IK Multimedia's AmpliTube X-Space Reverb Workstation is a Superb Dynamic All-Rounder and Ambient & Sci-Fi Reverb Triumph
The AmpliTube X-Space is my 8th Reverb Workstation - following on from a journey which started with the Strymon BigSky, then Boss RV-500, Source Audio Ventris, Eventide H9 Max (Space), Electro-Harmonix Oceans 12, Strymon NightSky, Neunaber Illumine - and now X-Space! Largely per my recent roundup of Stereo Reverb Workstations.
Readers will know that I keep all my pedals as part of my reference collection - and while there is always a contemporary mainstay on the appropriate pedal-chain slot - I do rotate the pedals fairly regularly to give all a reasonably regular outing. On this occasion I’m cutting the Neunaber Illumine’s first innings a little short to review the X-Space - while the Illumine will be back in again relatively soon again. For now the X-Space is on the board as such. I love all my Reverb Workstations - and each has unique characteristics and algorithms which make it worthwhile to own and use them all!
In the case of the X-Space this has a particularly impressive roster and mix of Algorithms - possibly the strongest mix of any overall - featuring pretty much all my favourite flavours including Reverse. Some of the purists will go in to great detail about how pristine a particular reverb sounds - which is typically the domain of the Neunaber Wet Algorithms and Meris/CBA Automatone CXM 1978 - and I’m not really the guy to go into spectrometer details on exactly how pristine the quality of particular reverb sounds. I love all my Reverb Workstations - and they are all perfectly pristine enough for me - while there are of course some tonal differences - and sparkle and brightness often seems to be associated with a higher fidelity. Possibly there are aspects of the Neunaber Wet Algorithms that are a little more ’pristine’ than most - while we’re really dealing in the tiniest of fractions by that point.
As far as my experience with the X-Space goes it’s been overwhelmingly positive. I find it really intuitive and easy to use - and as I stated previously I believe it has about the best broad mix of different algorithms - where each of those is rendered beautifully musically. There seem to be significant dynamics in how the algorithms bloom in response to pick attack and differences in playing emphasis. And I in particular like the wonderfully eclectic mix of 50 Factory Presets included.
General Operation
Controls - Model/Back, Preset/Save, Parameter/Setup, Time/Decay, Pre-Delay, Color (Frequency Focus), Mod, Mix, Footswitches A|B|C / Bank Down/Up
There are some obvious design cues here from the latest Strymon models - while IK Multimedia really brings home the advantage with its large highly visible LED screen. This pedal benefits from the perfect number of controls for really simple, elegant and on-the-fly operation. I found the pedal to be highly intuitive and really easy to use right from the get-go.
As is always my way with these sorts of pedals I spend most of my time on the factory presets - scrolling through banks and selecting the A|B|C options in sequence until I land on something inspiring. I've already mentioned that this contains the perfect mix of 16 algorithms to give you full coverage on Reverb types - and all of those are rendered beautifully. When scrolling through the Factory Presets the only one I felt compelled to adjust was 14B Organ - all the others sounded just fine as per factory setup.
You get very quickly accustomed to how everything works and there are no oddities or quirks really as everything to me at least seems to work precisely per my expectations. For each preset you have the 5 main Parameter Controls - Time/Decay, Pre-Delay, Color (Frequency Focus), Modulation Depth, and Wet/Dry Mix.
If you need to make further adjustments you can scroll through between 3 and 7 more Parameter Variables using the Parameter control. Saving a Preset on the fly is a breeze as you just hit the Save control to the right of the screen - I frequently just use my foot for that! I've got quite used to adjusting pedal knobs with my toes by now!
So everything genuinely works as you would expect and there don't seem to be any catch-you-outs or surprises. If you've used any big workstation pedal before - say Strymon or Boss or Eventide - this should be very familiar territory for you - and simple enough for newbies too. The A|B|C footswitches can be used Momentarily when off/inactive, and when active/on - you engage the X-Mode/Hold function which typically means Max Tails / Infinite Decay.
16 Algorithms
There are 16 beautifully calibrated Algorithms / Modes / Models onboard - each distinct and worthy :
1 : SHIMMER 1 - A complex shimmer that offers increasing feedback. The pitch can go from 1/4 semitone up to an octave creating many different customizable shifting voicings
2 : SHIMMER 2 - Shimmer 2 differs from the first one because there is no build up in the feedback and the two different pitched voices can be set in parallel to create custom harmonizations
3 : HALL - This model recreates the ambience of a live concert hall with controlled decay and a reverb time range from 1 to 9 seconds to replicate from smaller venues up to larger clubs. With an advanced parameter set that features a 3-band decay trimmer, the sound of the hall can be highly tweaked to always find the perfect tail in which to place the instrument
4 : ROOM - This model adds the third dimension of a room to the direct sound in order to place it in a physical space and obtain a more natural sounding performance. Thanks to the 3-band decay trimmer any room can be recreated giving infinite possibilities. Its time range goes from 0.5 to 3 seconds offering a great option for a reverb that adds character without noticing the reverb itself
5 : CHAMBER - This model offers the typical chamber sound found in many professional recording studios and provides a highly reflected and bright tail that’s perfect for aggressive reverb tones. Its time range goes from 1 to 9 seconds like the hall model, but the chamber has way more character and vibe
6 : CHURCH - This model has the longest tail in order to reproduce the typical reverb sound found in churches. Its reverb time has a range from 8 to 20 seconds to replicate from the smallest chapel to the biggest cathedrals
7 : PLATE - This model can recreate different iconic plate reverbs. Its time has a range from 0.5 to 5 seconds and the flavor is highly customizable through custom parameters, which let you emulate different types of plates by emphasizing the decay of certain frequencies and dampening others
8 : SPRING - This is a customizable spring reverb model, which emulates the vintage spring modules typically installed on guitar amplifiers
9 : SWELL - This is a swell processor that can automatically create fantastic fading swell effects followed by a customizable reverb trail to create dreaming pads or string-like sounds
10 : GATE - This is a customizable gated reverb that cuts off the reverb trail as desired in order to add textured groove to your playing
11 : REVERSE - This model is perfect to create reverse delay trails that fade in while you are playing. The reverse envelope can be set to 3 different modes to better fit the part
12 : EARLY-REF - This model emulates the typical short reflections that can be heard in a small room or space. It’s fully customizable to bring it from a sort of traditional delay to a buzzing early reflection sound
13 : EXTREME - This is a combination of two processors in one model. One is a plate reverb that gets modulated by the second one, which is a vintage phaser to add extreme modulated tails
14 : ETHEREAL - This is a highly modulated plate that recreates moving airy trails and adds magic to your lines
15 : BLOOM - This reverb makes your simple lead parts bloom up and become very rich and noticeable. It is a swell like effect to give movement and vibe to your parts
16 : MAGNETIC - This is a spatial reverb that has an airy tone with an accentuated modulation effect, which at low rates creates an effect of space floating
Parameter Controls
Core Parameter Controls :
- Time - Reverb Tail 0.8s to 12s
- Pre-Delay - 0ms to 1000ms
- Color - Frequency Response -10dB to +10dB
- Mod - Modulation 0% to 100%
- Mix - Dry>Wet 0% to 100%
Each algorithm then has a further 3 to 7 supplementary variables that are accessed by scrolling with the PARAMETERS knob. Some of these are unique to certain Algorithms - while most are shared across a number of similar category effects. I've indicated the unique ones below (in parenthesis) :
- Diffusion - 0% to 100% (Bloom)
- Gain 1 / Gain 2 - 0 to 10 (Shimmer 2)
- Hi Damp - 0% to 100% (Spring)
- HPF / High Pass Filter - 22Hz to 1000Hz
- Low-Frequency Decay : -10 to +10
- Mid-Frequency Decay : -10 to +10
- High-Frequency Decay : -10 to +10
- Modulation Color -10 to +10 (Magnetic)
- Modulation Rate - 0.1Hz to 7Hz
- Mode - No Pitch / Single / Dual (Shimmer 1 + 2)
- Shift / Shift 1 / Shift 2 / Pitch : -12 to +12 Semitones (Shimmer 1 + 2)
- Size / Ambience - 50% to 100%
- Swell Depth : -90db to 0 (Swell)
- Swell Sensitivity - 0% to 100% (Swell)
- Width / Stereo Spread - 0% to 100% (Spring)
- X-Mode activation - On/Off
50 Factory Presets
I have to reiterate how fantastically varied these algorithms are - and how many put me into a Sci-Fi mindset and make me imagine scoring the soundtrack for Bladerunner, Aliens and the like - just some really cool Sci-Fi / SFX and Ambient Presets here - each of which is so cleverly and accurately named too. There are 300 Preset slots overall - so the Factory 50 are repeated 6 times over in sequence across those 100 Banks. The best way to approach these is to scroll until you find something that inspires you - tweak to taste and hit the Preset/Save knob to save your preferences. The interface is superbly logical and intuitive and works entirely per expectations! :
- 00A : GLITTER [Shimmer 1] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 00B : BLUE DAY [Shimmer 2] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 00C : MAGIC [Shimmer 1] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 01A : SHADE [Swell] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 01B : BIG SPACE [Church] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 01C : LIQUID [Hall] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 02A : DARK [Shimmer 1] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 02B : ENIGMA [Shimmer 2] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 02C : HALL A [Hall] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 03A : ROOM 17 [Room] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 03B : CHAMBER 1 [Chamber] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 03C : HUGE [Church] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 04A : SPRING [Spring] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 04B : SUMMER [Spring] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 04C : FOLLOWER [Swell] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 05A : GATE [Gate] - X-Mode Hold = Max Time & Size
- 05B : ESREVER [Reverse] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 05C : BATH [Early Ref] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 06A : UNIVERSE [Extreme] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 06B : GLASS [Ethereal] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 06C : FLOWER [Bloom] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 07A : MAGNET [Magnetic] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 07B : GHOST [Shimmer 1] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 07C : DEEP [Shimmer 2] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 08A : SO LONG - [Hall] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 08B : TINY [Room] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 08C : WINERY [Chamber] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 09A : HYPNOTIC [Church] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 09B : PLATE 69 [Plate] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 09C : RTR [Spring] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 10A : SLOW RISE [Swell] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 10B : LURK [Gate] - X-Mode Hold = Max Time & Size
- 10C : REBORN [Reverse] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 11A : EARLY [Early Ref] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 11B : POLICE [Extreme] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 11C : OXYGEN [Ethereal] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 12A : SURPRISE [Bloom] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 12B : ABYSS [Magnetic] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 12C : GOOD COMPANY [Reverse] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 13A : DIZZY [Plate] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 13B : PARASITE [Early Ref] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 13C : BIG BROTHER [Swell] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 14A : RESONANT [Extreme] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 14B : ORGAN [Shimmer 2] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 14C : JUST FX [Shimmer 1] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 15A : PARROT [Reverse] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 15B : PLATINUM [Plate] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 15C : TREMOLO [Extreme] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 16A : RIO [Hall] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 16B : INVISIBLE [Early Ref] - X-Mode Hold = Max Tail
- 16C : ...... CYCLES AROUND TO GLITTER AGAIN - PER 00A!
For everyday use I tend to operate mostly with these classic Presets : Hall A, Plate 69 and Platinum
While the most fun is to be had with my Sci-Fi / Ambient Favourites : Magic, Liquid, Gate, Universe, Magnet, Deep, So Long, Hypnotic, Lurk, Reborn, Oxygen, Abyss, Resonant, Just FX, Parrot, Tremolo.
These spark all sorts of reminiscences of key Sci-Fi soundtrack and sound effect moments - with the effects really creating the perfect mood and ambience for such subject matter. I would imagine Chords of Orion's Bill Vencil in particular would have a lot of fun with the pedal. And I would think Stefan Fast would also be able to put it to particularly great use.
Setup / Global Controls
Click the Parameters knob to enter Setup Global control - which was all actually set up perfectly for my needs from the factory. I scrolled through each of those settings, and each was default set exactly how I would want it to be. Obviously you need to enter this area for calibrating Expression pedals and the like - again everything is very logically and intuitively laid-out :
- NAME MODE - Name / PC + Name, BNK + Name
- EXT. CTRL - Expression Pedal Type
- DUAL SWITCH MODE - Bank (A|B|C) / Preset (Individual)
- EXP. CALIBRATION - Expression Pedal Calibration
- MIDI CHANNEL - 1 to 16
- MIDI THRU - Off / Thru / Merge
- MAIN VOL - Master Volume -40dB to +3dB
- INTERFACE VOL - Master Volume in Interface Mode -40dB to +3dB default is -20dB
- MIDI CLOCK - Off / DIN / USB
- CAB SIM - Off / Cab 1-4 / Bass
- SPILLOVER - On/Off
- USB OUT - Stereo / Dual
- BYPASS MODE - True / Buffer
- OPERATION MODE - Live / Interface
- FACTORY RESET - Confirm to activate
- FW VERSION - Displays Current Firmware Version Number
- EXT. CTRL - Sets if Presets are using External Control
- EXT. LEARN - Assigns Macros for External Pedal use
- SAFE MODE - Press MODEL + PRESET Encoders simultaneously to lock interface
- INTERFACE MODE - Can hook up to laptop or similar to use in combination with Amplitube / DAW App Software
Key Features
- 300 Storable Presets
- 112dB dynamic range
- 50 Factory Presets
- 16 Models / Modes / Algorithms
- 8 Control Knobs, 3 Knobs with ’Push’ Function
- 3 Footswitches, including Tap-Tempo for X-Time and X-Vibe, with Bank Down/Up
- Highly Visible Bright Single-Colour LED Screen
- Ultra-low noise, 24-bit/192kHz converters for class-leading sound quality
- 5 Hz–24 kHz frequency response
- Full Stereo Inputs / Outputs
- Full-size 5-Pin MIDI In & Out
- External Control Jack
- Expression pedal input with the possibility to create custom macros controlling multiple parameters at once
- Integrates with AmpliTube Plugin Suite
- Hundreds of factory presets and hundreds of free slots for custom presets
- Press-and-hold for custom functions
- True or soft bypass selectable
- USB B-Type Port for connecting with PC/Mac and for Firmware Updates
- 9V DC [-] Power with typical :
- 260 mA Current Draw
- Chassis : Anodised Aluminium
- Dimensions : 58mm / 2.28" (H) x 175mm / 6.88" (W) x 145mm / 5.7" (D)
- Weight : 2 lbs / 906gm
- RRP - €300 | $300 | £300
- Made in Italy
Demos
Final Thoughts
I went into this exercise very open-minded as is usually my way, but was still very pleasantly surprised by what I found. It's quite evident that a serious amount of thought / work has gone into the design and engineering of this pedal - and I must say it's a complete success for me.
There's that age old ongoing debate about degrees of Pristine rendering, and while there may be other more 'Pristine' reverbs out there - always subject to opinion, there is no doubting that the X-Space is very much a triumph too.
All of my 8 Reverb Workstations each have unique aspects and specific advantages - and so does the X-Space. I'm spoilt for choice really and how much you like this depends to a large degree on what your intended usage is. The Price point here of RRP - €300 | $300 | £300 - is incredibly appealing.
This is a genuine contender in the Reverb Workstation space - and in particular if you're into Sci-Fi and SFX. The Factory Presets in particular are genius - with so many different great effects - and for instance Abyss - with its watery swirl feels and sounds exactly like it's emanating from the depths of the deepest abyssal ocean plane.
There are some quirky algorithms too like 'Police' with its off-kilter siren type sounds - you would need to come up with clever usage scenarios for some of those. What is immediately evident is how dynamically the pedal reacts to your playing action and pick-attack.
I can't see how anyone would be disappointed with this pedal - I tried it on various different degrees of distortion and fuzz - with and without modulations - and it always rendered beautifully for me - no weird artefacts or glitches - just a really expansive, capable and sweet sounding highly musical Reverb. I will probably keep this on the board for a few rotations now before I return to give the Neunaber Illumine its full due. Each of those is very much the state of the art for contemporary Reverb Workstations and each is heartily recommended.
Props to IK Multimedia / AmpliTube for hitting it out of the park at first attempt. I have just 2 minor quibbles really - in that in low light the knob legends aren't particularly visible, and I feel the 1-16 light-up Numbers (indicating Algorithm in use) are just a fraction too small to be clearly visible from up on high during normal playback. This is a pretty special Reverb Workstation - with a perfect set and mix of Algorithms - and superior broad-based Factory Presets. It is assuredly a triumph of design and ambition and very much lives up to expectations.
The X-Space Reverb Workstation and entire X-Gear range is available now from the IK Multimedia Webstore - where you can get an accumulative discount if you buy more than one X-Gear pedal at a time - individually they are €300, €500 for 2, €750 for 3m and €1,000 for all 4!
