Lexicon PCM91 Reverb Processor >>> Discontinued July 2009

LEXICON PCM91 Details ^top

The PCM 91 Digital Reverberator offers Lexicon's highest quality reverbs in a compact, affordable package with a powerful interface which allows both easy access and a wealth of programming capabilities for the sound designer. All of the features of the acclaimed PCM 90 are included, plus full AES/EBU I/O, new Dual Reverb algorithms, and new presets with dynamic spatialization effects for 2-channel or surround applications. All of the Dual Reverb algorithms and presets (available for the PCM 90 on a PC card) are built into the PCM 91.
450 presets provide sounds for real-world applications— and a unique KeyWord search and sort function allows you to find the preset you want fast. A PCM CIA card slot allows you to store your own programs on memory cards.

Features at a Glance

All of the features of the PCM 90 PLUS built-in Dual Reverb

AES/EBU and S/PDIF I/O

> 15 Algorithms: 5 Stereo and 10 Dual Reverb

450 Preset programs; 100 User

Dynamic spatialization effects for 2-channel or surround applications

Standard Features

Lexicon's "greatest hits" – reverb algorithms of the last decade including Random Hall, Random Ambience, Rich Plate, Concert Hall and Split Chamber

Balanced Analog I/O- XLR and 1/4" inputs and outputs

Digital I/O- S/PDIF and AES/EBU

Keyword Search: Allows quick, intelligent search of the presets by application (i.e. vocals, drums etc.) or alphabetical order

A front panel Adjust knob is automaticall y attached to one or more of the parameters you're likely to want to change in each factory tailored preset. This allows immediate modification of each preset in real time without ever going into the Edit mode.

Pro and Go Modes: Go mode gives you access to as many as ten hand-picked parameters for any particular preset. Pro Mode allows full access to an Edit Matrix of as many as a hundred parameters.

Greater than 110dB of Dynamic Range

Dual Lexichip Architecture- These are our own propietary microprocessors, custom designed by our own chief scientists to meet Lexicon's rigorous specifications.

PCMCIA Card Slot for software updates and user-edited preset and system set up storage.

50 Factory Presets and 100 Internal User registrations are standard. .

The PCM 91 Reverb Realism
The PCM 91 offers Lexicon’s highest quality reverbs in a compact, affordable package with a powerful interface which allows both easy access and a wealth of programming capabilities for the sound designer. All of the features of the acclaimed PCM 90 are included, plus full AES/EBU I/O, Dual Reverb algorithms, and presets with dynamic spatialization effects for 2-channel or surround applications (available for the PCM 90 on a PC card).

One of the stunning advances in the PCM 91 is the ability to create incredibly realistic small spaces. For both music and film sound, it is often vital to have the ambiences of a phone booth or very small drum room. In the PCM 91 you can create them with a reality never heard before from any processor other than a Lexicon.

The Interface
Considerable effort went into providing you with processors that are as comfortable to operate as they are a joy to hear. At the top operating level, you simply load the desired program: we have assigned an immediately-useful parameter to the Adjust knob. For example, if you load the preset Gothic Hall, (PCM 91) the Adjust knob controls the reverb decay time.

The next level was designed for professionals who want to further customize programs, but do not have the time to wade through the myriad of controls which we offer. In this mode, as many as ten of the most logical parameters in a given effect are easily accessible for customization.
For the sound designer, there is a further mode which allows access to the full editing matrix in the PCM 91. This mode features a user-assignable soft row, where you can store your own favorite parameters, as well as the full editing matrix. It is in this mode that the user can access the extensive dynamic reverberation aspects of the PCM 91.

PCM 91 Exclusive: Custom Controllers
Within the PCM 91, Lexicon provides even more control by adding up to four Custom Controllers. These controllers are placed on the Soft Row and are a combination of one or more parameters patched together, each with their own individual scaling values. It's like having four additional Adjust Knob controls on the Soft Row.

As an example, PCM 91 preset Dream Hall has a Custom Controller labeled "Reverb Density" which controls Mid RT and Low RT simultaneously, with one Adjust knob control. As you turn the knob, the sound changes from thin and dark to dense and bright. The character of the effect has completely changed simply by turning the one knob.

Dynamic Patching
When we introduced the PCM 70, one of its many exciting new features was our invention of Dynamic MIDI(R), which ushered in a whole new approach to controlling effects. With the PCM 91, we've taken that concept to a whole new level – to give you unprecedented control over your effects. From modulating sounds, to altering the attack and decay characteristics of the sound, to producing unusual and ethereal spaces, Dynamic Patching gives these processors a truly unique set of capabilities

. Tempo Contro
l In recent Lexicon processors, we have implemented powerful tap-tempo control over delay lines. The PCM 91 offers not only a tap tempo control, but also offer several rhythmic variations on the tap

. In the PCM 91, the tempo can also be 'dialed-in' – you can set the tempo in beats-per-minute. The unit allows you to generate MIDI clock from your tap, as well as receive MIDI tempo from an external sequencer or drum machine. One other unique feature unique to the PCM series is the ability to have the tempo control LFO speeds and Time Switch controls. Thus all of your modulations can be synchronized with your musi
c. Furthermore, you can set independent rhythmic values per parameter within the same program. Tempos can be read as both Rhythmic value and Absolute Time value

. Dynamic Spatializatio
n Another radical new concept in the PCM series is their dynamic spatialization effects. Two independent spatial processors allow you to place effects virtually anywhere between your loudspeakers – or even beyond them. Most significantly, they allow you to locate the effects dynamicall y, thus creating different spaces that change along with the music

. For example, when playing sustained chords through Steered Rear, the PCM 90s Dual Reverb card automaticall y steers the reverb around you (into full rear in surround sound) when the input audio decays past the threshold

. Exclusive KeyWord Searc
h Within the PCM 91 there is a unique KeyWord Search function that allows you to find a group of programs designed for a given application. For example, if you choose the Live PA KeyWord, the PCM 91 will automaticall y locate all the presets that have been optimized for live sound applications. There are 50 keywords in all, including four user-definable groups of effects

. PC Card Slo
t The PCM 91 carries on Lexicon's tradition of products that will stand the test of time. The PCM series include an industry-standard PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) slot. RAM cards can be used to store your own programs, while Lexicon is issuing a continuing series of effects cards which include new algorithms and capabilities. There is also a series of cards featuring unique programs from the industry's top sound designers, including effects aimed specificall y at film sound, music recording, live and broadcast applications. We're confident that the PCM 91 will remain a part of your effects rack for a very long time

. Lexicon's unique dual-DSP platform enables the PCM 90 to create the most flexible effects combined with superb reverberation, while the PCM 91 offers reverberation programs that rival Lexicon's top-end 480L and 300L. Together, the PCM 81 and PCM 91 are unsurpassed an essential combination for studio and musician alike

. The PCM 90 Dual Reverb Card (included in PCM 9
1) The Dual Reverb Card provides powerful split control of Lexicon's world class PCM 90 reverb algorithms. The card contains 10 completely new algorithms and 200 all new presets. Also included are 10 "blank slate" presets representing each algorithm. The new algorithms provide all new combinations of reverb effects, as well as a new surround reverb algorithm

. The Dual Reverb Card's 200 presets almost double the amount of presets and more than double the amount of algorithms in the PCM 90, making available a vast selection of superb quality reverb effects. The presets are organized in four banks, by application, and include: Music Production, Live Sound, Audio Post Production and Surround Soun
d. The 10 Dual Reverb algorithms are made from combinations of four reverb blocks: Chamber, Inverse, Room 2, and Surround Chamber. These reverb blocks are specially ordered on the card to create 6 dual reverb and 4 cascade configured stereo effects

. The Inverse block comes to the PCM 90 by way of Lexicon's powerful PCM 80 Digital Effects Processor. The Inverse block excels in gated and unnatural reverb effects, in addition to creating small, lively environments. The Matrix Chamber algorithm is based on a dual reverb combination of Chamber and Surround Chamber. When decoded through a surround decoder, this algorithm creates rich, powerful surround reverbs that envelop the listener. PCM 90 owners will be familiar with algorithms containing the Chamber and Room 2 reverb block
s. In the tradition of FX Cards for the PCM 80, the PCM 90 Dual Reverb Card takes full advantage of the wide range of control options offered within the PCM 90. With Dynamic Patching functionality, the user can modulate any parameter with an LFO, and sync those modulations to the tempo of the music. It is also possible to vary modulations dynamicall y, based on how hard the instrument is played, and of course the delays can be synchronized to tempo

. The Dual Reverb Card extends the powerful capabilities of the PCM 90 and continues Lexicon's commitment to product longevity through software upgrades

. 250 All-New Preset
s The PCM 91 includes all of the acclaimed sounds from the PCM 90 Digital Reverberator, and also includes the algorithms and presets found in the PCM 90 Dual Reverb Car
d. 250 all-new presets have been designed for the PCM 91, with real-world applications in mind. We spent countless hours fine-tuning them – so you don't have to. Furthermore, to enable you to make adjustments quickly, we have placed the most useful parameters for each sound within easy reach, in a user-definable soft row

. To make it even easier to find your sounds, we've clearly labeled each of the Banks and Rows so you'll always know where you are. For example, as you scroll through the first bank of programs, the label reads Halls: Orchestral. When you enter the next row within that bank, the display changes to Halls:Vocal

. PCM 91 Reverb Algorithm
s Our research into the physics of classical acoustics is embodied in the Random Hall algorithm. Echograms of real halls have dispelled the myth of pre-delay and early reflections. In actual spaces, there is no empty interval between the direct sound's arrival and maximum reverb density to be filled in by early reflections. Instead, ambience builds gradually, with diffuse and complex reflections which do not color the timbre of the sound the way that fixed delay taps do

. Random Hall's unique Size, Shape and Spread parameters control the buildup and decay of the ambient envelope. Size determines how large the environment will be. Shape controls the contour of the ambient build: at its highest settings, it provides an inverse envelope for effects and gating. Spread controls the duration of Shape – the ambient envelope – setting the buildup and sustain

. There are also precision filters for spectral control of reverberation time, and the unique Spin and Wander parameters add random movement to the entire algorithm, ensuring silky smooth reverberant decay. Try preset Deep Blue on a piano to get a feel for this algorithm

. A new Concert Hall algorithm was designed for the PCM 91. We borrowed the character from the classic PCM 70 sounds and added Spatial EQ and a Compressor

. We created the Ambience algorithm specificall y for the post-production environment. It enables accurate matching of a previously-recorded ambience, so that new elements may be blended in seamlessly and realisticall y. You can place sound effects, dialogue, or even musical instruments and previously-recorded music, at different depths and panning within the 'space'

. Voices are particularly interesting when processed with this algorithm – try the Spatial Room preset for an example

. The Rich Plate algorithm is designed to simulate plate reverberation devices popular in the '70s and '80s. Typicall y, plates are bright and highly diffused, with characteristicall y colored reverberation content. Two stereo pre-echoes can be used to create soft-diffused or hard, non-diffused reflections. Try Cool Plate on a snare drum to explore the possibilities of this algorithm

. Another all-new algorithm call ed Chamber/Room has also been developed for the PCM 91, which allows two independent stereo reverbs to run simultaneously within the machine. This algorithm can be arranged as Stereo, Mono, or Reverse Mono

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