Effects
The last years I especially invested in good Sound Effect Processors. I found out that especially good reverbs add so much ambiance in a production. The first unit I bought for this reason was the Eventide Eventide that you can see in the picture on the left. I use it a lot on sound effects that are more in the back of a song. Then I got a Quantec Yardstick 2402/f. That is the most natural sounding reverb I have ever heard I think. It is great on vocals like choirs. Then the Bricasti M7, probably the best reverb in the world in my opinion at least. I use it a lot on my leads and solo's. I really love it. It adds so much atmosphere! And then the Lexicon PCM96 surround. I use that one a lot on pads to make them really wide, almost 3D :)
In a rack just below my main desk there are more Digital Sound Effect Processors. There are a couple there that I just love on drums. Like the Sony DPS-V77. That is really a secret weapon that a lot of producers use. But there is also a Lexicon PCM81 there and a TC Fireworx that can do magic on vocals. Besides these external boxes I also have some FX equipment that integrate into my Sonar software like a UAD-2 Duo card, a TC Electronics PowerCore X8 and a Line 6 PodProXT. You can use them just like VST plugins, but the processing power is inside the hardware so your CPU is off loaded.
And then there is also a stack of analog Sound Effect Processors. In the picture on the left you can see a stack of Line 6 processors. The Mod Pro, Echo Pro and Filter Pro to be precise. But I also have some really vintage effect processors like a Roland Space Echo. That is a tape delay with an actual analog rotating tape. But I also love the Roland Dimension-D. But I often also use their emulated counter parts from the UAD-2 card, since they are very accurate. But the real thing is more fun to play around with.
Click on the 'list' item in the menu on the left for a complete list of all the Sound Effects Processors in my studio.