AHP Reverb Guitar - Recording Surround Sound With the HP Reverb

 

HP Reverb GX Review: Who is this headset for? Somewhat unfortunate for HP, the Reverb GX enters the battlefield during a transitional moment for the VR industry. The newly released Rift headsets by Valve, starting at $ Oculus Rift, do away with the necessity for a computer while connecting to them via the Internet. These headsets have no physical controls, they simply work via your PC. They're great for action games and driving, but don't really offer anything beyond that. So where can a consumer get a quality, full-featured virtual reality headset that doesn't require a computer?

The HP Reverb GX is among the best VR headsets on the market today, in terms of tracking and clarity. It's also one of the least expensive. Its lightweight design makes it easy to carry around. In short, if you're looking for a headset that gives you a true surround sound experience in the Windows Mixed Reality environment, than the HP Reverb GX is probably the headset for you.

On the other hand, if you want something with a bit more punch, like the ability to switch from a standard monitor to a VR display port, or vice versa, then perhaps the HP Reverb GX might be a bit too heavy for you. If you don't care too much about display port weight, however, you might find that the HP Reverb 2 is perfect for you. As a side note, this model also supports the type-c port, but it comes with a USB cable instead.

This all sounds good so far, but let's dig a bit deeper and examine the hardware. The two different types of speakers included with the HP Reverb are acerous and an optional mid/bass driver. Both of these can be upgraded by purchasing additional units, which are readily available from the HP website. Once again, you'll need a separate tether cable if you want to use the mid/bass driver. While not specifically included in the package, you can also add the included HD camera for remote recording if wanted.

What else is included inside-out tracking? Well, aside from the normal audio jacks, you'll find an inside-out tracking controller, which makes controlling your amp/amps/headphones much easier. There's also an HP rechargeable battery, which allows you to have long hours of continuous tracking without having to worry about being bored out of your headset! There's also an HP rechargeable power cord, a waste collection bag, and an HP recharge adapter.

Let's get to the meat and potatoes, though - what's the big deal about this new unit besides just tracking? The answer is that it has all the great features of other full-featured models at a price that won't bust your wallet. The two main things that set the G2 apart are the motion smoothing functions and the mid/bass driver. The motion smoothing feature will smooth out any sudden and fast changes in direction and it can be used on both phone calls and live meetings.

If you're into real acoustic guitar, then you'll be blown away by the amount of clarity that this new unit is capable of producing. Not only does it have twice the amount of harmonic distortion as its predecessor, but it has three distinct attack frequencies with very clean tone. Another feature that is unique to the HP Reverb g2 model is the mid/bass correction. Unlike other full-size or even mini models, the original reverb that comes with the HP g2 has no way of correcting any sounds that are out of place when they hit the low end of the audio spectrum. What the HP g2 model does instead is to apply special sound processing techniques to all these notes and make them appear as if they were placed exactly on the original recording.

Some guitarists may find the original version of the reverb, it's sound to be rather boring. This is a problem unique to almost all virtual instruments, however. Because the original software for the hardware already has a superb low-end simulation of acoustic drums, many guitarists find that the low end of the signal is too dull and monotonous for their taste. There is no better option than to purchase the full version of the software from a virtual computing company and experience what I'm referring to as the "screen door effect" for yourself. To be honest, I never really understood the concept behind this thing called the "screen door effect", but after trying every virtual reverb on the market to date, I have come to conclude that it is merely a poor design decision on the part of the manufacturer. Anyway, if you don't like the screen door effect, well you're stuck with it, but for those of us who love it, the g2 is a great sounding tool indeed.