Reverb Guidelines

A

Antz_Marchin

New member
Can anybody give me some general guidelines that I can start off around and play with for reverb settings on vocals and acoustic guitar.

I'm trying to get it right but my tracks just keep seeming to fall in behind the mix and no matter what I do I cant seem to get the effect that I want. I'm recording my Taylor 314 and my vocals both on my SP B1.

Also what kind of reverb setting would you use on Bongos?? Just wondering if anybody would know. Thanks very very much. -BJ
 
I find that even with several options for reverb, in some cases it can be tough to find one that really sounds right. But for the issue of front vs back, very generally, patches like 'halls' tend to be set up to lay behind the instrument. Smaller verbs, or having the 'early reflections' connected (in time) to the instrument tend to pull the source back. Pre-delay is another way to seperate the source from the verb if it isn't already happening in the patch.
Percusive stuff sometimes like dense, smooth verbs like Chambers and Plates. Smoother sustained instruments can get away with lower density settings where the reflections in the verb can add some nice 'character' and definition to the verb.
What are you working with now?
Wayne
 
Right now I'm using Sonar 2.0XL with it's included fxreverb as well as timeworks reverb, recording acoustic/vocal solo stuff and some experimenting with a simple bongo setup. My main goal is just trying to get my vocals/acoustic guitar nicely balanced with minimal effects like compression and reverb but enough to hear that it is making an effect.

i'm just having a rough time with it. I'd love to get a sound something really crisp and clear like a some solo acoustic recordings I've heard from John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and a prime example is the soo acoustic version of gravedigger at the end of Dave Matthews new solo album. That would be amazing. I can hear the effects he's using such as the reverb on vocals especially but cant even seem to come close to it. Obviously he has a MUCH better setup but I'd assuming that I can figure out something that would at least be comparable.

If you could give me some general numbers to work off of like predelay, room size and decay for the vocals and guitar, I'll try and expand upon them and experiment in that area to see what works for my setup well. Thanks again very much. -BJ
 
I think a good part of your problem is the FXreverb just is'nt that good.I can't speak to the other plug in though.
 
Here's how i work with reverb :

Maybe that will help you. Or maybe you do it that way.

The first thing is : less is best.

You want to hear the reverb effect in the background not in front of you so you won't hear any boomy sound.

I put TimeWork 4080 in the FX bin of an AUX bus then i use SEND AUX on any track i want reverb. This way you ensure that every track use the same reverb room.

Important thing : Make sure that the DRY signal on the reverb plugin is all the way down or -INF and adjust the WET as desired.

Most of the time the wet is adjusted at -3 to -7 DB and the AUX send of the track at about -10 to - 25db but it's a matter of taste.

Another trick is use for vocal and it's suitable for instruments:

I put a delay effect (based on the BPM of the song) BEFORE the reverb in the same FX bin. You got smooth results. I learn this delay trick on this site :

http://www.cakewalknet.com/lessonsengreverb.htm

Timeworks and TrueVerb are my choices for instruments and Vocal
Cakewalk FX3 soundstage in my choice for drumkits because i can assign where my drum elements are in the room.

Hope this will help.

Have fun
 
What?!? The best online audio page on the net and it get's closed?!


Damn it! :mad:
 
Musart said:
...I put a delay effect (based on the BPM of the song) BEFORE the reverb in the same FX bin. You got smooth results. I learn this delay trick on this site :
Click to expand...

BPM/tempo rhythms on verbs is a cool tool. Like a delay in front of a short verb, use it like a diffuse 'slap back'.
One thing to watch for is that a lot of patches include predealy in the early reflections based in the size' parameter. So if you dial in your own BPM, you would end up with something else longer yet.
Wayne

..."Have fun" Definitely!
 
I have just got into recording and mixing my own tunes. Previously I did all my work at studio's. So when I ran into trouble getting the right reverb setting I called up the guy who did most of our recordings (Pat Lilley of Nexus Studios in Wisconsin) and he suggested that I try delay in place of reverb in some cases.

So what I found was that for fast songs, a delay that was just a bit faster than the BPM of the song sounded really good (worked for snare where I wanted it to sound like he was really pushing it) and for slower songs I would use a delay a little slower than the BPM of the song.

I really think you will be surprised at how easy this is and how good it will sound. There are all kinds of charts that allow calculations of delays, but I use this site: http://www.guitar9.com/delaytime.html

Make sure that the mix is more dry than wet and make it subtle. It think you will be pleased.

Hope this helps.

Jim
 
jdier said:

... Make sure that the mix is more dry than wet and make it subtle. It think you will be pleased.
Jim
Click to expand...

yes that why it's important to make the dry signal all the way down (i.e -INF) in the AUX effect bin and use the AUX SEND fader in each track to adjust the amount of reverb. So wet signal will be mixed in a subtle way with the dry sounds.

Have fun
 
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