REVERB: Show what you know!

  • Thread starter Thread starter killthepixelnow
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killthepixelnow

killthepixelnow

Do it right or dont do it
Reverb, this magic thing. Used wisely, it's almost perfect for eveything: vocals, guitars, drums!!!
So I was wondering how much you guys know about reverb. I mean history, types, anectodes, digital vs analog, techie stuff and some other information you've been storing in your brain.

It's the time to show what you know. So, speak, reverb lovers!
 
I've got a cool "realistic" reverb unit it's a bucket brigade reverb. Doesn't sound anything like organic but can be used as an dubbing effect which is really cool. It was originally made by radio shack & goes really cheap on ebay - if you like lo-fi get one ;)
 
It seems reverb is a misterious thing and nobody wants to speak about it, lol
 
My approach to reverb... if it's audible as a separate thing in the music, there's too much and it'll mask the real expressive quality. I use it just to enrich the natural decay of sounds and rarely use more than a half second verb tail.

Tim
 
I use reverb more as an effect, i like huge ambient soundscapes - The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey. I hate boundaries. I like musical sounds. I like music. :D
 
Timothy Lawler said:
My approach to reverb... if it's audible as a separate thing in the music, there's too much and it'll mask the real expressive quality. I use it just to enrich the natural decay of sounds and rarely use more than a half second verb tail.

Tim
Click to expand...

I usually try to use an artificial reverb like this too but sometimes I can get a nice effect by using some weird settings.

I don't know much about reverb in general. I usually just adjust everything to my liking. I rarely ever use any type of preset.
 
The cycle I often go through with a mix is to add lots of verb as it sounds great to me, then listen to it the next day and think it sounds too fake, like the verb is sugar syrup poured over the mix. Personally I don't have any rules I go by - I experiment a lot and just do what sounds good to me. It's just turned out that so far what usually sounds best to me (by day two on a mix anyway) ends up being short, dark, subtle verbs.

Things like pre-delay, density, stereo width, and verb EQ play a big part in the verb's effectiveness. I use SIR convolution the most. Next to that, Timeworks ReverbX. They both have excellent but relatively easy to use controls.

I think one of the pitfalls of using verb is that it can mask other problems with a recording. That can be a good thing to get a quick result in a pinch, but it's better long term to get good sound quality that stands on its own, and use effects and processing to enhance rather than mask.

Tim
 
A subtle reverb can add something nice to a dry track or even a track that has a roomy sound overall. I don't know the technicalities of it all but alot of times adding a reverb to a vocal with an inaudible decay or an almost inaudible decay seems to work best for me. I like mixing different reverbs up too sometimes on the same track. It can add an interesting dimension.
 
Automate it so you hear it at the end phrases to keep the mix clear.
Low pass and highpass it with EQ after.
Compress it heavily if you want an interesting effect.
Turn the knobs until it sounds good.
Turn the knobs until you just hear it then back it down a bit to liven up a track.
Predelay is your friend.
Use a delay just before the reverb to separate the sound from the primary.
Make sure it has a quality sound to begin with or you will tweak things for hours to no avail.
If you have a marginal sounding reverb plug-in don't use it or very lightly
Most of the low end hardware reverbs are still better than plugins.
 
Reverb is like what the Barbecue sauce on the barbecued meat is. You never want to mask the true flavor of the sound you are doctoring up, but you want to add and enhance it so as to highlight it in a good way. Proper use of reverb adds a layer of "dimension" to the sound you've added it to. It is all too easy to overdo, and can obliterate the quality quickly if not done properly. I've heard both, even on professionally done recordings. It is almost a "black art" to do it so as to add that sense of "space" without sounding artificially springy. My hat is off to those engineers that have it down. They know how to eq all the elements so as to separate them in a mix, place them in the proper soundfield, then add the spice (effects) to "enhance" rather than completely alter the natural sound. :cool:
 
Pre-delay is something that confuses me to be quite honest, i've not always been subtle in my use of effects - but i've never been able to use pre-delay as an additive to natural sounding reverb. It's probably down to my incompatance but that is one reverb attribute i can only use for synthetics. :confused:
 
$ .02

ok so i could bore you with some history but.... not up to it today.... as for the predelay idea the purpose of it is to give more realism to the effect ... you see the reverb (wash) doesnt start right away.. its delayed by the shortest distance to a reflective surface.... so if you want to simulate a larger room one thing to do is add predelay....
 
one of the first studios I worked in had a reverb chamber with pull curtains along the walls as needed. It was pretty mid-rangy in general, but on vocals sounded great. The room was about 30 feet long and about 10 feet wide...and it sure did echo!

Most of the experiments trying to use it other than what it was orginally intended for usually came out pretty bad......but whether good or bad, it did give the studio a "sound"...especially on those vocals. We even had a old C12 too for "those" vocals. We'd duct tape the bee-jeebers out of the drums and slap that reverb on it. What a riot. Life was good.

Then we later got one of those Eventide thingies... That sure changed things. We didn't even want reverb then...we just wanted to harmonize :p Like everything!! lol!

Personally, I still like some of the older digital reverbs that Alesis made...like the XTiC and the Wedges. Nice sounding units for not much dinero. Most people I think hate them.

I'd wash my clothes in reverb if possible.
 
dementedchord said:
=as for the predelay idea the purpose of it is to give more realism to the effect ... you see the reverb (wash) doesnt start right away.. its delayed by the shortest distance to a reflective surface.... so if you want to simulate a larger room one thing to do is add predelay....
Click to expand...

Yeah i know what it's used for, i just have been unable to use it to create a natural sounding large room. With me, when pre-delay is silent it sounds relativley good, when i start messing about with it i get annoyed and end up hating everything reverb like. Mabye it's because i havent got the top of the range eventide or whatever, i dont use predelay. It sucks monkey balls.
 
killthepixel said:
Hahaha no way!!!
Click to expand...

Yes way. Delay will usually get you the feeling of space without muddying up your high or low end and ruining your stereo imaging.
 
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