DO's and DONT's with reverb

A

AlfredB

New member
Hi folks,

I want to give our singer, drummer and acoustic guitar player some reverb on our recording ...

is there a general rule, like "use the same parameters (duration, roomsize, damping, etc...)" for all of them - implying they all were tracked in the same virtual room - or would it be ok to use different parameters for reverb?


What are general rules for reverb?

here are mines:

- don't overdo it (if in doubt use 50% of what you think sounds right :-)
- NO reverb for instruments with lows (kick, bass)


(insert your golden rules here)


cheers and thanks
alfred
 
- If you can hear it, you have too much.

- Match decay times to some multiple of the tempo for extra clenliness and emphasis.

- No more than one or two stereo reverbs at one time unless you want a mud effect.

G.
 
My new golden rule that I was told by someone else is:

Always lower the Reverb fader all the way down and then raise slowly to the point where you think you like it. Adjust from there. I used to start from the default fader setting (0db on mine - using ACID pro 4) and then lower or raise it.

Big Statdium sound "always" sounds good when you're imagining yourself at playing in a big statium but in fact there's only those classical/opera heavy guitar pieces where it suits and only when it's masterfully done. Think old Iron Maiden or Nightwish. But only on the breakdowns and buildups.
 
Hate to sound overtly utopian and idealistic, but here goes:

There are no "rules for reverb." It is up to YOU to make it sound good.
People can give general starting points as to how THEY would do it, but this may not, and actually sort of SHOULD NOT apply to you.

Make it sound like you think it should sound, maybe we will all be asking you how you did it in a few years!!!

If there was one good setting for all this shit, there wouldnt be so many knobs on everything....
 
My rules for reverb:

1.) Generally I use a convolution reverb for instruments, like TL Space, and a delay/modulation reverb for vocals (such as a typical Lexicon style 'verb).

2.) I run a streo reverb aux buss with the convolution reverb. All instruments get bussed there for 'verbing.

3.) Lead vocals recieve an insert d/m reverb.

4.) Background vocals go to a seperate reverb buss with a d/m style reverb on it.

5.) EVERYTHING gets some reverb, even if it's a kick drum at -80db to the aux buss.

6.) To my way of thinking 10% wet is "a lot" of reverb on vocals.

7.) I match the reverb decay to the tempo of the song. Faster songs get less reverb with quicker tails as opposed to slower numbers.

I find that it's a waste of processing to run reverbs on seperate instruments--just run ONE (or a few groups) of reverbs to buss everything to. That way when you put in the 'verb you can make mass changes. Also, thing being reverberated together acts as "glue" to the mix.

Also, I recommend that reverb is the LAST part of any mix... right after panning. Work on seperating the elements by eq/compression in mono, then when you pan things they really seperate, so they can be "tied" back together a bit with group reverberation.

And if you can hear the reverb, as opposed to feeling it, you have too much 'verb.
 
Some good advice from Cloneboy. I pretty much follow those "rules", except for a few minor differences.

I like to use auxs for all my reverbs, including the lead vox. I used to use verb as an insert on my vox tracks, but I switched once I tried bussing it.

Like Cloneboy, I like convolution reverbs (like the Waves IRs) on instruments. They seem to sound a little more real.

I also like to pan the reverb aux around a little bit on certain instruments (like acoustic guitar) in a sparse mix, to give things a bit more presence and depth without double-tracking.
 
I find less is more with reverb.... but in creating depth and rich ambient texture, I'll often blend several ambient-type programs together to get what I'm after. And I don't bother worrying about xx% of this or that, or no more than xx dB of whatever.... I just twist the damn knobs until I get the sound I want! The tracks themselves are usually pretty good at telling you what it is they need....

Also - very short delays are often more useful than reverb.........
 
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i agree with Blue Bear about using delays. i used to add reverb to vocals and sometimes lead guitar on songs that i've recorded, but then i discovered using a delay gives me more of the effect i wanted and sounds much "cleaner". i just set the delay so it matches the BPM of the song, and then raise the volume a tiny bit until it's barely noticeable, and to me it usually sounds better than verb and less muddy. but then again the reverbs i was using were pretty crappy...;)
 
I like to use delays and reverbs on busses to gel things - and almost always put a send on the delay buss to a reverb to add some reverberation to the echos... one decent trick is to solo the reverb and delay busses and listen to how it sounds and tweak things until it sounds really good in the ambience and echos... then un-solo them and set the level. depending on what you're trying to do you may have the reverb up enough to hear it (wet) or may just have enough so you don't especially hear and its more perceptual or reinforcing than ambience.
 
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