Reverb HELP

[Equality 7-2521]

OK I know the deal as far as setting up sends to a reverb plug in on a seperate aux track and such but I was wondering if may of you guys use more than one reverb plug in for a session. The reason I ask is because I know that depending on the pre delay times, early relection levels, decay times etc etc, the listener will percieve the sound to be further away or closer in the mix. E.g. a lead vocal would have a long pre delay so that it appears closer in the mix but ear candy sounds would have a short pre delay so they appear further away in the mix and I figure the only way to have different settings for different sounds would be to use more than one reverb plug, each with different setting. So far I have always used just one instance of reverb in a session.

Anyone care to share thier reverb tips?

[Jeff Ulmer]

Yes, I definitely use more than one reverb on a mix, how many depends on what I'm looking for, and what is needed. Don't forget that reverb is only one of your choices for creating space, and sometimes the best effect is none at all. Delays are also a good way to define space, and can be less cluttering than reverbs.

[Equality 7-2521]

Thanks Jeff.

When you use more than one reverb, do you only change a few settings like pre delay and decay time etc or do you ever make completely different presets for each reverb? Would you say 2 reverbs would be enough e.g one for sounds further away in the mix and one for sounds closer in the mix?

[Jeff Ulmer]

You are asking for trade secrets.

For the material I normally work on, I use more than 2 reverbs on most mixes, generally assigned by instrument. Not only do I use completely different reverb types (ie. rooms, halls, plates), but also different reverb plugins/hardware depending on what I'm looking for. You do have to be careful though, as it is easy to muddy up the mix if you go too overboard (hint - listen to the reverb by itself to see what it is doing. If it is getting muddy, try EQing the send to clean up what you hear in the full mix).

As I mentioned earlier, delays also give a sense of space, as can other effects (chorusing/doubling). Sometimes no reverb is the best solution on a given track, it all depends.

The best thing to do is to experiment, which is one of the beauties of working on a DAW. Build a mix you like and save it, then try someting different. You can always go back to the older version if you get too far off track.