Interesting Reverb trick

unix-guy

unix-guy

Master of RTFM
I've never been a big user of reverb, but since going to IEMs it's become a necessity.

I was running the Reverb block in parallel, but then I found a tip in the wiki for putting the block in series while having the effect be the same as parallel.

When doing this, you set Mix to 50%, Level to 3db and then use Input Gain to control the level of reverb.

One thing I've been frustrated by still is that this setup still has the dry signal in there, and it's just a bit too "direct" still.

Today I was playing around and realized what I really wanted was the parallel reverb plus just a smidge of reverb affecting the dry signal... But no way I can add another Reverb block to my preset (not enough free CPU).

So, I started playing with the Mix and ended up somewhere around 62-63%. With these settings I get the more prominent reverb in parallel with a small amount of the effect on the dry signal.

Using the Studio type, my settings are:

Mix: 63%
Level: 3db
Input Gain: 17%
Time: 1.3s
Size: 40
Early level: .5

I think everything is default. I'm really enjoying this in my IEMs now!

Anyway, hopefully somebody else finds this useful.
 
Xrocker said:
Just set your hi pass filter at 600 hz. All problems solved.

This was the roll off frequency of the reverb at Abbey Road Studio. Good enough for me.

You can mix in all the reverb you want without muddying things up.
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It isn't a matter of "mud"... I want the dry signal to be more "present", not "behind" the reverb.

However, I'll give this a spin next time I'm in front of the Axe Fx to see how it sounds.
 
unix-guy said:
When doing this, you set Mix to 50%, Level to 3db and then use Input Gain to control the level of reverb.
Click to expand...

Why is that? what is the advantage of doing this (when in series) instead of just controlling everything with the mix knob en having input gain at 100%? I don't see the difference or advantage.

And what is IEM? in ear monitor or something?
 
Xrocker said:
Just set your hi pass filter at 600 hz. All problems solved.

This was the roll off frequency of the reverb at Abbey Road Studio. Good enough for me.

You can mix in all the reverb you want without muddying things up.
Click to expand...
is high pass filter the same as low cut?
 
unix-guy said:
Today I was playing around and realized what I really wanted was the parallel reverb plus just a smidge of reverb affecting the dry signal...
Click to expand...
No matter how you set it up, it's still Reverb being mixed in parallel with your dry signal. There's no such thing as "Reverb affecting the dry signal." It's added on top of your dry signal. Always.
 
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hmm i don't understand how this is a trick? aren't you just mixing the reverb so there's more wet vs dry? isn't that what the Mix knob is for? and with the Input Gain at only 17%, there's still way more dry anyway.
 
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chris said:
hmm i don't understand how this is a trick? aren't you just mixing the reverb so there's more wet vs dry? isn't that what the Mix knob is for? and with the Input Gain at only 17%, there's still way more dry anyway.
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Try it. Read the comment above from @yek and the wiki link.

Maybe there's a simpler way to get the same results? I don't know but the basic method of described in the wiki works great to separate the reverb from the dry signal.
 
unix-guy said:
Try it. Read the comment above from @yek and the wiki link.

Maybe there's a simpler way to get the same results? I don't know but the basic method of described in the wiki works great to separate the reverb from the dry signal.
Click to expand...

The wiki method is an easy way to get the same dry signal level as a shunt would pass. Aside from that it's not doing anything particular to the sound or the way dry/reverb combine.

Somewhere around 20-25% mix, +2.5 dB level, 100% input gain would give the same result as the settings you listed.
 
Bakerman said:
The wiki method is an easy way to get the same dry signal level as a shunt would pass. Aside from that it's not doing anything particular to the sound or the way dry/reverb combine.

Somewhere around 20-25% mix, +2.5 dB level, 100% input gain would give the same result as the settings you listed.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I will give it a shot...
 
chris said:
hmm i don't understand how this is a trick? aren't you just mixing the reverb so there's more wet vs dry? isn't that what the Mix knob is for? and with the Input Gain at only 17%, there's still way more dry anyway.
Click to expand...

The trick is that you can use Input Gain this way to add/decrease reverb, without affecting the dry signal's level and without adjusting level. That's different from using Mix.
 
yek said:
The trick is that you can use Input Gain this way to add/decrease reverb, without affecting the dry signal's level and without adjusting level. That's different from using Mix.
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Yes, but not fundamentally different. It doesn't change what the Reverb is doing—it just changes the ratio of wet to dry (and the overall signal level) in a way that might lead more directly to the ratio you want.

@unix-guy : what you're achieving by doing it this way is to have less of your dry signal in the mix, making it sound less "direct." You can achieve the same thing with other choices of Mix, Level and series/parallel. But if your way gets you what you want with less fuss, then it's perfectly valid to do it that way.
 
This is getting too complicated for me....:)

What is the reason that the reverb mix law is different from the delay mix law?
 
Bodde said:
What is the reason that the reverb mix law is different from the delay mix law?
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Because delays sound like separate notes, whereas most effects sound like they're part of the note itself. The "normal" mix law works fine for most effects. But with delay, it results in a level drop in the dry signal that doesn't sound so natural.

Reverb is a different beast. With reverb, either mix law can sound right, depending on what you're trying to achieve.
 
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