D-Verb basic use

[mzimpfer]

Where would I find a little tutorial on how to apply D-Verb? I am not interested in parameters just now. I would just like to know how to apply the overall effect to a track or multiple tracks.
I typically have been recording acoustic rhythm guitar and lead guitar as well as vocal and bass. I assume that I would be choosing different reverb types for each track. How do I apply these in a way that is non-destructive to the original file?

[madgt621]

ok so it's really a question of putting effects plugins on tracks. and for the record it is a process covered in depth in the manual. but here are some basics that will get you along.

Pro Tools has two kinds (technically three with TDM, but I won't get into that) of effects processing.

The first being Audiosuite, which process and renders DESTRUCTIVELY and NOT IN REAL TIME. which is clearly what you aren't looking for right now, but many audiosuite plugins have their merit and save CPU.

The second is via RTAS (Real Time Audiosuite) which processes your tracks NONDESTRUCTIVELY in REAL TIME. This is what you are looking for.

To enable an RTAS plugin on your track, you must go to the "inserts" column in either Mix View or Edit view. (whether or not they appear in Edit is dependent on you track settings) Click an insert on the track and pick plugin, multi-mono, or multi-channel plugins, whichever is applicable to your track, go to either "Reverb" or "Avid" (again dependent upon your settings) and click "D-Verb". In the insert field, a little grey box will appear that say D-Verb, and the D-Verb Plugin Window will also pop up. And done, it's now own said track.

Now how to actually apply Reverb is matter of taste, but here's how I do it. I always have my reverbs set up on Aux tracks.

To set this up, create an Aux track, and set the input to a Bus. (for example Bus 1-2 if it's a stereo Aux) It is also a good idea to rename this Aux to something like "Verb", "Room Reverb", etc. Whatever is applicable to your use. Then on the tracks you want to send to the aux, you click on of the "Sends" in the Mix or Edit view, and select the Bus you have assigned to the aux. A send fader will pop up, and you can adjust the level that is now sent to the Aux.

Now I usually have maybe 2 or 3 Reverb Aux's going. say, a Plate, and two Rooms, one for Drums, and another thats just a Room for whatever. I dunno that's just what I was shown, and you can have as many or as little as you want. And with an Aux, you can send any number of tracks to it, and blend in the effect as desired. It should be noted that when using effects on an Aux, any "Mix" control should be set to "100% Wet", as in no dry signal passes through the Aux. The dry signals from the original are still going to you regular outs anyway. If you want the Reverb on the actual source track, then you would use the Mix control.

With all that said, I hardly ever use D-Verb. Out of the plugins that come stock with PT, I prefer the Air Reverb. I also frequent convolution reverbs such as TL Space and Waves IR. It would be a good idea to get a hold of the concepts of using Reverb in general, there are literally hundreds of free tutorials online, and see what's best for your needs.

So lastly some key points:

-Audiosuite = Not in real time, destuctive
-RTAS = Real time, non-destructive
-Use Aux tracks to send multiple tracks to an effect.
-The manual is the bible. It shalt be read.

[mzimpfer]

Thanks for response.

You cleared up a lot for me.

One more thing

I always put compression on an acoustic guitar track, so I don't mind if it gets permanently applied. Right now I have RTAS compression plug-in as insert on audio track for mic'ed guitar. I can hear that as it's recording and at track playback, but it is not actually recorded onto the track because if I remove the insert after recording, the effect is gone. I'm sure that it would be permanently applied at mix down. Is there any point in (or even any way other than through 11R) to have this effect permanently applied to track AT RECORDING?

Thanks

[madgt621]

Sure, well since it's a plug it's not really use as such. It's something you'd more likely find when using an external hardware compressor and such.

The beauty of using a plug that processes in real time, is that you can tweak it as the mix progresses. But, if you want to commit to a certain sound, and then remove the plugin, the general practice is to bounce or render it to another another track. Here's the process.

Setup a new audio track, and allocate a bus to it's input. You can name this track "Bounce" or "Render", and use this bus whenever you want to bounce a track. Set the output of the track with the guitar and compression to the bus. Record enable the new track and press "record". You will now have the sound, effects and all, committed to audio. You can then make the original track inactive (not delete or remove the plug), and when you need to tweak it, reactivate it and bounce it again. Though anything going to auxs won't be recorded. But there are ways to get that into the bounce as well.

This technique is often used with CPU heavy VI's, like amp modelling plugs, or plugs with huge streaming sample libraries.

It's not a feature in PT yet, but most other DAWs have an offline render, or freeze tracks feature. For instance, in Ableton Live, you'd click Freeze tracks, then click/copy drag the clip to a new audio track, and you'll have new audio, with the committed effects, no recording necessary. But the process is essentially the same, it's just the long way in PT.

If you want to really have it be committed at the initial recording level, you can have your guitar go to an aux with the plugs on it. Then route the output of the aux track to an audio track, and record the audio. This will behave exactly as if you were using external hardware effects. But really, it's more preferrable to do the first option, as it gives you well... ...more options.

[mzimpfer]

Thanks again for thoughtful, comprehensive and understandable response.

Regarding your first suggestion to bounce: wouldn't it be easier in that case to copy the track/region and then apply plug-in effect with AudioSuite to the copy?

[madgt621]

No problem. Glad I could be of some help.

And that way does work depending on the following conditions:

1. The plug must be available in Audiosuite

2. I believe Audiosuite rendering, must be done to audio. i do not believe they can be used to process MIDI plugs such as VI's, unless they are printed to audio first.

Also, Audiosuite processes on a plugin basis. If you have a plugin chain on a track, bouncing it to another track will commit all the plugs in the chain, as opposed to one by one with Audiosuite. For instance, if your chain is something like "EQ -> Comp -> EQ -> Mod". This is also useful when you are working with things such as "sidechaining" where an effect on a track is dependant on the signal from another track. As far as I know, Audiosuite cannot do it.

Though I must point out that Audiosuite is good for processing regions as opposed to processing an entire track. Audiosuite plugs like Reverse and Vari-Fi are really good for creating effects to really spice up your tracks and support your main audio.