This odd space heater-sized box is actually a digital reverb and quite a rare one at that. EMT (Elektro-Mess-Technik) was a turntable manufacturer in Germany, but they also had a keen eye for the development of artificial reverberation. Their Model 140 plate reverb changed the trajectory of music mixing back in the late 1950s. The 140 has remained a standard for analog studio reverb to this day, we even have one going into our recording studio. Over time, technology advanced and brought the flexibility of digital to the table.

Originally released in 1976 (and again recently, as a digital plugin), the EMT 250 broke new ground with its stunning depth and flexibility. To this day, it is considered by many to be one of the world’s best sounding digital reverbs, we certainly agree.

A reverb like this is beneficial in the creating of space ‘around’ a sound, it can add textural early reflections that broaden the soundstage and depth of a mix. This EMT 250 will be a perfect compliment to our even older EMT 140 stereo plate reverb.

The 250 is surprisingly well though out of and offers features that were innovative, it could even be configured as a multi-effect unit. It even has two sets of inputs and four discreet outputs. In addition to straight-ahead reverb, it has chorus, phase and delay effects. These units have become quite rare, as EMT only made 250 before releasing the 251 in 1979

Our EMT 250 digital reverb came from Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland. Over the years, our unit provided stunning and shimmering reverb on dozens of critically acclaimed albums from bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, AC/DC and a heap of records by the band Queen, who owned the studio for much of its life.

Written by Drew Raison, photography by EMEAPP