Quantum Room Simulator (Hardware Comparison)

Built in 1982 with an initial price above $15,000, the Room Simulator contained many complicated and novel electronics. Today, it can be quite challenging finding a working unit that is fully functional. To complicate matters, there are only 2 or 3 technicians in the world who are fully qualified to repair the hardware.
In designing our plugin emulation, our goal was to create a plugin that was closer to our hardware reference that any other two hardware units are to one another. Because of various component tolerances and variations in the AD/DA stages, as well as general aging over their 40+ year lifespans, there can be noticeable differences in sound from one unit to another. In this comparison, we deliberately compare the plugin to a third-party user's hardware (user example from @spocintosh, used under Creative Commons license)
In the future we will post comparisons with our reference hardware units, but we feel that this is useful to establish the similarities and differences that might be expected between various hardware units.
Please also note, during the course of its 13+ years of production (1982-1995), the hardware underwent minor revisions that influenced how some of these room models sounded and behaved in subsequent generations. These changes were not particularly well-documented to the public, so it is somewhat difficult tracking and determining which hardware units are running particular algorithms. One of the most audible evolutions occurred in the “10.4” room size. At its initial release, the 10.4 room size performed more similarly to the larger 10.5 and 10.6 room sizes in regards to the onset envelope and dispersion of early reflections. At longer reverb times, this model also carries slight inherent ringing in the tail. We hypothesize that there was customer demand to modify the 10.4 algorithm to utilize a higher pulse density at onset (e.g. a higher density of early reflections) and to reduce metallic ringing in the tail. Sometime in the mid-80s, the 10.4 algorithm was modified to utilize characteristics of some of the smaller room models (10.3). We generally prefer the original 10.4 room algorithm when used at moderate and natural settings across the majority of program material, and so have modeled the plugin on this version. In the future, we may allow the user to access alternate versions of the hardware to explore different sonic variations.

[jonathanwingmusic]

The scoring stages are absolutely beautiful – been able to add them to some of my dry sample libraries and the presets sound instantly fantastic with minimal setting fuss.

[intheblink]

You guys are amazing for doing this. This has been one of my most wanted plugin emulations for years now. So happy to have put in my order this morning. Can’t wait to get home and play around with it then start using it in my projects.

[martijnvandongen]

Congrats with the new release, the GUI and the sound are both amazing!

[tihinter]

As an owner of both, the hardware Yardstick and the original QRS, I can’t thank you enough for bringing those to the world of modern music production. I use your 2772 every day on countless mixes as well as live on tour! I even just finished mixing an album on my laptop, where I dialled in the appropriate settings on the 2772 first, just to re-record the real Yardstick later with the same settings at my studio. Worked out really great! I‘d say there was no real need to do this, I did it just out of curiosity. Your version performed just equally as great as the hardware did!

[TemmeSikkema]

O my. These tails seem to really envelope the sources in a most lovely fashion…. Would love to hear more sound examples, particularly in a mix setting - and on some orchestral samples.

[MPHORROCKS]

Another stunning reverb from you! Great work!!! :)

[LPCH-hyfk]

good but why just synth examples? why not Ovation guitar, string, vocal, narration. sound efects, shakuhashi, didgeridoo, drums, conga, djemble, conga, bongo, timbales, Ney flute, low brass, etc?

[skinnyhastrup]

Strange room sizes tho... 10.6m3 is a very small bedroom 😎