adding reverb?

[yetipur]

Hello ,
I am new to analog recording, Is it possible to add reverb or other effects to a track after you have recorded it? Or do you have to get the effect going In?

 

[jpmorris]

Hello ,
I am new to analog recording, Is it possible to add reverb or other effects to a track after you have recorded it? Or do you have to get the effect going In?

Add it in the mix. What you'd usually do is this:

1. Record each instrument to a separate track (or into groups if you can't)

2. Mix the multitrack tape down to stereo.

The mixing console will allow you to apply effects on a per-channel basis. Depending on the spec of the console you may only get one effect channel send (AUX) or you might have several (AUX1, AUX2). The output from the reverb unit comes back into the mixer, usually via dedicated FX return inputs.

I always add reverb at mixdown (which is the conventional way to do it) since you'll get a stereo image (mono reverb recorded on a single channel isn't quite as nice).

But for other effects, I will usually add these at the recording stage. Another option is to bounce from one track to another, adding effects during the copy.
You can use this to do reverse-reverb by running the tape backwards and doing a track-to-track copy with lots of reverb. Or, you can add echo to a pre-recorded track.

All of these things have their place.. there isn't a One True Way

 

[Jillchaw]

reverb

Its best not to add anything when recording, so that you can change it later to fit the entire mix better. Basically you use the mixer effects sends and busses to hear what your track will sound like WITH effects, but then you track it dry knowing that you can just hook the reverb or whatever back up later and get the same result you heard through the sends. Does that make sense to you? Some one here could probably explain it further/clearer.

 

[Jillchaw]

oops

i got beat...

 

[The Ghost of FM]

The only time adding reverb during the tracking process makes sense is when you have the luxury of lots of tracks to record things in stereo or record a dry mono and stereo wet signal on separate tracks so you can still do a wet dry mix on mixdown without the reverb processor in the signal path. This can be an effective tool when you want to have different reverb effects applied to different instruments all from the same one reverb processor...Think about gated snares, slapped back vocals and lush big rooms on synth patches as examples of this technique.

But, considering many of us here work with lowly 4 and 8 track gear, all those niceties go right out the bleeding window.

Cheers!