If you clap your hands in a bathroom or concert hall, the sound is quite different. This is due to
the fact that in enclosed spaces reflections build up and overlap to create the reverberant sound.
Reverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic spaces. If you wish to give your acoustic and electronic instruments a realistic (live) feel, then use of reverb is critical.
NB: Reverb is one of those effects that is easy to overdo in a mix, creating a washed out and 'muddy' sound. Reverb works best on isolated or solo instruments.
When your track gets busy and has a lot going on it is better to use some light delay on instruments. Rarely should you use reverb on the Master track and affect the whole mix,
this tends to muddy the sound also.
Parameters on a Reverb
MID / SIDE - Process the Mid or Side components of the input signal.
The default is MID processing, summed mono (Left+Right). The input
must have stereo information before SIDE processing will have any
effect. Processing in SIDE mode can be useful when you are
processing a complete mix, giving a sense of space and reverberation
without washing out the details, as reverb tends to do in this
situation. Side reverberation processing affects the sound in the L/R
stereo field while instruments panned close to center will remain
unaffected.
H.CUT (High Cut) - Changes the high cut-off frequency. Use this to
remove high frequencies from the reverb, or to make the room sound
duller.
L.CUT (Low Cut) - Adjusts the low cut-off frequency. Use this to
remove low frequencies from the reverberations.
For example, if you are adding reverb to a drum track, using the L.Cut parameter will
reduce the 'rumble' and muddiness from the bass drum by
attenuating the bass frequencies before being passed to the reverb
engine.
DEL (Predelay) - Controls the delay time between the direct input
signal and the first reverb reflection. Predelay should be set to modest values for small rooms,
and can be increased to suit room size. Predelay creates a slap-back
echo effect that can add atmosphere and muffle the signal, so use it
wisely.
SIZE (Room Size) - Use this knob to set the size of the virtual room
being simulated (the display will give you feedback). For realistic
effects, the Room Size should be adjusted according to the decay
time. Small rooms sound better with a short decay time, large rooms
sound better with longer reverb times.
DIFF (Diffusion) - Controls the density of the reflections bouncing off
the walls of the virtual room. A low diffusion setting makes the
reflections sound more distinct and sparse, like closely spaced
echoes. A high diffusion setting creates a dense series of reflections,
so close they sound more like a constant decaying noise.
BASS (Bass Multiplier) - Adjusts the decay time of the bass
frequencies in the reverberations. The bass level has a b effect on the
overall 'mood' or sound of the virtual room. A bright room has less
bass response, while warm rooms have a more bass response.
CROSS (Bass Crossover) - Determines the point below which bass
frequencies will be boosted by the Bass knob.
DEC (Decay) - Controls the decay time of the reverb, this is the time it
takes for the signal to decay to -60dB (1/1000 of the maximum
amplitude). Use low decay times for small rooms (good for fattening
drum sounds), and long decay times for large rooms (halls or church-
effects).
DAMP (High Damping) - Adjusts damping of the high frequencies in
the reverb signal. Damping refers to the rate at which the high
frequencies decay. This effect causes the sound to become gradually
muffled and warmer. Bypass: Setting this parameter to the maximum
value will bypass the High Damping, displaying OFF in the value field.
DRY (Dry Level) - Sets the relative level of the (dry) input signal
passed to the outputs. When using Reeverb 2 in a Send mixer track
this should be set to 0% (minimum).
ER (Early Reflection) - Sets the relative level of the first reflections in
the reverb.
WET (Wet Level) - Sets the relative level of the reverberant (wet)
signal. When using Reeverb 2 in a Send Channel this should be set
to 100% (maximum).
SEP (Stereo Separation) - Adjusts the stereo separation of the wet
reverb signal. Any dry signal bypassing the reverb is left unaltered.
How To Use Reverb In Your Mix
1.Choosing the reverb: The reverb needs to sound like it belongs with the track.
when you come across the right reverb it will feel and sound like it belongs with the track. Every track is different, so don’t be afraid to
experiment between mixes.
2.Bus Your Reverb: One way to have complete control over your reverb is to have it on a
bus or aux send. Depending on your DAW, the way in which you do this is not so different.
You will be choosing how much signal you
send to the reverb send and then be able to balance the volume level of the reverb on the bus/aux channel strip.
3.EQ Your Reverb: Some reverb plugins have an EQ built right in which makes it really easy to shape and control your reverbs. If not, then use an EQ on the bus/aux channel strip – this is our preferred method as you can choose a great sounding EQ hardware /plugin to really enhance your reverb.
EQ’ing your reverb isn’t just a great way of adding character. It can also be a very efficient way of cleaning up some headroom, which is
essential for mastering.
We often come across mixes that just can’t be pushed loud enough and sometimes up to 2 dB can be eaten up due to the lack of low cutting on channel strips, but a lot of us forget that we need to look at the reverbs too.
Try low cutting your reverbs in parts of the mix where it’s busy and where it won’t be noticed. If
there’s room to keep in the lows then keep it in, this may be more necessary to more minimal tracks.
Experiment, you can always achieve a great low fi effect which sounds awesome on reverbs and delays. Low cut and high cut your reverb leaving a narrow band for the mid frequencies. Play about with the high and low cuts until you’re happy with your sound, then see how it sounds in the mix!
4.Always use the ‘pre delay’ tool: Pre delay delays the reverb signal output in milliseconds, and by doing this, it sets the reverb back slightly from the input signal which means you will achieve clarity from the dry input coupled with
a great sense of space without it being immediately sunk in reverb.
A great tip to judge how much pre delay you should set is to match it up with the BPM of the track itself. Some reverbs will come with an ‘auto sync’ button, but if not, you can use this simple sum to work out what it should be.
60 000 / BPM = 1/4 Note Delay Time
Divide by 2 to find 1/8 etc.
Matching pre delays to BPM is a really effective way of keeping your mix tight and sounding in time as well as keeping groove and rhythm
tight – especially in pop tracks!
5.Large Reverb, Short Decay: Often the sound of a large impulse reverb is very sonically appealing.
The sense of large space, especially behind a vocal, can do so much for your track.
The problem comes when tails begin spilling over into other sections and when they don’t work with the groove or fast moving parts of a track.
One way to keep the large reverbs is to shorten the decay.
If your reverb has the option, choose a really large reverb and bring the decay down the between 0.2 and 0.4 seconds.
This works particularly well with vocals.
It allows you to keep the sense of vastness whilst keeping it under control in the mix.