Reverb on vocals

[14choirs]

I need a little help with reverb on vocals,
I'm using TL-Space and my question is:
How can I make the vocal not to sound to dark when
i use reverb? Do I need to adjust something in the reverb plug in?
the vocal doesn't sound dark without the reverb.
I'm using also eq on the vocal to make it shine but I can't.
I know I should go to a school but I don't have the
time and the money right now.
Thank you for all your help.

[Phil Ogden]

Try a short (bright) plate preset and roll-off some of the low end. The EMT 140 emulations are a good place to start.
I take it you've got the Reverb set-up (on an Aux) as a send FX? That would certainly give you more flexibility to achieve the sound you want.

Also, a little tempo sync'd delay (again as a send FX) is another thing to consider.

http://www.myspace.com/philogg

[flommer]

Like Phil said, you should have the verb on it's own aux. Then you can control the amount of reverb that you are adding by adjusting the send fader without lowering the level of the original vocal track. Some of the presets might have the mix at 50% or more and then you are hearing mostly the verb and not the original... That could easily sound dark depending on what preset you are working with.

TL Space also has some EQ controls right in the plugin.. I'm not at my Mac so I can't elaborate, but take a look. There are a lot of parameters to play with.

Do you have all the downloadable content from the website? If you haven't downloaded that stuff then you are missing out on many of the great options in TL Space.. I don't think that content comes on the install disks but I could be wrong about that...

[Hillbilly Pav]

As Phil said, a great way to make the reverb subtle is to roll off a lot of low end.

I like putting an EQ on the reverb aux return and rolling off a lot- sometimes all the way up to 1K or or so. You don't need to be restricted by what EQ is available on the reverb plug.

[14choirs]

Also, a little tempo sync'd delay (again as a send FX) is another thing to consider.

Could you explain me more about that?
Thanks.

[14choirs]

Do you have all the downloadable content from the website? If you haven't downloaded that stuff then you are missing out on many of the great options in TL Space.. I don't think that content comes on the install disks but I could be wrong about that...

I was really missing that extra TL-Space content, and they are not on the install disks.
Thank you.

[Naagzh]

Could you explain me more about that?
Thanks.

Create a stereo aux track, and insert a Medium or Long Delay plug. Based on the tempo of the song, and the overall mood, choose a note value for the delay (8th note, quarter note, dotted eighth note, etc.). On the vocal track, create a send to a buss (5-6 for example), and on the aux track, select buss 5-6 as its input on the input selector. Now, when you raise the fader on the send on the vocal track, you will hear the delay as well, in time with the music. To hear more "echoes" (taps), raise the feedback slider on the delay plug.

Delays can be distracting, so use the LPF slider on the delay plug to warm up the sound, and make the "echoes" less intelligible.

A combination of reverb and delay can give the illusion that there's a ton of lush reverb, yet it won't overwhelm the vocal track or other elements of the mix. Rookies often mistake the combination of delay and reverb as simply alot of reverb, and apply it in excess.

If the song permits (and it will tell you when it doesn't), create a second aux track, insert another delay plug (maybe extra long), and choose a longer note value (quarter, dotted quarter). Create another send on the vocal track, and now you'll have two delays, and create even more ambiance and "space".

Also, you could create a send on the delay aux track, to the reverb aux track. In this way, the delay is even more washed out and in the background.