Reverb usage

[Adam P]

For your basic rock song (no fancy tricks or anything), would you think it would be a good idea to set up one single reverb effect to establish a "room" for your song, and use the Aux sends to vary the amount of each track sent to the reverb? Would this help things feel cohesive, ie all instruments feel like they're in the same place because they all have the same reverb qualities? Or would it just lead to things getting muddied, and be a better idea to use different reverbs for snare drum, lead vocals, bg vocals, guitars (if they need them)? My only concern with this is conflicting sounds, like dripping-wet-with-huge-reverb snare drum and dry-as-a-bone vocals, or vice versa?

Thoughts? Opinions? Thanks!

 

[Joel Hamilton]

I always try to visualize what the "picture" of the band is that i am trying to get across with the mix.

 

[curtiswyant]

That's usually what I do. I record everything dry and set up a send reverb. I like delay on vox and other sources, and only use the send 'verb to establish "space."

 

[mshilarious]

For your basic rock song (no fancy tricks or anything), would you think it would be a good idea to set up one single reverb effect to establish a "room" for your song, and use the Aux sends to vary the amount of each track sent to the reverb? Would this help things feel cohesive, ie all instruments feel like they're in the same place because they all have the same reverb qualities? Or would it just lead to things getting muddied, and be a better idea to use different reverbs for snare drum, lead vocals, bg vocals, guitars (if they need them)? My only concern with this is conflicting sounds, like dripping-wet-with-huge-reverb snare drum and dry-as-a-bone vocals, or vice versa?

Thoughts? Opinions? Thanks!

That is the great question of style. My style is closer to your first idea, and to Joel's (although I'm sure my execution is worse!). With regard to creating space, that is integral with panning and delay--instruments farther away should be delayed a bit more, with the reverb shedding some highs, for example. For realism, this shouldn't be extreme, the delay is actually only a few msec.

The 'natural' approach, or at least the emulation of the natural reverb sound, shouldn't be muddy unless you just use too much reverb or your reverb is too bright, for example.

Then there's the other approach, which is reverb as an effect. Or you can blend both approaches. It is common to use a special verb on vocals, or selected instruments like snare or guitar, and then a general reverb on everything else. If you're not careful that can sound very '80s though.

I always force myself to get a reverb sound I like, and then make it drier. It keeps me from getting silly.

 

[Chris Shaeffer]

Good stuff here.

I tend to have 2 reverbs- a room ambience and a more effecty verb.

I *try* to get the room sound of the stereo stage to come from the drum overheads, and room mics if I have them, and use the ambience reverb to match or improve that sound. If I don't have room mics (because I'm not always tracking in great rooms...) I'll recreate them by compressing a drum buss into the room verb.

To me its *really* important to take the real room sound comig from the drums into account when setting up a general room reverb. Even without room mics the overheads pic up a lot of room sound. Then you have 3 reverbs going even if everything else was close miced and dry as death valley.

Anyway, the theory is to match the artificial room sound that gets added to the guitars and what not to the real ambience that comes with the drums. If you can pull it off it really helps to gell the track together without causing mud.

-C

 

[Adam P]

Good stuff, thanks a lot guys!

I'll be doing most of my tracking in a less than amazing sounding room, so I'll be doing a lot of close mics on drums and artificial 'verbs.

I'm thinking that the best approach for me will be a slight "space" created with a stereo reverb for drums and maybe a little guitar, and a very mild delay of a few ms on vocals. I guess it will all come down to experimenting to find what works and sounds best.

Thanks again!