Source Audio Ventris Review

So the Ventris has already gained a bit of notoriety, it's been donned by many as a Big Sky beater and having  a very warm and realistic reproduction of spring reverb.      What may not of been mentioned is how intuitive the pedal itself is.   Roll back the layers and the multiple reverb engines and not only is the Ventris a very easy and tweakable pedal to use but it also offers more in depth features thanks to the Neuro App from Source Audio that for those among us that like to go down the rabbit hole and really tweak is a truly powerful tool. 

So, is the Ventris a Big Sky killer?   

Well for price point they both weigh in around £399 new.  £375 for the Ventris with select retailers.    Having tried both but owning the Ventris for a few days now I'd say the Big Sky has more patches which are accessible using the footswitch on the pedal itself, but with the benefit of MIDI the Ventris also has access to multiple patches.   Where the Ventris in my honest opinion snatches the prize is its ability to use two reverb engines at once.    Want Shimmering reverb and lofi at the same time?   It can do it and not just as a gimmick, it does it fantastically well. 

The Neuro App itself is very simple to use, you can either go very deep into and tweak every aspect of a patch and the pedals hardware itself choosing whether or not you want the reverb to trail off once you've turned the pedal off or choosing the MIDI channel you want it to respond to even down to the option footswitches function.  It's very intuitive and regardless of technical know how it's a pleasure to use.    

You don't just have to plug the pedal into your computer, it also comes with a cable to connect it to your smart phone and access the app with that platform.   

The Reverbs:

So the reverbs themselves are of a quality that is unparalleled not only in it's price point but with studio effects in general.    Where I find the reverbs to be really useful is with the ability to use two engines at once, either parallel or in series.    The Shimmer verb itself is superb,  the shimmer unlike many of it's rivals allows you to edit how you want it to be harmonised.  A maj 7th?  An Octave up or +2?  There are no limitations.   

Granted you can access these features with the Big sky in regards to the harmonization but once again the Ventris' overall quality and ease of use wins it for me.   The Spring reverb sounds fantastically authentic,  at the moment I haven't found a pedal that really replicates spring reverb in such a genuine way.   

It can even accurately reproduce the old Roland RE-201s reverb tank.  The Echoverb adds to the functionality of the pedal and just makes it that little more fun to use.  

From the Lofi sounds to the E-Dome it is all done with great attention to detail and an obvious passion that Source Audio has put in.  


Summary:

Overall the footprint of this pedal is tiny when compared to the Big Sky or the Eventide Space.    It's around the same size as the Strymon Blue Sky.   I'm very impressed with the obvious attention to detail that Source Audio has put in.    I would thoroughly recommend the Ventris.   

Is it worth the Money?     Yes.  No If's or but's about it.   

Give it a try at your local store as it'll have you hooked!

-Sam 
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Comments

  • Breaker86Breaker86 Frets: 13
    edited December 2018
    So we're two months down the line and I've had some time to A/B near it's equivalent and more expensive counterparts as well as use it in a rehearsal setting.   It's still at least to my ears and my tonal palette a complete winner vs the Strymon/Eventide counterparts.  Less twiddly menus and a lot of functionality if you just want to plug and play on the go with the finer tweaking being taken care of via the app.   Still a solid 9 out of 10 from me!    Now with added video.  



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