It doesn’t simulate reverb—it simulates the machine that made reverb famous.
The Universal Audio Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb is a UAD plug-in that models the 1978 hardware unit using its exact algorithms, firmware version 4.4, input transformers, and 12-bit AD/DA gain stepping converters. It exposes all eight reverb programs and every tunable parameter as dedicated fader-style controls. It adds Input/Output gain, Pitch Shift, and a selectable Bug Fix mode. It belongs to the UAD Plug-In series and is categorised as a software algorithmic reverb.
It captures exactly eight reverb programs—from firmware version 4.4 only.
2:11
Analog Path, Digital Grit
It models input transformers and 12-bit AD/DA gain stepping—not just algorithms.
4:02
All Knobs, All There
Every tunable parameter appears as a dedicated fader-style control.
5:32
Full Signal Chain, Not Just Sound
It gives you the full signal path—transformers, converters, and controls—in one plug-in.
Worth your time?
Yes. Use the whole thing.
4/ 5
What works
models the full analog and digital signal path
exposes every tunable parameter as a dedicated control
includes hidden features like Pitch Shift and Bug Fix mode
What does not
simulate reverb
model firmware beyond version 4.4
offer more than eight programs
provide higher-than-12-bit conversion
Use it if
producers requiring the exact 1978 Lexicon 224 sound
engineers working on UAD-2 systems
Skip it if
users without UAD hardware
those needing flexible tailoring or modern spatial features
The written brief1 min read
What it is and what it was built for
It is a software plug-in that models the 1978 Lexicon 224 hardware unit. It was built to replicate the exact algorithms, control processor code, and circuit behaviours of that unit.
How it works, in terms a player would use
It runs as a UAD plug-in. It loads eight reverb programs from firmware version 4.4. It exposes every tunable parameter as a dedicated fader-style control: Bass/Mid split decay, Crossover, Treble Decay, Depth, Predelay, Diffusion. It models the original’s input transformers and 12-bit AD/DA gain stepping converters.
What it does better than anything else
It models the full analog and digital signal path of the original Lexicon 224 hardware—including input transformers and 12-bit AD/DA gain stepping—more faithfully than any other software reverb.
What it does badly
It does not offer more than eight programs. It does not model firmware beyond version 4.4. It inherits the limitations of 12-bit gain stepping: coarse level resolution and associated artefacts.
What people made with it
The sources do not state what people made with it.
Who should use it, and who should not
Producers and engineers who require the precise sonic signature of the original 224 in a UAD-2 or UAD-powered system should use it. Anyone without UAD hardware, or anyone needing higher bit-depth processing or expanded program sets, should not.
Is it worth your time
Yes—if you need the exact sonic character of the 1978 hardware unit in a modern DAW. No—if you want flexible reverb tailoring, high-resolution conversion, or contemporary spatial tools.
