What is 'gated' reverb ?

[Alchemist3k]

I have some ideas what this is but can someone explain to me in more depth what kind of sound it gives and common controls associated with it found on most reverb units/plugins and what they do? Also, what is it useful for ? I've heard it's most commonly used on snare drums.

 

[BPRecords]

I kind of understand what this is but can someone explain to me in more depth what it is? Also, what is it useful for ? I've heard it's most commonly used on snare drums.

I will second wanting the answer to this by adding the question:

Is gating reverb the only kind of gating?

 

[Tom Hicks]

Gating reverb is where you limit the number of reverbrations and cut them off abruptly at a certain point, not a natural fadeout. The time from the end of the signal/beginning of the verb to the cut off point is the gate time. Phil Collins was a big proponent of this technique. It make a snare sound massive, but is a somewhat dated sound.
Gates are also commonly used on guitar processors to keep the background hum surpressed when you are not playing (the guitar signal masks the hum when you play). Live sound reinforcement and broadcasting also use noise gates to control feedback on open mics.

 

[Alchemist3k]

Thanks, I know it is a dated sound in most cases but in some types of electronic music it seems to be useful to give electronic snares a music bigger, more cracking sound.

What are the common parameters? I was messing around with a reverb plugin earlier on and saw some that I suspected as controlling the 'gate' but wasn't sure what each one did.hb

 

[A1A2]

Gating reverb is where you limit the number of reverbrations and cut them off abruptly at a certain point, not a natural fadeout. The time from the end of the signal/beginning of the verb to the cut off point is the gate time. Phil Collins was a big proponent of this technique. It make a snare sound massive, but is a somewhat dated sound.
Gates are also commonly used on guitar processors to keep the background hum surpressed when you are not playing (the guitar signal masks the hum when you play). Live sound reinforcement and broadcasting also use noise gates to control feedback on open mics.

so, do you apply a gate after the reverb then? wouldn't it be the same thing as applying ping-pong delay or tremolo to the tail or the verb? Obviously, I have no idea how a gated reverb sounds like...

Al

 

[Alchemist3k]

Imagine a huge reverb on a snare and then the sound just cutting off. The effect is usually set so that there is a short but huge reverb and then the gate cuts in an cuts the ;verb off.

If you've heard the beginning the NIN song 'Closer' the 'steam sound' as I call it could very well be a snare with a gated verb. I managed to achieve a similar sound by having a gated verb on an 808 snare.

 

[James Argo]

Aaah, thanks Alchemist3k & Tom Hicks
I use it sometime, just don't know how to explain it by words Now I get it. Thanks guys.


Jaymz

 

[sweetnubs]

i can feel the gated reverb coming in the air tonight . . .

hold on
hold on

I've been waiting for the gated reverb for all my life . . .

hold on
hold on

 

[mshilarious]

I like a reverse gate reverb on a heavily distorted guitar. I cut one track with a guitar playing a 3rd fret harmonic on each beat for the entire song, distorted with a reverse gate. That is a cool industrial sound.

 

[Light]

As sweetdweb alluded to, just listen to the drum fill near the end of "In the Air Tonight," by Phil Collins, and you will know what a gated reverb sounds like. It is really two processors, a reverb, and then a gate. Reverb will have all the normal parameters; pre-delay, time, diffusion, density, high and low pass filters, etc. The Gate will have all the normal parameters for a gate; attack, decay, threshold, ratio (if it is an expander/gate), etc. I like to send to the reverb, with the gate after the reverb, and I key the gate off of the original signal, and not off of the reverb itself.


Light

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