Bowie Reverb Trick

[Corinthian]

This is a fun little preset. Emulating the reverb trick Tony Visconti used when recording Bowie sing Heroes.

To record the lead vocal, Visconti devised a "multi-latch" system that would utilise the ambience of Hansa to full effect.[2][13] Three Neumann microphones were used to capture the vocal: the first, a valve U 47, was set up nine inches from Bowie; the second, a U 87, was set up 20 feet away; and the third, another U 87, about 50 feet away. The two farther mics were routed through a noise gate, a volume controlling device that would turn them on as Bowie's voice reached them.[4][5][8][2] Visconti explained: "If he sang a little louder, the next microphone would open up with the gate, and that would make sort of this big splash of reverb, and then if he really sang loud, the back microphone would open up, and it would just open up this enormous sound."

We only have two reverb blocks but the idea still works. The signal is routed to a reverb with the time and mix levels set low. Then in parallel is a gate and a second reverb with a longer time, higher level, and no dry signal. The trick is to set the gate threshold so that it opens when you play loud but closes when you back off. The result is big lush reverb when you dig in a little but a close/intimate sound when you play quietly.

The present has two scenes; a subtle one with two of the same reverb type just different settings, and a more extreme version just to see what would happen with very different reverbs and a slower release time.

I'm not sure if it has any practical use but it's fun to play with.

 

[Parkinthepark]

I wonder if there’s a way to eliminate the noise gate step by instead mapping some of the reverb parameters to the input level controller?

 

[KenR]

I image you could use an envelope controller instead of the gate to do the same thing.

 

[Corinthian]

I wonder if there’s a way to eliminate the noise gate step by instead mapping some of the reverb parameters to the input level controller?

I image you could use an envelope controller instead of the gate to do the same thing.

Yes I tried that but it doesn't respond in quite the same way, probably because it's reacting to the envelope rather than the level of the signal. Maybe with some tweaking I could get it to work, but with the gate it's very simple to adjust the point where the longer reverb comes in, either for preference or for a different guitar.

 

[lauke-lux]

Maybe the ADSR could help in that case, but if the noise gate does the job....