Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

Hey folks. I have some animated stuff that I am doing sound design for and I am having trouble getting the dialog to sound like they are actually outside. The best reverb I have is the Renaissance Reverbarator and I cannot for the life of me get what I want. The characters are walking through the woods and no matter what I try it sounds either too dry or as if they are in some room (or hall or church) somewhere. Any help, pointers or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks alot.

Phil Gerke
IRIS Media.

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

Hey Droog...

There was a post somewhere on the DUC about this (can't remember if it was here or in the TDM section). But I've had good luck using Delay (about 200ms and 25% feedback) combined with a mid-sized reverb.

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

I think this is it.

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

In an outside environment with no hard surfaces there is no delay, but you will find hi passing at 120-160 Hz should give you more of the right sort of feel. If you were walking between hard surfaces say in a street with walls both sides, you are looking for a combination of delay and a bit of phasing when the reflected sounds come back and collide.

Personally I think it s debatable how much you need you have to judge yourself.

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

Maybe what you are really looking for is a doubler. If it is simply dialog, you will need to play with the stereo image to make it sound real. If you are looking for echoing canyons, then yes, an EQ'd delay with some reverb tweeking on the delay is your best bet. If you have an impluse reverb, why not make yourself an impulse file of the type of environment you are looking for.

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

I've had great results with ReVibe. Emulated everything from an open prairie to an outdoor backyard pool next to a brick house, mainly by using Pre-Delay that had highs and lows rolled off. Early reflections make it sound fake, so cut those and just mess w/ pre-delay, EQ, wet-dry and time until it works.

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

We do a lot of animated picture mixes... one of the staple voice effects is a slight single echo with a hint of verb for outside open spaces.... night time has a bit more of both, woods have a bit more echo, inside spaces like huts or basic wooden rooms gave a tinge of verb with a hint of slap. Almost all animated films, broadcast, and shorts do it this way.. we do about 4 mixes a week using these... the problem with animated projects is that the dialogue is recorded in small booths, or oher tight spaces with high-end mics, so everything sounds like a voiceover. Therefore almost all, if not all, dialogue has some kind of room added to it. Seems our Producer/clients love this kind of mix.

cheers
georgia

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

Just another 2 bits ...

Typically, traditional reverb settings do not work well for outdoors ... especially wooded areas as the reflections would be minimal and random.

For distance ... try a VERY small room setting and adjust predelay to taste. (20-60ms?!)

Sometimes less is more ...
try damping to natural room reverb from the VO session ...

Hope this helps,

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

Todd,
I ask some tips from you and you won't tell me, but here on the DUC you tell everyone your tips!

Re: Tips on creating a good outdoor reverb.
 

also, roll off the eq below 125 or higher..150 ... or higher, to make it sound more like a boom capture. sometimes i delay the delays and eq those a little different and maybe swap a phase...then send that into a verb. but that is usually for mtn stuff. and a little goes a long way. i have even had success sneaking up an ambience to cloak the voice a bit so you hear the ambience and think you hear the voice in the space.