Reverb - (What All Do You Use It On & How)

  • Thread starter Thread starter jaynm26
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Just because it's not immediately perceivable, doesn't mean it's not registered in the brain.

The localization cues that the ear/brain has evolved to is as a result of our millions of years as primitive humans, hunting and being hunted in the wilderness. It is very useful, for instance, to be able to hear from the direction from which your enemy is approaching, be it from in front of you, to either side, or behind you. Over time, humans survived annihilation and evolved into the creatures we are today as a direct result (among others) of being able to hear from whence their predators were coming. The ones that couldn't, died out and the survivors bred their strong aural genes together. The ear/brain complex essentially decodes two streams of information from two aural sensory organs (the ears) to extrapolate the localization of a particular source based on level and phase disparity, frequency content, etc. This is why it is very effective to include early reflections in reverbs because it is in these first couple of initial milliseconds that the information is gathered and a localization is perceived. This is how stereo sound works and also kind of how 3D video works by taking advantage of the stereoscopic nature of having two eyes. (We have two nostrils so why don't we smell in stereo? :D)

Interestingly, most mammals, including us, can only distinguish localization on the horizontal plane and not vertically due to the position of our ears being symmetrical. Ever have a plane fly overhead really low and it scares the shit out of you? We are not programmed to perceive it due to most of our predators being terrestrial and on the horizontal plane. Handy to know if you're going to ambush someone from above.

Another thing is that the ear's response is not linear. Trained listeners are able to dissect complex audio material and isolate specific elements but for the most part the ear/brain interpolates what it hears and essentially focuses in on what is louder and upfront. Frequencies and sounds that are similar in spectral content and level will be masked by the louder sound. This is why you don't hear the reverb while the music is playing. Reverb is largely a mid-range focused process and most of the song's harmonic content will be in this range. However although it is masked during playback, the ear can still pick up the spacial cues it presents because of the minute delays involved in producing a reverberated sound.

Cheers :)
 
Mo Facta said:
Just because it's not immediately perceivable, doesn't mean it's not registered in the brain.

The localization cues that the ear/brain has evolved to is as a result of our millions of years as primitive humans, hunting and being hunted in the wilderness. It is very useful, for instance, to be able to hear from the direction from which your enemy is approaching, be it from in front of you, to either side, or behind you. Over time, humans survived annihilation and evolved into the creatures we are today as a direct result (among others) of being able to hear from whence their predators were coming. The ones that couldn't, died out and the survivors bred their strong aural genes together. The ear/brain complex essentially decodes two streams of information from two aural sensory organs (the ears) to extrapolate the localization of a particular source based on level and phase disparity, frequency content, etc. This is why it is very effective to include early reflections in reverbs because it is in these first couple of initial milliseconds that the information is gathered and a localization is perceived. This is how stereo sound works and also kind of how 3D video works by taking advantage of the stereoscopic nature of having two eyes. (We have two nostrils so why don't we smell in stereo? :D)

Interestingly, most mammals, including us, can only distinguish localization on the horizontal plane and not vertically due to the position of our ears being symmetrical. Ever have a plane fly overhead really low and it scares the shit out of you? We are not programmed to perceive it due to most of our predators being terrestrial and on the horizontal plane. Handy to know if you're going to ambush someone from above.

Another thing is that the ear's response is not linear. Trained listeners are able to dissect complex audio material and isolate specific elements but for the most part the ear/brain interpolates what it hears and essentially focuses in on what is louder and upfront. Frequencies and sounds that are similar in spectral content and level will be masked by the louder sound. This is why you don't hear the reverb while the music is playing. Reverb is largely a mid-range focused process and most of the song's harmonic content will be in this range. However although it is masked during playback, the ear can still pick up the spacial cues it presents because of the minute delays involved in producing a reverberated sound.

Cheers :)
Click to expand...

Very scientific approach. I dig.
 
warartistrecord! Idaho! What part you from?

Lived in Utah for 10 years. Been to Idaho too many times to count. Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Boise, done it all. How's the potatoes these days?

Is the Big Easy still in Boise?

Cheers :)
 
jaynm26 said:
Reverb -What Do You Use It On & How
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For me, nothing is exempt from reverb in the right circumstance. I rarely will use it on bass but I like a light smattering on double bass. I rarely use it on bass drum, but the other parts of the drumkit are far from immune. If I use a VSTi, the first thing I do as part of my tweakology is to take the reverb off. Record the instrument dry and then add my own.
I sometimes like to use it as an effect for subliminal drama at the end of a vocal line by slowly whacking it up to almost full and fading it off. I'll use it on electric guitar sometimes for that gorgeous rockabilly twang type effect. And my conga sound relies heavilly on some light reverb.
But in any song, I don't want reverb on many sources and unless I'm specifically going for the cavernous effect, I go easy on it. But I do like to hear it. I'm not one of those that backs it off until you can't hear it. But neither do I want to be drowning in it. That's how I wrecked many an early mix, too much of the effects. It's funny how I couldn't hear it at the time then later I couldn't not hear it !
 
I just recently read about first feeding a track in to a delay then from there to a reverb.

Gonna try that out and report back.
 
moresound said:
I just recently read about first feeding a track in to a delay then from there to a reverb.

Gonna try that out and report back.
Click to expand...

I found that it can really add cohesion to sounds.. I often struggle using a reverb on a drum bus, and then a delay on vocals and making them sound like they should be the same room. I thought to take my vocal delay and feed it into the drum verb so i could get them together better. I'm still trying to get it how I hear it in my head, but it's helped to get me a step closer.
 
I've found that just enough volume on the reverb send to barely hear it helps, plus the right amount of pre-delay so the original signal stands out.
Also don't put reverb on EVERY track. Just doesn't need it. Sometimes if it's a sparse singer/songwriter tune with light drums, acoustic and voice, you might just
need a touch over the whole mix and nothing else. Usually if I find a nice room sound for the drums, I'll only use another verb maybe on vox...
 
moresound said:
I just recently read about first feeding a track in to a delay then from there to a reverb.

Gonna try that out and report back.
Click to expand...
?? What the..
Ok, maybe 'three weeks be gittin' a little bit too long for a pre delay


:)
 
mixsit said:
?? What the..
Ok, maybe 'three weeks be gittin' a little bit too long for a pre delay


:)
Click to expand...

This is actually what some guitar delay pedals do. They have the delay pedal, but it's got reverb on it as well. Fun fact.
 
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