Being part of American behemoth Harman Professional has its advantages: just ask DigiTech, which has the license to use sister company Lexicon's studio-grade reverbs.
The latest in its line is the Polara, which bridges the gap between the discontinued HardWire RV-7 and the HardWire Supernatural, by serving up the usual reverb suspects alongside ambient settings.
"Plate is a dream for Jeff Buckley-style arpeggiated chords, while fans of My Bloody Valentine will swoon over the reverse mode"
With no pre-delay control, DigiTech has kept the Polara simple: select a mode, dial in the liveliness and decay, and you're away.
The spring setting is solid if a little overexcitable, while the hall and room sounds capture those spaces with a pristine sheen.
Plate is a dream for Jeff Buckley-style arpeggiated chords, while fans of My Bloody Valentine will swoon over the reverse mode.
The atmospheric settings are pleasant, but won't usurp the Supernatural as king of ambient 'verbs: the halo's shimmer are surprisingly subtle - and although cranking the liveliness makes the effects more prominent, we'd like a more extreme synth pad-like sound.
There's lots of competition in the compact reverb market, but with seven diverse types, the Polara more than holds its own.
