Neunaber Audio launches all-singing, all-dancing Illumine reverb and calls it “the ultimate reverb machine“

Neunaber Audio has unveiled the Illumine, a reverb pedal so stacked with features that the California-based effects pedals and plugins specialist confidently describes it as the “the ultimate reverb machine“.

Time will tell if it can live up to such billing but it sure does not want for ambience. There are 17 studio-quality stereo reverbs available, and once you find a sound you like you can save it down to one of the 50 user presets. That presents a lot of options, but if option paralysis strikes, help is at hand, with Neunaber loading the Illumine with 50 factory presets to use as base camp for your ambient explorations.

The Illumine offers plenty of performance related features via its onboard Expression Control Engine. Hook up an external expression or volume pedal via a 3.5 mm (⅛”) TRS Expression input to control to control up to five parameters on the fly, or use the A/B footswitch to transition between A and B values on a parameter. 

Alternatively, use the A/B footswitch to cycle through your presets or engage Infinite Hold mode. Settings are bright and easy to read on the LED, and there are menu/select and change parameter/save preset knobs positioned adjacent to for scrolling through the effects, parameters and presets and saving your sounds.

The Illumine keeps your dry signal analogue and has an adjustable gain structure that'll accept signals from your electric guitar but also a line-level signal for further processing.

Neunaber promises that the display can be viewed from a wide angle and with its top-mounted jacks it should be respectful of pedalboard real estate. The unit ships with a pair of 2.5 mm TRS-to-MIDI adaptor cables, a swag bag, a detailed manual and rubber feet.

Further edits can be performed via Illumine Preset Manager Software and a USB-MIDI adaptor (sold separately). A nice little bonus, especially when we are used to power-hungry feature-stacked digital effects pedals, the Illumine takes a regular 9V DC power supply and draws a minimum of 100mA.

Available now, the Neunaber Audio Illumine is priced £273 / $379 for a limited time only – regular price £345 / $479. See Neunaber for more details.

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.