reverb use for film scoring

B

bethanyb321

Member
hi im working on my first film score and need help to figure how to use reverb properly for orchestra samples. Should i just send dry samples into hall? or first into a scoring stage or a room than into a hall, so layering two reverbs?... thanks
 
Are you just composing? Or are you going to mix it too? Will someone else be mixing it?

The reason why I ask is because if you are just composing, only worry about reverb as much as you need to to feel comfortable with the cue. If it's going to be mixed by someone else, just use a reverb you like as an indication to the score mixer what you had in mind.

Layering reverbs isn't uncommon in film scoring so do what you gotta do to get the sound you want. However it's not a hard and fast rule. In my experience strings in films scores are drenched in reverb so don't be shy.

There are no rules. Whatever sounds best wins. You'd be shocked to see how fast we've run through 40+ cues for 5.1 mixing. There's literally never time to worry about minutia like the ACTUAL SOUND of the strings. LOL

Cheers :)
 
both composing and mixing. Ive never really used more than one reverb on a sound before and not sure how the pros do it. ofcourse no rules as with anything,but since im using samples and not a real orchestra trying to figure if would be best in most cases (strings, brass...) to send to scoring stage than into hall or maybe just direct to hall, im using mostly symphobia which has option to use "stage" recorded samples or "close" which are completely dry and not sure which to use and how to further process,
thanks
 
Like I said, there are no rules except what sounds good. If you're having a hard time telling what sounds good, you might have a monitoring environment issue.

I would use the stage recorded samples to keep it as "real" as possible. If you need more sustain, add more reverb via a reverb send. A big hall with a decay of about 2.5 to 4 sec usually works. It's also common to compress the strings buss with a nice compressor (the PSP Old Timer, LA-2A or Cytomic The Glue work great for this) to smooth out dynamics if needed.

Just use your ears. Don't over think it because when it comes to the crunch, there will literally be no time! The name of the game in film scoring is to commit to sounds and roll with them. 40 cues down the line you'll drive yourself crazy if you obsess over the minutia.

The saviour here is that when you put down your mixes, do both an interleaved mix and stems. Five stems will usually work. This gives the final mix engineer some options if the balancing needs adjustment. It also allows him to add additional effects if he needs to, given he thinks it works for the film.

Film sound: it's a sausage factory.

Cheers :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: PDP
I'd keep it completely dry until you can work with the visual part of the film. Different scenes can tolerate different amounts of 'verb but too much can instantly sound very false. For example a large hall reverb over a scene shot in a small, soft room will never fit well--though sometimes you want to deliberately make things jarring by going against the pictures.

Once you have the pictures, go with you instinct on what sounds good--but remember that reverb is a dish best served sparingly. If you worry something might be too much, it probably is.
 
Bobbsy said:
Once you have the pictures, go with you instinct on what sounds good--but remember that reverb is a dish best served sparingly. If you worry something might be too much, it probably is.
Click to expand...

I agree with the first part but in my experience, you need a lot more reverb on score strings than in music. I don't know why this is. Maybe it's because they are often the main instrument. Maybe it's because they are often canned strings. Either way we've often had to stack reverbs to get them to sustain and sit nicely, along with quite a heavy hand of compression.

Cheers :)
 
Mo Facta said:
I agree with the first part but in my experience, you need a lot more reverb on score strings than in music. I don't know why this is. Maybe it's because they are often the main instrument. Maybe it's because they are often canned strings. Either way we've often had to stack reverbs to get them to sustain and sit nicely, along with quite a heavy hand of compression.

Cheers :)
Click to expand...

Heavy hand on compression, definitely. However I guess the reverb is a matter of taste. I personally dislike a lot of sustain on the score for a scene obviously shot out in the open in a dead acoustic. I know the score doesn't have to literally follow the visuals but, at the same time I find if the music is too out of keeping with the visuals it becomes jarring.

...but if we all did it the same, the world would be boring!
 
What do you think is better between PCM reverb plug-in and Altiverb, knowing that I'm using mainly CineSamples libraries, which have been recorded in Sony Scoring Stage?

When I'm using Altiverb, I check only the "Tail" thing. Lexicon reverb feels like it sounds less realistic, more fake, what do you think?
 
bethanyb321 said:
hi im working on my first film score and need help to figure how to use reverb properly for orchestra samples. Should i just send dry samples into hall? or first into a scoring stage or a room than into a hall, so layering two reverbs?... thanks
Click to expand...

The professional libraries usually have them set for you just like they were recorded in the orchestra.

Not saying you shouldn't play with the reverbs, but why try to fix what's not broken?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top