Lexicon PCM 96

A rack processor that splits itself into four virtual machines, runs its own reverbs on your network, and still wants a Compact Flash card like it's 2008.

Overview

The PCM96 is one of the last great hardware reverbs Lexicon shipped before the plug-in became the default. The manual opens by promising "legendary reverbs you've come to expect from Lexicon," plus new mono reverbs and new room algorithms with selectable, reversible reflection patterns. That's a box sold on heritage, not on being the newest thing in the rack.

The unusual part is the signal flow. Lexicon built the PCM96 around up to four "virtual machines," and each one can run its own algorithm independently. The manual's own example: send the left input through a mono reverb in one machine, run a mono delay on the right input in another, then push both through a chorus on a third. Save that arrangement and you've got what Lexicon calls a System Preset, a configuration tailored to a specific mix. Load a single machine instead and you've got a Machine Preset. Mix (September 2008, p.94) described these "machines" as each containing its own algorithm.

Physically, the PCM96 is a rack processor with two physical inputs and two physical outputs available at any one time, though the machine count goes higher than the analog I/O would suggest. The rear panel carries stereo analog XLRs switchable between +4 dBu and -10 dBV, AES/EBU digital in and out conforming to AES professional standards, and MIDI in/thru/out on DIN. It also has RJ-45 Ethernet connectors for networking multiple PCM96 units and controlling them over a LAN, which is the part that dates it. There's also a BNC word clock input for locking to a master system clock. It's unterminated from the factory, and the manual recommends "T" connectors and a 75-ohm terminator at the end of the chain.

The analog output stage is electronically balanced with a 30-ohm output impedance and a maximum full-scale level of +20 dBu. That's a pro-level output, not a consumer afterthought.

Front-panel operation is built around a large Navigation knob for dialing parameters and three smaller A, B, and C knobs that map to the top three rows of the display - the "soft row" parameters. Press knob A and you get additional pages of soft-row parameters. Press knob C and the display shows the current preset's algorithm, bank number, program number, and MIDI channel. A dedicated Compare button lets you A-B your edits against the stored preset, and a Store button brings up a naming menu. The unit boots to a Lexicon logo, then the Preset screen showing whatever was last loaded.

Gain is monitored by pairs of LEDs per input, reading -18, -12, -6, -3, and 0 dB. If the Audio Source is set to Analog in the setup menu, those LEDs track analog levels. Set it to Digital and they track the digital side. A Tap/Tempo button sets delay and modulation timing when you tap twice or more. Presets with a "(T)" in the name are the ones that respond to it.

Storage is on a Compact Flash card, with a Flash Busy LED that lights during reads and writes. The manual warns not to pull the card while it's lit. That's a very specific mid-2000s solution.

The algorithms list reads like a Lexicon greatest-hits with a few additions: Chamber, Hall, Random Hall, Plate, Room, Concert Hall, Dual Delay, Random Delay, Resonant Chords, and Chorus/Flange. Most come in both stereo and mono variants. Concert Hall and Chorus/Flange are stereo-only. There's also a Signal Generator algorithm, which is not something you expect to find in a reverb box.

The Room algorithm is the one Lexicon pushed hardest. EQ (September 2009, p.19) framed it as a more flexible alternative to convolution-type reverbs, and noted that all the PCM96's reverbs carry an "infinite" switch that lets the reverb run forever. That's a feature aimed at sound design and unusual backgrounds rather than conventional mixing. The same writeup listed the PCM96 Surround at $3,499 retail and $2,999 street, with 50 new and legendary reverbs, delays, modulation effects, and configuration options, plus additional inputs and outputs for surround work.

Networking is a built-in feature, not a bolt-on. The PCM96 ships with an Ethernet cable for direct connection, and the manual walks through connecting and configuring multiple units on an isolated network using an Ethernet switch, with static IP addresses or DHCP. Factory defaults are Auto-IP/DHCP at 169.254.x.x, subnet mask 255.255.0.0, gateway 0.0.0.0, DHCP enabled. HiQnet configuration is handled in the setup menu, with a negotiation mode (Static, Random, or Sequential) and a node address. Control software on a PC talks to the unit over the network. The manual's troubleshooting section is candid about the failure modes. A software firewall blocking port 3804 TCP and UDP is the first thing to check. After that, check the link status lights on the PCM96 (solid green for a valid connection), the PC, and any hub or switch in between. There's a ping walkthrough for OS X users, complete with expected output.

That's a lot of network documentation for a reverb. It's also the clearest signal that the PCM96 was designed to sit in a studio where the outboard gear lives on the LAN alongside the DAW.

Mix (September 2008, p.94) noted that the PCM96 delivers its processing both inside and outside the box, via an AVST or Audio Units plug-in that runs as it would in any DAW. That's the pitch in one line: hardware reverbs, software convenience, the same algorithms either way.

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Lexicon PCM 96

Overview

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