Classic Recording Studio Equipment

Vintage Digital

Klark Teknik DN 780 Digital Reverberator

Often referred to as the poor man's AMS RMX 16, the Klark Teknik DN 780 is a great reverb in it's own right, and has maintained a loyal following over the years. The Klark Teknik DN 780 digital Reverb is not simply a reverberation device. The Klark Teknik DN 780 gives the user a unique and flexible means of producing realistic acoustic simulations for environments of all types and sizes.

Details

The provision of effects programs further extends this versatility, making the Klark Teknik DN 780 the most powerful acoustic processing package currently available.

Not happy with current designs with narrow fields of useful application, our research has led to a new operating concept for the Klark Teknik DN 780 to extend versatility, backed by an advanced high speed digital signal processor designed to handle the necessarily complex computations.

This technical innovation results in extremely high density reverberation with convincing small room performance, authentic concert hall reverberation and a wide ranging choice of basic ‘acoustic spaces‘, both natural and unnatural, selected by the innovative reflection ‘Pattern’ control.

The remaining controls give accurate adjustment of all reverberation parameters, including ‘Roam size’, and when used with the ‘Pattern’ control these allow the engineer to create unique acoustic environments of virtually any type.

A number of factory-set acoustic simulations are available: see ‘Software‘ section. It is important to note that all these very different sounds were created using only the controls you have available: for example there is no dedicated ‘Room’ program as such. A room sound is created using the appropriate pattern (‘2’), and adjusting other parameters as required.

The factory-set memory locations should be used, then, as a reference point from which to create your own variation, forget the limitations of a dedicated system and let your creativity reign.

Fifty non-volatile memories are available for entering user variations and the sequence function allows instant recall of up to 16 factory or user memories in required order, allowing rapid movements through a series of previously planned acoustical settings for mix-down, film dubbing, t.v. production or live performance.

The remote control unit (Shown to the right) allows the chosen acoustic setting to be first selected, using the sequence key and then modified using the parameter sliders.

The Klark Teknik DN 780 performs to the highest specification and is engineered using the latest technology to keep component count down and reliability up. Electronics use a semi-modular system of construction distributed logically on six printed circuit boards, eliminating unreliable edge connectors whilst avoiding the servicing problems of single board systems.

The Klark Teknik DN 780 is a compact 2U, 19 inch rack mounting device equally at home in the recording studio, dubbing suite, broadcasting studio or on the road.

Input & Output Connections
Audio connectors are 3 pin XLR style, wired to the standard configuration. The input is electronically balanced as standard with transformer balancing available as an option. Outputs are transformer balanced.

Overview
The Klark Teknik DN 780 gives the operator enormous scope to use his creative skills to the full. To achieve this, wide ranging control is provided for all parameters; however the basic operating procedure remains both simple and intuitive, giving immediate access to a wide range of factory set acoustic simulations.  A thorough understanding of this section will then enable the full capabilities of the DN780 to be realised.

The provision of 50 user memories, sequence function and remote control unit means that ultimately, in practice, operation is reduced to pressing a single key (“Sequence”) on the remote unit and occasionally modifying a parameter using the remote sliders.

Special Effects Programs
Unlike many dedicated reverberation only devices, the Klark Teknik DN 780 is also capable of running a number of different effects programs. These cover a wide range of applications from straight delay, through a variety of echo effects to the surreal sound of the Infinite Room Program.

The combination of excellent audio performance and digital signal processing power results in a performance advantage over most existing effects and echo devices.

Specifications

Released

  • Quantization: 16 Bit
  • Arithmetic Processor: 32 bit
  • Sampling Frequency: Unknown
  • Frequency Response: 20Hz-12kHz
  • Dynamic Range: 85dB
  • THD: Below 0.03%
  • Memories:
    • 1-39, Factory Locations
    • 40-89 User Locations 
  • Reverb Programs: Hall, Plate, Chamber, Room with 5 variations of each.
  • Effects: Delay, ADT, Multitap Echo, Sound on Sound, Infinite Room
  • Dimensions: 482mm x 89mm x 310mm
  • Weight: 7.5 kg

TRY OUR ‘MY EFFECTS RACK’ FEATURE TO TRACK WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR EFFECTS RACK NOW, AND THOSE ITEMS YOU WISH TO ADD.

51 Add to My Effects Rack Remove from My Effects Rack

The details provided above are drawn from historical documents like advertising brochures or user manuals. They’re shared without bias or review. This info is given solely for your consideration, helping you gauge its usefulness to you.

Audio Ease Altiverb 7 is the industry standard convolution reverb plug-in. It uses top quality samples of real spaces to create reverb, ranging from Sydney Opera House to the AMS RMX 16.

The Convology XT Plugin is head and shoulders above the rest.  No importing one file at a time.  With the Convology XT plugin, you simply click on the library that you want to explore and then on the right hand side of the plugin, all of the associated files will appear.  This allows the user to quickly A/B which reverbs they’d like to use.  It’s that simple and it’s how plugins ought to react.  It’s a breeze to load library content.

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MY FAVORITE REVERB

by Anonymous

Sound Quality 100%
Build Quality 100%
Usefullness 100%
Mojo/Funk 100%
Reliability 100%

Most of the reverbs, inclusive IR-Reverbs, makes good jobs, when you hear them alone. I my case I love the DN 780 for its unspectacular way it fixes my mixes. Its my analogest digital reverb. Yes, I replaced the fan, I replaced the bridge rectifier and the battery. Now my DN 780 works like new, without noise. I give 10 point to all, because it is in view of its age an absolut authentic representative of the sustainability engineering of these great 80s!

TOO OLD SCHOOL FOR MY TASTE…AND YES THE FANS FAIL

by Me FX

Sound Quality 50%
Build Quality 60%
Usefullness 40%
Mojo/Funk 35%
Reliability 35%

Yes the previous reviewer is correct…the fans in these go bad…had to replace the one in mine. Some of the buttons were bad too, dirty and intermittent common in units this old. Sound wise I found it too flutterly 80s…not worth it for my tastes, nothing really magic in there. Yeah maybe the non lin is kinda cool, but how often do you have a use for non lin.

Editing was slow too, and not much variation available. The stock presets were useless like either way too bright or dark, no safe middle ground, or just plain weird too effecty unusable “show off” presets you’ll never use but sound impressive as overblown effects, like many units have, to sell them with the wow factor but you never use those.

DESIRABLE BUT CAN BE UNRELIABLE

by Anonymous

Sound Quality 85%
Build Quality 90%
Usefullness 85%
Mojo/Funk 75%
Reliability 70%

The Klark Teknik DN 780 is often referred to as a poor man’s AMS RMX16, some suggest the algorithms are ported from the AMS, with the DN 780 being more affordable and albeit lower quality digital reverb when compared to the AMS. However it is a very good reverb in it’s own right and has one of the best Non Linear reverb presets of any reverb from this period in my view. You do have to be careful with the fan on the rear panel, because if it fails the power supply WILL overheat and blow. You are best served by paying a technician to replace it. Other than that, like all Klark Teknik gear it is a very solid unit that proves more than useful in a studio for mixing.

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