Neunaber Immerse Reverberator

The Neunaber Immerse Reverberator is a digital, algorithm-based stereo reverb pedal from Neunaber Technology, a company that designed and manufactured its products in Orange, California¹. It packs several of Neunaber's reverb algorithms into one compact pedal, selectable from a knob rather than menus, and runs true stereo in and out. The original launched in 2016 at a $225 suggested retail price², and the Mk II followed in 2018 with redesigned circuitry, upgraded algorithms and a $249 price²³⁴.

The idea behind the pedal is simple: one box that covers the reverb sounds most players reach for, without deep editing. As the maker's product page puts it, "Eight studio reverbs. One pedal. No manual required."⁵

What it does

The Immerse is a multi-algorithm reverb. The original offers eight modes: WET, HALL, PLATE, SPRING, SHIMMER A, SHIMMER B, +ECHO and +DETUNE¹. WET is an updated version of Neunaber's renowned algorithm, with shorter pre-delay, higher initial density and more balanced imaging¹. The two Shimmer effects are both based on the company's Seraphim Shimmer pedal².

The Mk II carries the concept forward with W3T (Wet v3), Hall, Plate, Spring, Sustain, Echo, Detune and Shimmer⁶⁵. W3T is the flagship: version 3 of the WET algorithm, which the manual describes as smoother decay and more three-dimensional sounding, enhancing what you play without covering it, with pre-delay up to an additional 200 ms⁶. The W3T algorithm is the same engineering behind the Wet Reverb and the Illumine, and it also powers the reverb block inside the Quilter Elevate amp⁵.

A few modes go beyond plain reverb:

• Sustain is built on the W3T reverb and can be configured as a sustain effect or virtually infinite reverb. The hold phase recycles what you play in an infinite loop, then decays during release; Time sets hold time, Depth sets release, and Mod sets modulation depth⁶.
• Echo adds echo and reverb together. Time adjusts echo time from 50 to 700 ms, Depth controls reverb decay and echo repeats, and Blend sets the mix between reverb and echo⁶.
• Detune pitch-transposes the signal slightly downward and adds that detune to a detuned reverb for a thick, chorus-like effect⁶.
• Plate aims for the bright, diffused sound of a physical plate reverb, with pre-delay up to an additional 200 ms⁶.
• Spring reproduces the distinctive "twerp" of a physical spring reverb; the Mod knob increases modulation rate for a classic vibrato-spring sound⁶.

The controls

Both versions keep the control set simple. The Mk II manual describes five knobs plus a footswitch and two small switches⁹¹⁰, and Delicious Audio lists the same five controls for the original: Effect Select, Effect Level, Reverb Depth, Tone (or Echo Time), and an Effect Adjust whose function depends on the chosen effect¹⁰.

The big functional change on the Mk II is the Mix knob: mix is adjustable from 100% dry to 100% wet, and all modes can now go fully wet⁶⁷. On the original, the Effect Level knob served the equivalent role.

Stereo, power and connections

Both pedals have two 1/4" (6.35 mm) inputs and two 1/4" outputs, and using both outputs creates a stereo signal from a mono input¹. On the original, Input 1 is mono only, Input 2 accepts a stereo TRS input only, Output 1 is summed mono only, and Output 2 supplies a stereo TRS output only¹. The Mk II manual cautions that Inputs 1 and 2 should not be used with two discrete signals, such as two different instruments⁶. The outputs are buffered and capable of driving long cables¹⁶.

The original's dry-path measurements from the manual give a sense of how clean the buffer is: frequency response 20 Hz to 20 kHz at +0.1 dB / -0.5 dB, total harmonic distortion under 0.003% typical, signal-to-noise ratio 112 dB mono and 110 dB stereo (A-weighted), input impedance 1 MΩ (mono) and 2 MΩ (stereo), output impedance 500 Ω (mono) and 1 kΩ (stereo), and 0 dB gain between enabled and bypassed at mix 0¹.

The original and the Mk II

The original Immerse Reverberator was announced at NAMM in January 2016, available March 1 with pre-orders from February 1, at a $225 SRP². Delicious Audio's write-up called it a pedal that "takes the most luscious of effects (the reverb) into new territories of sonic splendor"¹⁰. A UK price of £219 was listed in a 2017 Guitar.com review¹².

The original Immerse Reverberator carried an SRP of $225 and became available March 1, with pre-ordering beginning February 1². The Mk II keeps the same footprint, 2.9" W by 4.6" L by 2.0" H / 73 mm W by 117 mm L by 51 mm H¹², but its power requirement rises from 70 mA or more to 80 mA or more at 9 to 12 V DC, center-negative¹⁶, and its weight goes from 8.5 oz / 240 g to 8.84 oz / 251 g¹⁶. Both pedals share a Trails switch that lets reverb tails taper even after the effect has been disengaged¹¹⁶, and the Mk II adds a Kill Dry switch that removes the dry signal even when bypassed, for use in parallel effect loops¹¹⁶.

What reviewers said

Guitar World's 2019 review of the Mk II found that "the Immerse Reverberator MKII sounds extremely expressive and musical," noting that the Plate, Hall and Spring reverbs each have the distinct character that defines those effects, that the modulation of Hall, Spring and Sustain is seductively rich, and that Detune generates the lushest chorused reverb effect the reviewer had heard, with crystalline clarity overall⁴. The review framed it as "true pro-quality reverb effects in an affordable pedal format" with true stereo operation in addition to mono, at a $249 street price⁴.

Of the original, Brandon Stoner wrote for Delicious Audio: "For the player looking for a reverb that can do what you'd expect and more, this pedal is worth a solid look."¹¹

That Pedal Show compared the Immerse Reverberator head to head against the MXR M300 Reverb in an AB comparison demo¹³.

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