The Rovner Versa is a pretty versatile ligature. I guess that's why it's called the "Versa." It is a fabric ligature, but has an adjustable cradle that can hold one of two included metal plates (they're different thicknesses) — or no plate at all. On top of that, the flaps of fabric can either be tucked behind the metal cradle (leaving the metal cradle touching the reed) or placed in front of the metal cradle, which dampens the metal's effect on the reed. So, basically it's 6 ligatures in one. It's really easy to move the flaps around the cradle, so you can even make adjustments mid-piece, if you're quick about it. Pretty cool.
The difference the flaps make is fairly significant, both in response and sound — I think you'll be able to hear this in the recordings below. With the metal in place, it projects like crazy. I really like this ligature a lot, though I personally like the added projection of the Versa X. Downside of the Versa X compared to the Versa is that it's not as versatile, because it doesn't have those removable plates.
All of these recordings were made with the same reed, and the exact same reed-placement on the mouthpiece, so that you can more easily hear the differences between ligatures (instead of differences between reeds!)
