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Reverb
Easily connect with Echomethod with MSN Messenger! Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. When sound is produced in a space, a large number of echoes build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air, creating reverberation, or reverb. This is most noticeable when the sound source stops but the reflections continue, decreasing in amplitude, until they can no longer be heard. Large chambers, especially such as cathedrals, gymnasiums, indoor swimming pools, large caves, etc., are examples of spaces where the reverberation time is long and can clearly be heard. Different types of music tend to sound best with reverberation times appropriate to their characteristics.
Creating Reverberation Effects
Chamber reverberators
The first reverb effects created for recordings used a real physical space as a natural echo chamber. A loudspeaker would play the sound, and then a microphone would pick it up again, including the effects of reverb. Whilst this is still a common technique, it requires a dedicated soundproofed room, and varying the reverb time is difficult.
Plate reverberators
A plate reverb system uses an electromechanical transducer, similar to the driver in a loudspeaker, to create vibration in a large plate of sheet metal. A pickup captures the vibrations as they bounce across the plate, and the result is output as an audio signal.
Spring reverberators
A spring reverb system uses a transducer at one end of a spring and a pickup at the other, similar to those used in plate reverbs, to create and capture vibrations within a metal spring. Guitar amplifiers frequently incorporate spring reverbs due to their compact construction and low cost. Spring reverberators were once widely used in semi-professional recording due to their modest cost and small size. Due to quality problems and improved digital reverb units, spring reverberators are declining rapidly in use.
Many musicians have made use of spring reverb units by rocking them back and forth, creating a thundering, crashing sound caused by the springs colliding with each other. Digital reverberators
Digital reverberators use various signal processing algorithms in order to create the reverb effect. Since reverberation is essentially caused by a very large number of echoes, simple DSPs use multiple feedback delay circuits to create a large, decaying series of echoes that die out over time. More advanced digital reverb generators can simulate the time and frequency domain responses of real rooms (based upon room dimensions, absorption and other properties). In real music halls, the direct sound always arrives at the listeners ear first because it follows the shortest path. Shortly after the direct sound, the reverberant sound arrives. The time between the two is called the 'arrival time gap'. This gap is important in recorded music because it is the cue that gives the ear information on the size of the hall, better digital reverbs can incorporate this arrival time gap and hence sound more realistic.
Variverb Reverb device that creates classic and modern, artifact-like reverb effects such as room, plate, spring an non-linear reverb.
Basic Reverb Implementation
Note: Equalization and other effects apply before reverb then compression and limiting!
Drums require very little delay. You especially want to be careful with any sort of alteration to the kick drum, since you might accidentally cause the beats to overlap each other--this will create a muddy sound, which is one of the most annoying home recording problems. Keep the reverb on the snare and toms, but don't over do it; you don't want the reverb to be noticeable. On the snare, around 1000 ms can work, provided that most of the signal (about 70%) is dry.
Acoustic guitar benefits from a decent amount of reverb, though minimalism is always preferred in modern home recordings. Electric guitar might be fine with the reverb that the amp generates, although you might want to record the signal clean and mix in reverb and other effects later to give you more control over the signal. You can be liberal with electric guitar reverb, but be sure to compare your track to several studio-produced tracks to see how you're stacking up.
Like the kick drum, the bass sustains itself very well and reverb usually isn't necessary. Adding any more than a few hundred milliseconds of reverb will cause a dreadful muddy bass sound, so if you're having problems with your bass's tone, treat those with EQ or by rerecording the instrument; reverb is not the answer.
Ballads will use a lot of reverb on the vocals, while fast rock songs will use little. Unfortunately, it's tough to give general rules on adding reverb to vocals since each voice is different, but it's valuable to note that the fuller the song, the less reverb the vocals will need. Deeper voices usually need less reverb as well.
As with all elements of home recording and mixing, you'll want to look at the song itself and experiment to find what reverb effects work. Generally, I recommend using as little reverb as possible to make a song sound good and natural. Overdoing the effect will sound bad, so don't add an overall reverb to the whole track unless the song really calls for it. Keep your genre in mind and listen to lots of studio recordings to get ideas; with enough experience, a careful and steady taste for reverb effects will begin to develop, and your home recordings will sound much more natural. |
