Like Mincer, I was doing this long, long ago - although I skipped the ART SGE bit.
My rack had a Digitech IPS33-B harmoniser, and a dedicated TRS24 multi-effect.
Also two dual digital delays, and a Lexicon PCM.
My basic sound was full Valve amp at line-level from a Palmer simulator into the IPS33-B. I used its untreated output to drive the first delay, and mix out to the second delay, mix out to the reverb. Their outs went to a mixer which also had the untreated signal. So I could have my core tone, with two delays and reverb, with chorus and delay-hold available. All effects were pannable in stereo.
The second delay had the repeats of the first, and the original signal on every repeat, and the reverb acted on all repeats and the original signal. The reverb was EQ’d heavily to be thin and bright, and was panned in reverse - so a delay left would reverb on the right, and vice-Versa.
Nothing fancy there I guess, but it was still unique, and well thought out. No-one else was doing this.
The real show-stopper was that I also had two harmonies on separate outputs from the IPS33-B - each with their own delays onboard. There were logistical limitations, so the TRS24 was fed by either the harmoniser in stereo, or the original core-tone in mono. I built a relay unit to switch either.
This was unbelievable. The TRS24 had its own pitch-transposer too btw!
To hear your core-tone, with two discrete panned delays with reverb, that’s fantastic in its own right, but I then had a monster reverb in the TRS24 I could fade in, either by manual or with a VCA.
The shimmer stuff was accidental, but inevitable. Playing with 5ths and octaves, with regeneration - into the TRS24.
But I could play one note, and have 12 different regenerative harmonies coming out, at delayed intervals - through a studio reverb!
Believe me - you haven’t heard shimmer like this.
I eschewed the idea of post-reverb effects, as I work in bubble-theory, and aimed for a natural sound-scape - one that you might find playing in an underground lake for instance. But the intention was to eventually output the TRS24 to a resonant filter, for sample and hold madness, and sweeping filter reverbs. I didn’t get there, and circumstances made expansion impossible. No-one made a programmable resonant filter anyway, at that time.
Today, I’m back to two delays and pan-reversed reverb, and together with a short spring reverb on my amp - this is my usual core-sound of some 40 years. It still sounds like day 1, and inspires me to wail away. Amps have changed, but still the same guitars and effects. Something to be said for that.
Kids today are lucky with gear available, but never forget that to get the sound of a basic shimmer reverb in the 90’s, I had to spend £1000+, and go through heavy wiring logistics, and then have the brain to do it. I wasn’t familiar with U2’s stuff, and wasn’t aiming to copy. I just did it ‘cos it was totally mad, and I could.
I found the Helix logistics to fall short of what I did, perhaps the AXE FX 3 could do it, or maybe 2 of them? But I don’t like modelling stuff, and consider digital a necessary evil. But I do read manuals online to keep up with what’s going on.
Very fond memories of that stuff I had. So many nights with cables and boxes everywhere, with constant soldering, and doing layouts on paper.
Here’s my beautiful delays, with now a quite adequate Alex reverb. No Midi here. Everything is switched by relays I installed, with my own design bipolar modulation circuit with a real sine-wave.
