how do you create gated drum verb sounds of the 80's/90's???

[ejsongs]

hey guys

i am a little embarraed to ask this but how do you create your own gated verb sound for snares and kicks of the 80's and 90's. I've got verbs with gated presets but i really want to know how to do this on my own. i've got logic and pt hd but this techinique and sound is a little before my time as a producer.

thanks,

ej

[PTUser NYC]

Well, the easiest answer is to use a reverb with a gated, or non linear program.

But the way it was originally done was:

1) Start with a dense sounding reverb that's at least a couple seconds long.

2) Put a gate across the reverb return

3) Set the gate to sidechain mode, so that it won't open and shut based on the level of the reverb, but instead based on the level of whatever feeds the sidechain

4) Send the same bus you use to feed the reverb to the sidechain of the gate. Now, when the dry toms or snare (for example) are playing, the gate opens up and lets the reverb through, but as soon as the dry sound ends, the gate closes and "chokes off" the reverb tail.

5) adjust the hold and release times on the gate to get the character you're looking for. A feww hundred milliseconds worth of reverb after the dry drum ends is not uncommon for this sound

6) Keep in mind that you can use room ambience for the reverb too if its long enough, and dense enough - usually compressed to hell. The "In the Air Tonight" toms (Phil Collins) were allegedly the sound of a stone room in his castle, highly compressed, before being gated.

[ejsongs]

DUDE!!!!!!!!

you are a gentleman, a scholar and a genius!!!

thank you sooooo much.

ej

[PTUser NYC]

DUDE!!!!!!!!

you are a gentleman, a scholar and a genius!!!

thank you sooooo much.

ej

well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Thanks!