Reverb w/ Live Hard Rock or Metal?

claxor

Power User
I've heard some people say to not use reverb in a live setting, due to natural room acoustics, (especially if you use delay) unless the reverb is a critical part of the sound (i.e., lots of spring reverb in surf guitar music)

When using headphones, I like a subtle, natural-sounding small room reverb for rhythm guitar just to make it sound less like playing in a vacuum, but will this reverb be unnecessary in a live performance?

What do you guys tend to do, or believe with reverb? (small room/small hall)

Thanks!
 
So, if you are using IR's and going direct, it's still a good idea to use reverb at least sparingly?
 
I use small reverb for dist.. rhytm guitar+\- delay....soun live is good... valuing the outdoor enviroment for my live performance
 
I use verb on high gain sounds most of the time. Long tail with a bright eq, gives the tone a nice shimmer. I never use room reverbs as the short tail makes them sound kind of artificial in my opinion. I like a very natural long decay.
 
I use just a hint of reverb on high gain rhythm sounds, and a little more on lead and clean sounds. I heard Petrucci doesn't use any reverb at all for live use. Weird.
 
It depends if FOH bathing the vox and drums in long hall verb, then you might as well let FOH put you in the same virtual room with them by leaving yourself rather dry and using the same FOH effects to unify your mix soundfield.

If FOH is not putting you in the same room with everyone else via verb, then get epic and creative with your verbs.

Totally dry instruments with no ambience cues in a mix sounds like you are playing in an artificial vacuum in a way.
 
Ask 10 guys, you'll get 10 different answers. Depends on the song. Depends on the context. I go bone dry unless there is a reason to do otherwise. Punchier. ...if the last song had audible reverb, then using no reverb / no delay is a new texture. Normally, when using verb, the longer the tail, the more I turn it down - unless I'm going for a surf sound or a splash.
 
It really depends on a lot of variables, but room reverb is definitely one to consider. If the room has natural reverb, you may need less or no reverb on the patch.
 
Every sound man I've ever known in bar situations falls back on Reverb. Personal opinion: the less skilled sound man, the more reverb. If you want to cut FOH, leave it dry (or almost dry). What you do for your feed is another matter...I like a good 'verb for stage feed.
 
IMO, it also matters if there are 2 guitars in the band or just one. With 2 players, I believe it becomes more important to achieve clarity and separation between guitars...and that can be lost in a wash of verb. Especially if there is delay or other effects happening as well. Maybe a bit and at a lower level could be OK, depends.

In a one guitar band there is more sonic space and some verb can help to fill that space. Much more freedom here. And then with cleaner sounds, verb is a great tool. I also agree about the soundman's heavy hand with verb...if you want to cut in the mix, feed FOH a dry signal.

Of course, there are exceptions to ANY choice, depending on venue, situation, and intended outcome. However, this is the rule of thumb I use. YMMV
 
My own approach is that I use reverb when gigging but ensure it is never going to result in an indistinct sound. I also use the Rev Mix parameter in Global to tweak things quickly depending on room/stage acoustics - just means I can reduce the overall reverb level if it is a very bright room, or increase if it is particularly 'dead' without too much fuss.
 
Being too dry in a mix can sound weird. As an example I always found the earlier Foreigner albums sounded like Lou Gramm's vocals were out of place. Very dry and they sat on awkwardly on top of everything else. As the french would say, "Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe".
 
I thought for sure after 14 posts someone would have mentioned the importance of using EQ on the reverb signal. I use a low cut in the range of 200–700 Hz and high cut no higher than 10K. This allows you to use a higher mix setting too, so it feels more reverby without making a mess.
 
Depends on the room for me. If there is a lot of reflective surface, then I back down the reverb a tad. If the room has good acoustic surfaces, I just leave it. I rarely have to back it down, but I generally do not use a ton of reverb. The beauty of the AX8 is that you can fine tune parameters as needed. It has evolved into an awesome tool for the modern guitarist.
 
I only like reverb for clean sounds. For my crunch sounds, I want a tight, immediate response without any extra frills. Precision matters to me and I find reverb to be a distraction. I play through headphones a lot too and it doesn't bother me (although my Sennheiser HD 598s are open back).
 
I'm in a metal band (Level VII) and don't use any reverb on my rhythm channels. Dry is best for live metal. Let the room dynamics add what it will. In fact, I use only the amp block. For solos, I use some reverb and a hint of delay.
 
I'm in a metal band (Level VII) and don't use any reverb on my rhythm channels. Dry is best for live metal. Let the room dynamics add what it will. In fact, I use only the amp block. For solos, I use some reverb and a hint of delay.

Same here, always have. I think that's just the old school METAL way of doing it. Chunky, dry and punchy. Wet leads.
 
Back
Top Bottom