Which Quadraverbs?

[martyn]

Is it possible to summarise the differences between the various Quadraverbs?
I get confused by GT, Q2, Q20, Plus etc and don't know which does what.
Their prices vary considerably so not knowing which is good/not so good for our purposes I struggle working out which are the ideal ones to go for/avoid.

Regards,
Martyn

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Martyn,
I think I have answered this question before but I'll answer it again.
All Quadraverbs have 24 bit internal processing.
The original Quadraverb came out in 1989. I never wrote programs for this unit, in fact it would not be possible because it does not have multitap delays.
The Quadraverb was followed by the Quad Plus in 1990, which is identical to the original Quadraverb except for an upgraded software version which allows multitap delays and other features.
The Quadraverb GT came out in 1991 and was basically a Quad Plus with an analogue preamp added to be more suitable for guitar, but my programs for it do not take advantage of the preamp so the sounds are essentially the same.
These earlier units sound quite good but tend to have noise in the background, mostly heard as hiss. The GT seems to suffer less in this respect but they all have 16 bit ADA converters. They also cannot have the levels between the program blocks optimised and because my EQ settings tend to boost the mids a lot, the input level has to be set lower than the clip light indicates to avoid digital overload which is heard as a nasty distortion.
The Q2 was amazing when it came out in 1994, and still is in many ways. It has 18 bit ADA converters. All levels between program blocks can be optimised and blocks can be connected in any order and connected to any other block's input, making custom feedback loops possible, among many other things. When I wrote programs for it I took advantage of most of the new features. Echo sounds can have EQ before the delays to simulate the response of a record amp (all the Quadraverbs could do this part except as stated earlier the signal levels can not be set ideally), EQ can be set up separately for feedback, and EQ can be added to the echo output, which makes it possible to overdrive the delays and not sound nasty. The real Meazzi echo units did the same thing.
The Q20 from 1998 went a step further and had 20 bit ADA conversion. It also has a built in power supply that can work with any AC voltage in the world without adjustment. It also has XLR sockets in addition to jacks. It sounds a little cleaner than the Q2 and has slightly less background hiss, so it is my favourite. Not many Q20 units were made as it was quickly discontinued because it was too expensive (RRP in the UK was £899, about £200 more than the Q2) and then Alesis was taken over by Numark and no more Quadraverbs of any version were made, so the Q20 is very hard to find. EFTP probably is already installed in about 5% of the total Q20 production. One weak point of the Q20 is that the power supply can suddeenly fail, causing the unit to not power up at all, but all the faulty ones I have seen were repaired and any that fail in future should still be repairable for some time yet at least.
For the purpose of writing echo programs, I have still yet to find a general purpose digital effects processor that is as flexible as the Q2 or Q20.
Regards,
Charlie

[martyn]

Hi Charlie,
Sorry I'd not come across your previously answering this but many thanks for a most comprehensive rundown of what's what. I'd suspected the Q20 was probably the best of the bunch but just wasn't sure. Still interesting how even the best of these has its inherrent faults, though - I suppose nothing's perfect!
Given their popularity, albeit maybe only within a limited number of enthusiasts, you have to wonder why the makers didn't capitalise upon this and continue manufacture or further development. Unless maybe the 'limited number' is the real problem and it no longer became a viable business proposition?
Regards,
Martyn

[Charlie Hall]

Hi Martyn,
My guess is that Alesis were having a bad time (hence the eventual takeover) and thought that the Q20 was not selling as well as they thought it should. Even I did not take to the Q20 immediately mainly because I found a problem with hum due to the built in power supply requiring an earth. I had actually written to the importers at the time with a rundown of my findings comparing the Q2 with the Q20, and my comments weren't favourable at all as I did not consider it much of an improvement over the Q2 and the hum issue was a problem for me at the time. I don't know if those comments found their way back to Alesis head office. I found a way round the hum problem about a year later but maybe it was already too late, that's if my comments had anything to do with Alesis' decision to stop manufacture of the Q20.
Regards,
Charlie

[sheendigs]

Hi Charlie ;D
Your description of the advantages of the Q2 and Q20 were really dead on the spot.
It is a pity that Alesis pulled out the products which personally, I think, are the best ones.
If they were wise they should come out with a new version..but production and development must have halted.
Also, an editor software would have been welcomed..
I have been the owner of a reliable Q2 since 1998 and never had any problems with it.

Sheendigs