"I try out ideas that might be too weird otherwise": version 3 of Valhalla DSP's Supermassive is the most "super massive-est" yet, and it's still completely free!
Update adds new modes called 'Leo' and 'Virgo' to one of the best free plugins in the cosmos
There was already a lot to love about Valhalla DSP's Supermassive reverb plugin, not least the fact that it's free. However, it's now reached version 3, which adds two more 'Zodiac' modes to its already impressive roster.
Released in 2020, Supermassive was originally designed as some kind of home for stray reverbs, including eight reverb/delay algorithms "that didn’t fit into the standard categories". Since then, the plugin has exploded, with more modes added on each update. That count now stands at 20 with the addition of the latest Leo and Virgo modes.
These take their place next to other astrological sign-named modes like the Aquarius and Pisces echoverbs, and more general Scorpio and Libra reverbs. And just in case you're thinking what we were - that there are 20 modes and only 12 signs of the Zodiac - we can tell you that Valhalla has labelled other modes in the 20 with names of galaxies. Simply because it can.
And while Leo (the lion) and Virgo (the virgin) are next to each other in the astrological year (late July and late August, astrological fact fans), according to Valhalla, they are chalk and cheese. Which is to say that they are very different from one another – not the astrological signs of chalk and cheese.
Valhalla says Virgo is the "smallest and sparsest" of all the modes now in Supermassive. It acts like a stereo delay with a fast attack until you crank the Density control up, and then it turns into a grainy delay/reverb. It is "great for pointillistic echoes, spring-ish reverb sounds, and other sparse effect," Valhalla says.
Leo, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. It is the "most super massive-est" of all the modes in Supermassive – so that must be pretty big then, considering what's already on offer. It features a very slow attack, and a potentially very long decay which is controlled by the Density and Feedback parameters. With high and low EQ filters, the reverb decay can be "bass heavy or whisper light, or just perfectly balanced".
Where Virgo has space between its delayed sounds, Leo is that wall of reverb you turn to for huge synth sounds or to make your music sound like it's being played in St Paul's cathedral. (Which all of our music does, to be fair.)
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
Commenting on the freebieness of this most massive-est of reverbs, Sean Costello, the Valhalla 'algorithmic reverb plugin wizard' says: "I’ve loved working on Supermassive over the past few years. Since Supermassive is a free plugin, I don’t feel the pressure to make things perfect that I do with the paid plugins.
"With less pressure, I’m able to experiment with new things, and try out ideas that might be too weird otherwise. All that being said, the last few rounds of Supermassive research have resulted in algorithms that refine some of the original concepts, and just make them better."
We love that. And you can get Supermassive – for free – from Valhalla's website.
"The crown jewel of grand pianos": Native Instruments' Claire captures the sound of the world's largest grand piano in production
“All subscription models are from Satan and there is a special place in hell for those people in charge that went for this business model”: Are music software subscriptions really as bad as some people say?
Andy has been writing about music production and technology for 30 years having started out on Music Technology magazine back in 1992. He has edited the magazines Future Music, Keyboard Review, MusicTech and Computer Music, which he helped launch back in 1998. He owns way too many synthesizers.
"The crown jewel of grand pianos": Native Instruments' Claire captures the sound of the world's largest grand piano in production
“All subscription models are from Satan and there is a special place in hell for those people in charge that went for this business model”: Are music software subscriptions really as bad as some people say?