Reverb Techniques

[gcjammin1]

What are some of the ways you guys use reverb when mixing down. How much individual channel verse sub or main insert. Do you rely on using reverb on the individual instruments or the overall mix to get the sound your after.

Gcjammin1

[michaelhoddy]

Mostly as aux sends. Longer pre-delays, shorter reverb times give the impression of more reverb and space without muddying up the mix.

Multiple mono reverbs are more useful than multiple stereo reverbs because they don't crowd and clutter the mix as much.

I'm using a lot more one or two-tap delays than reverbs lately, especially on vocals.

[cmchamp]

I tend to use a medium bright plate on my vocals, using all on one aux, (quartets) but give lead more level than backing vocals. I concure with Michael on his use of larger pre-delays and shorter verb times.
Jazz combos, depending on the piece, I'll send all percussion to an aux, piano to its own, and horns their own. For larger groups, I may break it down further, depends on the piece and the room I'm forced to record in.
Orchestral, I'll add a verb only if they're performing in a very dry room, as they are tonight. In that instance, I'll try to make it as expansive as possible without being obvious.
C.

[MrKeysAOO]

To add to Micheal's comments: I tend to like (esp on vocals) a delay (withought the direct) into a verb. This is similar to a reverb pre-delay except that it repeats).....gives the sound spatiousness and sustain withough using as much reverb. Also, the instances I would use a master verb are very rare---it usually clouds the mix.

[djui5]

I'm with michael, mono verbs are great for placing things right where you need them. Also compressing/eqing your verb returns might have a desired effect.
It's also interesting to use multiple verbs..sending one verbs returns to the input of another verb.

[MtnMixer]

Heres whats working for me on a vocal track. One track dry, except for a 20ms delay, some subtractive eg and panned right about 6. The other identical track has the same delay, deesser, 2 to 1 compression, a bit of eq, panned left 6 and two auxes running reverbs. One warm plate, the other a large warm hall. The vocal is rich, detailed, intelligible and swells nicely into the hall on loud passages. What else can I do?

[Ed Belknap]

I agree that multiple wide stereo verbs can clutter a mix...not so much muddy it up as leave an undifferentiated haze.

But the problem I have with mono 'verbs is that they become a "Special Effect" rather than a plausible acoustic space. (Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it is an aesthetic choice one must contend with.) What I've been doing a lot of lately is returning all my 'verbs in stereo but *NOT* having the returns all panned full wide (hard Left & Right). Some get panned to 10:00 & 2:00; some get panned full CCW & 1:00, or 9:00 & full CW. That way the one 'verb that is hard panned full CCW & CW sounds conspicuously deeper & wider than the others, but the others still convey a 3-dimensional soundstage (albeit one that may be skewed to one side or narrowed so as to let mix elements remain unmasked).

[gcjammin1]

Thanks for all the replies. My main problem is getting things to sit in the positions I pan them to. Without any effects the positions are there and then when I add reverb they seem to become less defined. I like Michaels idea of using mono verbs. I'll have to try your technique Ed. Never thought of doing it that way.

Gcjammin1

[Ed Belknap]

Originally posted by gcjammin1
My main problem is getting things to sit in the positions I pan them to. Without any effects the positions are there and then when I add reverb they seem to become less defined.

If you have a true stereo reverb (where the & right throughput is 100% discrete, no summing of the wet signal pre-processor) you can use 2 Aux sends or a Stereo Aux send to pan the signal going *into* the reverb.

And if you don't have a true stereo reverb you can use two identical units set to an identical program but only return the left output of 1 unit & the right output of the other...Then use 2 Auxes or a stereo Aux as above, panning into the reverbs. Makes it much easier to create the impression of a localized source in a real acoustic space.