are all effects digital or are some (compression) analog? the TC has a flow diagram in the manual (link below) that suggests it's all digital.
3. What the differences are between different versions of the Peavey. There is limited info online except that Peavey is good with manuals in pdf format; but if shopping used all I have to go on is the color of the unit! There are black&gold, blue, and silver ones? Some have compression, some don't.
4. Is a digital compressor even worth worrying about anyway? The older Peaveys with no compression go used for ~$50.
5. De-esser/comp/hard comp on TC? Any good?
6. Signal routing differences between the unit, and how they affect ease of use and flexibility. TC unit seems a little weird. It can take a single source or dual sources, and has 2 effects engines, which cover (1) Reverbs (2) Everything else, and can be run either in series or parallel, but there are no separate OUTPUTS. Will this defeat some usability qualities that I may otherwise want to have? The Peavey seems to have mono or stereo input, if the input is mono it is copied to the other side and 'stereo-ized' somehow, but it has 2 separate outputs I believe. I usually record with redundant mics to give myself greater flexibility of sound down the road. Usually 2 or 3 mics on a guitar, or 1 or 2 mics on a voice. Which one's in/out setup would be most useful for me?
7. TC has S/PDIF in/out and VST control through software, Peavey is just an analog in/out box as far as I know. Anybody with experience with the S/PDIFs of the Presonus Firestudio? I don't currently use them.
8. The knobs. In each unit 2 chosen parameters for each effect can be tweaked with knobs on the front panel. From what I can tell Peavey's knobs are easy to use and intuitive, whereas TC's are annoying and counter-intuitive, as they're all scaled to some so-called "normal" setting. For example, the 'time' setting on the delay is scaled as 'short' to 'normal' to 'long'; so if someone says, "Give me a 1.5 second delay" ... then what?
9. If one of these could be used to simultaneously record both a dry signal and a wet or mixed signal, while sending only the wet to the headphone amp, that's what I want. I think I can achieve that with either one though. Am I correct?

Peavey's go for $50 for the old version, maybe $100 for the new version. The TC will probably be $100 - $140.

Any recommendations?? Keeping an open mind to other suggestions. If anybody can speak to any of the above points that would be most helpful.

A thousand thanks,
Drew

http://www.tcelectronic.com/media/M350_US_2.pdf

http://www.peavey.com/assets/literature/manuals/00420020.pdf

If anybody wants to comment to the short version of my query, here it is: suggest a flexible effects box for adding reverb to a monitoring signal, which may optionally also be used for recording those effects AND the dry signal, for around $100.

Drew

To monitor a wet signal (while recording the dry one), you can do that by setting up an aux send, or buss (maybe folders in reaper?). The terminology is different, but the idea is the same.

Here's what you do. Set up so you ready to record normally to track 1 (or whatever). Set up an aux send/ buss from that track. Basically it takes your track one signal and sends it to another fader, where you can then add reverb, delays, whatever. Typically, the send (reverb) channel would be set to 100% wet - and the amount of reverb dialed in by the location of the sends fader.

Depending on how things are set up, you can monitor both the dry and reverbed track, or they can be set up so the engineer hears only the dry one while the singer hears the reverbed one. If you set the send from track one pre fader, that can allow you as the engineer to have a different mix than the musicians. It gets a little more complicated to do that, but you could set up the send (ie reverb) track to outputs 3&4 (assuming outs 1 & 2 are your main stereo outputs). The singer monitors that - but this time with the amount of reverb adjusted in the unit (and, you need a way to amplify the headphones, but a stereo amp can do in a pinch). You could then set up a send for 5&6 for the drummer. And so on.

SPDIF would be cool provided your interface can be routed for the digital ins and outs. Avoids a return trip through the converters, and means perhaps your main reverb is not ITB - allowing that processing power free for other uses if need be.

I know zero about the sonic abilities of the pieces you mentioned.

Cheers,
Geoff

Thanks for your help Geoff. I'm certainly going to have to learn the digital mixer software that came with my interface. Apparently I can send any input to any output, independent of the DAW for very low latency monitoring... and make up to 5 independent stereo mixes according to the advertisements. The possibilities are endless.

Anybody with any input on how these units sound?