Using outboard reverb

[doriangrey]

What is your usual procedure applying outboard reverb within your DAW?

Ps- I also posted this in the Cakewalk forum, but after second thought, this forum seemed more appropriate.

 

[scrubs]

Before going digital, I would often track with a touch of reverb (usually room verb) one each part and then add a different reverb (to the entire mix) at mixdown. Now, I almost always do it all "in the box."

To use outboard gear during mixdown, you will need both excellent D/A and A/D converters as well as outboard reverbs that are significantly better than your software verbs. Otherwise, it's just not worth it. The signal loss of the routing out and then back in must be outweighed by the quality of the reverb.

Others may be able to better describe their techniques for doing this.

I say, it may be better to buy some good software verbs and sell your outboard verbs to the analog guys.

 

[doriangrey]

Well, from my comparisions, my outboard Lexicon LXP 15II has provided me more pro results than using the Waves or UAD-1 verbs. The Lexi adds more natural body to my mixes. It sounds much more professional to me. My EMU 1820m has got some pretty good A/D converters ( 192 kHz ), so that may be why it has yielded me better results than the plugs.

I solo the track(s) I want to add reverb to and record it to a fresh track(s) with the Lexi verb. I set the faders to taste and I send those to a bus that cuts everything above 3kHz ( a tip I got off these boards ). It sounds great!

I was just wondering if anyone else uses this same technique or some variation of it, because I found it really adds life to my recordings.

Before going digital, I would often track with a touch of reverb (usually room verb) one each part and then add a different reverb (to the entire mix) at mixdown. Now, I almost always do it all "in the box."

To use outboard gear during mixdown, you will need both excellent D/A and A/D converters as well as outboard reverbs that are significantly better than your software verbs. Otherwise, it's just not worth it. The signal loss of the routing out and then back in must be outweighed by the quality of the reverb.

Others may be able to better describe their techniques for doing this.

I say, it may be better to buy some good software verbs and sell your outboard verbs to the analog guys.