AMS RMX-16

The AMS RMX-16 is a digital reverb unit released by AMS in 1981. It was very popular in the 1980s for its "non-linear" gated reverb setting, which saw extensive use.

The AMS non-linear sound was inspired by the drum sound on Peter Gabriel's "Intruder" from his self-titled third album. The effect was discovered by accident, via the SSL console which had the 'reverse talkback' function to allow communication with musicians in the studio via a dedicated microphone. The microphone (an STC Ball & Biscuit) had heavy compression, and being treated with one of the built-in noise gates from the SSL the sound itself was born.

The AMS RMX-16 was especially useful for Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel in their subsequent projects. Genesis also had an AMS RMX-16 at The Farm.