Lexicon

The reverb that defined how records sound

When record producers talk about "that sound" — that impossibly lush, three-dimensional space that separates a good mix from a masterpiece — they're usually talking about Lexicon reverb. For three decades, Lexicon was the undisputed king of digital reverb, the company that taught the recording industry what artificial space could sound like when it was done right.

History

Lexicon emerged from the MIT research community in 1971, founded by Francis Lee and Ron Noonan. The company's early products were digital delay lines and audio processors, but their focus quickly narrowed to the problem that would define their legacy: creating convincing, beautiful artificial reverberation using digital signal processing.

Natural reverb — the sound of a room, a hall, a cathedral — is staggeringly complex. It involves thousands of reflections arriving at the ear from every direction, each with different timing, amplitude, and frequency content. Simulating this digitally requires enormous computational power and, more importantly, algorithms that capture the feel of a real space rather than just its measurements. This is where Lexicon excelled. Their engineering team, led by David Griesinger, developed reverb algorithms that didn't just sound like rooms — they sounded like beautiful rooms, the kind of acoustic spaces you'd want to live inside.

The Model 224, released in 1978, was Lexicon's first landmark product. It was one of the earliest digital reverb processors to gain wide studio acceptance, and its sound — dense, smooth, and musically flattering — quickly established it as a mixing essential. The 224 appeared in top studios around the world, and its algorithms were used on countless hit records of the early 1980s. The 224XL improved on the original with better converters and more algorithms, but the basic sonic character remained the same: warm, immersive, and unmistakably Lexicon.

The 480L, released in 1986, became the gold standard of studio reverb — a position it held for well over a decade. Its algorithms represented the pinnacle of Lexicon's art: halls that sounded infinitely deep, plates that shimmered with complex, musical decay, and rooms that placed sounds in three-dimensional space with uncanny realism. The "Random Hall" and "Concert Hall" algorithms on the 480L became so ubiquitous in professional mixing that they essentially defined what reverb was supposed to sound like for an entire generation of engineers.

Lexicon continued producing processors through the 1990s and 2000s — the PCM series brought Lexicon quality to more affordable price points, and the 960L extended the flagship line. The company was acquired by Harman International and eventually became part of the Samsung/Harman group. Plugin emulations of Lexicon algorithms are now available from multiple manufacturers, bringing those legendary sounds to anyone with a computer. But the original hardware units — particularly the 480L — remain fixtures in world-class studios, and many mixing engineers still insist that nothing quite captures the depth and density of the original Lexicon iron.

Notable Instruments

Lexicon 224

The 224 was the reverb processor that convinced the recording industry that digital reverb could be not just acceptable, but preferable to mechanical plates and acoustic chambers. Its algorithms produced a reverb tail that was smoother, more controllable, and more musically useful than anything that had come before. The small "larc" remote control — a compact desktop unit with sliders and buttons — became a familiar sight in control rooms worldwide.

The 224's sound had a distinctive character: slightly darker and warmer than later Lexicon units, with a lush, enveloping quality that worked beautifully on vocals, drums, and instruments. Phil Collins' drum sound on "In the Air Tonight" — arguably the most famous drum reverb in pop history — was processed through a 224. Prince used one extensively at Paisley Park. The 224 defined the reverb aesthetic of the early 1980s, and its warm, musical character has kept it relevant and sought-after decades after its introduction.

Effects

• 200 (1976-1978) — A compact, programmable digital reverberator built for studio integration and modern use. This page has the complete spec table and when it was made.
• 224 (1978-1985) — The Lexicon 224 didn’t just define digital reverb—it built the sonic blueprint for an entire decade of music. Covers the original manual and when it was made.
• 480L (1986) — Lexicon 480L (1986) — the flagship digital reverb that defined studio ambience for a generation. 18-bit converters, 98 dB dynamic range, Random Hall.

Effects Processor

• 480XL — Lexicon 480XL digital reverb — a LARC-controlled studio fixture remembered for outstanding A-D convertors. Production years and specs undocumented.
• 960L — Lexicon 960L — flagship multichannel digital effects system (successor to the 480L) with LARC2 control surface. Specs, period reviews, and honest gaps.
• EMT-140 — EMT 140 stereo steel plate reverb, 1956 classic. Lexicon's oldest reverb line. Used by a third of surveyed studios. $3k used in the late '80s.
• SPX-90 — The Lexicon SPX-90-inch is a naming collision — the SPX-90 is a Yamaha multi-effects processor, not a Lexicon product. Here's what the confusion is about.

Effects Processors

• 300L — Lexicon 300L digital effects processor — AES/EBU I/O, LARC-controlled, 90dB dynamic range, 0.01% THD.
• LXP1 (1988) — Lexicon LXP-1 (1988) half-rack reverb — 16 programs, 20Hz-15kHz wet response, 9VAC wall power, 3.5 lb.
• LXP5 (1990) — Lexicon LXP5 (1990) half-rack multi-effects processor — 5 simultaneous effects, 3-octave pitch shift, 64 presets, 128 user memories, $549 list.
• M224 (1978) — Lexicon M224 (1978) digital reverb — discrete 74LS logic, floating-point converter board, transformer-balanced outputs. A 1978 Lexicon built before single-chip reverb existed.
• M224X (1985) — The Lexicon M224X (1985) is a Lexicon rack processor documented through its service manuals — separate T&C board, LARC remote support, and a V8.1 software retrofit.
• MPX-1 — Lexicon MPX-1 multi-effects processor — dual microprocessors, 18-bit A/D, 200 presets, parametric EQ, S/PDIF I/O. The practical Lexicon workhorse of the late 1990s.
• MPX100 — Lexicon MPX100 — Lexichip III processor with 44.1kHz fixed clocking, 1MΩ instrument input, and documented self-test. The budget entry to Lexicon reverb.
• PCM 70 (1985) — Lexicon PCM 70 (1985) digital effects processor — one-rack-space unit with dynamic MIDI, 600-ohm outputs, and a documented software revision history.
• PCM 80 — Lexicon PCM 80 1U rack effects processor — 18-bit converters, 24-sample A/D delay, S/PDIF and PCMCIA expansion. The mid-90s effects standard.
• PCM 81 — Lexicon PCM 81 — 1U rack processor with 24-bit internal paths, balanced analog I/O, AES/EBU and S/PDIF, and Lexicon's PCM reverb algorithms.
• PCM 90 — Lexicon PCM 90 digital reverberator — 18-bit converters, 90 dB A/A S/N, 1U rack, S/PDIF and PCMCIA. Manual-documented signal path with headroom display.
• PCM 92 — Lexicon PCM 92 — 1U stereo reverb/effects processor, 44.1–96 kHz, 32-bit float, 700+ presets, analog + AES/EBU I/O, $2,699 MSRP.
• PCM 96 — Lexicon PCM96 rack reverb — four virtual machines, Ethernet networking, Compact Flash storage, and legendary Lexicon algorithms in hardware or as a plug-in.
• PCM42 (1982) — Lexicon PCM42 (1982) digital delay processor — true PCM, up to 800 ms delay, 11 taps, VCO modulation, foot control. A studio and stage staple.
• PCM60 (1984) — Lexicon PCM60 (1984) digital reverberator — Room and Plate programs, 16-bit converters, a budget entry into Lexicon reverb. Specs and period reviews.

Effects Processors

• 224X (1982-1985) — Lexicon 224X (1982-1985) digital reverb with LARC remote console, four transformer-isolated XLR outs, 150W mainframe, cassette storage.
• 224XL (1985-1988) — Lexicon 224XL (1985–1988) digital reverb — LARC remote, 18-bit PCM 1610-compatible digital I/O, four balanced XLR outs, and a parameter set built for programming.

Processors

• PCM-41 (1980) — Lexicon PCM-41 (1980) — compact 1U digital delay with true PCM, 800ms delay, VCO modulation, 0.04% typical distortion. The Baby Prime Time.

Unknown

• 49 — Lexicon 49: little-documented model in the Lexicon catalog, filed under synths. No confirmed specs, dates, or period reviews have surfaced yet.
• T-102 — Lexicon T-102 stereo digital delay from the Delta-T 102 series. 90 dB dynamic range, dual delay lines, VCO modulation, 192 ms per channel.

Other Models

• 960LS — Lexicon 960LS — stereo-only member of the 960L family, 8 channels of 24-bit/96kHz analog I/O, LARC2 remote, upgradeable to full 960L.
• Delta-T 101 — Lexicon Delta-T 101 (1971) — the world's first commercial digital audio product, a 100ms delay line with 10kHz bandwidth and 60dB SNR, shipped with Gotham Audio branding.
• Delta-T 102 — Lexicon Delta-T 102 digital delay — the 1970s modular system that pushed noise to −90dB and convinced studios digital audio was viable.
• EMT 240 — The EMT 240 gold-foil stereo reverb — the plate-style unit studios listed alongside Lexicon digital delays. Scarce documented specs, strong studio pedigree.
• EMT 244 — EMT 244 digital reverb — 16-step 0.4–4.5s decay, 13-bit conversion, 8kHz ceiling, £3,713 new. A simplified EMT 250 in 7 rack spaces.
• EMT 250 — The EMT 250 Digital Reverberator, unveiled at the 1976 AES convention in Zurich at nearly $20,000, convinced a skeptical industry that digital reverb was viable.
• EMT 251 — The EMT 251 digital reverberator: 16-bit, 15 kHz bandwidth, 440 ms delays, and $20,100 in 1981. A second-generation space machine built for the console.
• LARC2 — Lexicon LARC2 — the 960L's dedicated controller with eight motorized faders, joystick, and color LCD. The tactile heart of Lexicon's flagship reverb system.
• Model 1200 — Lexicon Model 1200 Audio Time Compressor/Expander — the Emmy-winning broadcast processor that changed program speed without changing pitch.
• Model 1300 — Lexicon Model 1300 stereo digital audio delay synchronizer — 16-bit broadcast lip-sync tool used by ABC at the 1984 Olympics.
• Model 200 — Lexicon Model 200 Digital Reverberator — the economical two-in, two-out reverb that brought Lexicon's digital sound to working studios, with a 15-second power-up self-test.
• Model 91 — Lexicon Model 91 digital delay: 0-120ms in 7.5ms steps, 90dB+ dynamic range, under 0.08% distortion. The budget sibling of the Model 102 that ABC used for broadcast lip sync.
• MODEL-102 — Lexicon Model 102 Delta T (1974) — a 90 dB dynamic range modular digital delay system, up to 320 ms per frame, cascadable to 50 outputs. The studio reference Lexicon built its line around.
• MODEL-224 — Lexicon Model 224 (1978) — the first reverb with built-in control memory, $7,400 new, 0.6–70s decay, 256ms pre-delay. The studio reverb that started it all.
• MODEL-92 — Lexicon Model 92 Delta-T digital delay — two 120 ms outputs, 95 dB dynamic range, floating-point encoding, $1,560 net. Lexicon's compact delay for smaller rooms.
• MODEL-93 — Lexicon PRIME TIME Model 93 digital delay — 90dB dynamic range, 12-bit gain-ranging converter, dual delay taps to 128ms (256ms expanded). A studio workhorse of the early 1980s.
• MODEL-97 — Lexicon Model 97 Super Prime Time — 480 ms digital delay expandable to 1.92 s, 40 memory registers, dual cross-linkable delay lines. The 1980s studio workhorse.
• MPX-200 — Lexicon MPX-200 dual-channel 24-bit effects processor — 44.1kHz AKM AK4528 converter, Lexichip3 DSP, 240 presets, $399 original price.
• MPX-500 — Lexicon MPX-500 — 24-bit dual-channel effects processor with LexiChip engine. Analog path verified to -101dBr typical noise floor.
• MPX-550 — Lexicon MPX-550 dual-channel effects processor — 24-bit, 255 presets, single Lexichip, S/PDIF and balanced I/O, $649.
• PCM 91 — Lexicon PCM 91 digital reverberator — Lexicon reverb algorithms, 2-line fluorescent display, AES/EBU and S/PDIF I/O, balanced XLR and 1/4-inch connections.
• THE-960L — Lexicon 960L flagship multi-channel digital reverb — Celeron-powered mainframe, LARC2 controller, 8-ch analog and AES/EBU I/O.