It’s always exciting when a company comes out with a plug-in that does something different and rethinks how we use some of our most fundamental tools. Eventide did exactly that with their new reverb, Temperance Pro. Loading up Temperance Pro into a DAW, it’s immediately apparent that it isn’t a typical reverb. It behaves like a reverb, but instead of just adding space, it responds to the harmonic content of your source, allowing you to shape which frequencies and notes bloom, giving more control over the tonal character of the tail. Eventide has been a forward-thinking company in audio effects units for many decades, and has consistently found new ways to explore studio tools and effects from entirely new angles. In the ’70s, they made one of the first rack-mountable digital delay units for the studio, the DDL 1745. (Previously, engineers had relied on reel-to-reel tape delay to create this effect.) Eventide reimagined compressors and limiters with the Omnipressor [Tape Op #159] and created one of the first ever digital pitch-shifting units, the H910 Harmonizer. More recent examples include some of their plug-ins, such as SplitEQ [#147], Blackhole [#159], and MangledVerb. Temperance Pro fits within that lineage, taking the concept of reverb and transforming it into a new type of sound design and production tool.
What makes Temperance Pro different from any other reverb plug-in is its Temper setting, which will emphasize or suppress specific notes or frequencies within the reverb tail. Instead of trying to emulate a real room or plate, it models the reverb from thousands of resonant modes, so you can literally fine-tune your space. The Temper control ranges from -100 to 100%, allowing the effect to sound anywhere from completely natural to deliberately unnatural and highly tuned. With negative Temper values, it will de-emphasize certain notes. This can reinforce chord tones, highlight notes that create tension, or just make entirely new harmonic textures that evolve with the music. One can choose specific notes for the reverb to respond to, set a key, or even use a MIDI keyboard to play patterns for the reverb to follow. Alongside Temper is the Note Width adjustment setting, which determines how much of each selected note influences the nearby frequencies. You can also set a frequency range for the notes that you’ve selected. The Offset adjustment moves the modes up and down by the same amount, changing the timbre of the reverb and whether it feels darker or brighter. The Density setting controls how many resonant modes are active in the reverb – lower density will feature fewer modes and will result in a more lo-fi texture. Then there are all the familiar and classic reverb settings like Pre-Delay, Size, Decay, Mix, and reverb type (hall, plate, room, cave, etc.). There are also some new, theoretically created synthetic modal responses that cannot be found in nature, showcasing what can be done with this new technology.
All of the new control that Temperance Pro offers makes it feel less static and more like a playable instrument. When I began using it on some of my mixes, I found myself feeling inspired to experiment with it. It was especially fun to use on vocals, as you can make the reverb harmonize with the melody or simply extend a note. When I latched it to the key of the song, I was able to preserve the vocal’s clarity and shape the space around it without it feeling too washy. I loved how many textures I could dial in around the vocals. Next I tried it on drums, and things got weird in the best way. Using the built-in sequencer and the Density control, I created rhythmic patterns and textures that were triggered by the snare. That led to some super interesting sound design results. I put it on a finger-picked guitar part, messed around with some settings, and created a beautiful ambient texture that was quite satisfying. It especially shined on synths and pads as well. I could create new chords with the reverb or reinforce what was there. With the Offset knob, I could detune the reverb a little bit for a cool thickening effect. There were also plenty of presets that gave me a jumping-off point to play around with.
After trying it out on several different sessions, I’m convinced that Temperance Pro is a genuinely exciting tool for mixers, sound designers, and producers. While it can behave like a typical reverb, it also works in a category of its own. Eventide has a long history of trying new things with audio gear, and with Temperance Pro they’ve come up with something that’s original, interesting, and just fun to play with. It makes me think about reverb in a whole new way. It’s not just a mix tool anymore; it can also be used as a compositional tool. I can see this being a go-to plug-in that I reach for when I’m looking to add something different to my mixes. Read editor Larry Crane's interview with Eventide's co-founder, Tony Agnello, in Tape Op #170 for more on Temperance's development.