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Reverb
Dear Old Soundman,
Could you please talk about reverb and proper application. Right
now I just use the "vocal plate" setting for vocals or
"gated snare" for snare. I would like to really learn
how to apply reverb better, not just what pre-delay is, but what
does that setting do to the sound musically? Stuff like that.
Thank you
Tom www.tjbaudio.com
DEAR TOM –
ARE YOU AFFILIATED WITH THE TIJUANA BRASS?
ARE YOU THE ONE WHO SMEARED THE WHIPPED CREAM ALL OVER THAT LADY
ON THE RECORD COVER? YOU DOG!
AH, REVERB. SUCH A DANGEROUS
DEVICE IN THE HANDS OF THE IGNORANT.
I AM NOT CALLING YOU IGNORANT. YOU ARE SMART ENOUGH TO ASK FOR ADVICE!
THE TWO MOST COMMON SINS OF OUR LESS CAUTIOUS COLLEAGUES ARE: TOO
LONG A DELAY TIME AND NOT EQUALIZING THE RETURN. I TAKE THAT BACK,
I WILL ADD A THIRD, AND THAT IS RUNNING THE RETURN AT TOO HIGH A
LEVEL. LET’S ADDRESS THOSE, AND THEN I WILL WRAP UP WITH A
PRE-DELAY CHERRY ON THIS FUNKY SUNDAE.
REVERB CAN BE SWEET. AND REVERB CAN BE LIKE A CARAMEL FRAPPUCINO
THAT GIVES YOU A HEADACHE AND SUGAR PSYCHOSIS. THE NAME DAN WHITE
PROBABLY DOESN’T RING A BELL FOR YOU. DAN WAS HEARING A LITTLE
TOO MUCH INTERNAL REVERB IN HIS BRAIN WHEN HE SHOT AND KILLED HARVEY
MILK YEARS AGO. I CAN HEAR THE MONOLOGUE HE WAS CHANTING NOW –
“TOO… WASHY! CAN’T MAKE OUT … THE … WORDS!
TONE … AWFUL! BANGING OFF … THE WALLS! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE
MAKE IT STOP!”
Y’EVER FELT LIKE THAT AT A SHOW? I SURE HAVE. I REMEMBER A
CULT ARTIST HAVING A PHONE CONVERSATION WITH ME MANY YEARS AGO,
FEELING ME OUT FOR A TOUR. “MOST SOUND GUYS DON’T WANT
TO DO THIS,” HE BEGAN, AS I VISUALIZED STRANGE AFTER-SHOW ACTIVITIES
INVOLVING UNSPEAKABLE DEVICES AND PICKING UP THE SOAP, BUT HE CONTINUED
“WOULD YOU … BE OKAY WITH REVERB TIMES LIKE … THREE
SECONDS?”
I CONTROLLED MYSELF AND DID NOT SCREAM “NO! NOOOO!”
IN MY BEST SAM KINISON IMPRESSION. HERE IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE
YOUNG PEOPLE OF TODAY – THEY TRULY DO NOT GET THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN MAKING THEIR DAMNED DEMOS (OR GOING INTO PRO STUDIOS, FOR
THAT MATTER) AND PERFORMING LIVE IN A ROOM WHERE THE BIG SPEAKERS
ARE IN THE SAME PHYSICAL SPACE AS THE MICROPHONES!
YOU CAN USE A THREE SECOND REVERB ON YOUR DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION,
WHEN YOU ARE ADDRESSING YOUR OWN NAVEL AND WEARING HEADPHONES. THE
MIC IS BARELY CONSCIOUS OF THE HEADPHONES. NOW – YOU GET IN
THE ENORMODOME, OR EVEN A 500 SEAT CLUB, AND YOU APPLY SOME THREE
SECOND REVERB AND YOU ARE QUADRUPLING THE CRAP THAT IS SLOPPING
AROUND THE ROOM FROM PHYSICAL REFLECTIONS.
NOW IF EVERYONE IN YOUR AUDIENCE IS AS HIGH AS YOU ARE, MAYBE IT
DOESN’T MATTER. BUT IF NOT, THERE ARE GOING TO BE COMPLAINTS
THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE UTTER CRAP, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS A ROCK ACT WITH
OTHER AMPLIFIED INSTRUMENTS COMPETING WITH THE VOCAL.
OK, ALL YOU TOURING GUYS WHO USE 2.6 SECONDS, COME ON OUT WITH YOUR
DUKES UP! I KNOW DAMN WELL YOU DO, AND YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT
(A) YOU DO NOT RUN IT TOO HOT, AND (B) YOU EQ IT TO STEER AWAY FROM
THE RESONANT FREQUENCIES OF WHATEVER ROOM YOU ARE IN THAT DAY.
THERE IS A SETTING CALLED “CANYON” ON SOME YAMAHA UNITS
THAT IS AT LEAST EIGHT SECONDS, BUT IT IS MEANT TO BE USED AS A
MOMENTARY EFFECT, NOT LEFT ON THROUGH ENTIRE SONGS. YOU CAN USE
THAT ON THE SNARE HIT OF DEATH WHEN THE BAND DROPS OUT AND YOUR
ANGST-RIDDEN VOCALIST THEN SNARLS HIS COURAGEOUS DEFIANCE OF HIS
PARENTS, SOCIETY, AND THE MAN, NONE OF WHOM ARE AT HIS GIG.
DO YOU WANT TO BE SAFE, BROTHER TOM? OR DO YOU WANT PASSERS-BY TO
LEAN OVER THE BARRICADE AND SHOUT “GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR
TOM! HELLOOO! EARTH TO TOMMY BOY!” STAY DOWN AROUND 1.6 OR
1.8 SECONDS. MANY RECORDS EMPLOY A VARIETY OF REVERBS, SOME MUCH
SHORTER AND SOME MUCH LONGER.
BUT WE AREN’T MAKING RECORDS ARE WE, TOM? NO, WE ARE NOT THE
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. WE ARE ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT PLANET, WE OF THE
CONCERTIZING REALM. OUR LIVES ARE SCARIER THAN THEIRS, WE DO NOT
DO RE-TAKES, WE CANNOT HIDE OUR MISTAKES BY CLICKING AND DRAGGING
THEM TO THE TRASH ICON, CAN WE?
LISTEN TO RAMMSTEIN, TOM. WHEN HE SINGS “DU HAST MICH”,
WHICH MEANS “YOU HATE ME.” THAT IS WHAT THE STUDIO GUYS
SHOULD HEAR IN THEIR SLEEP, BECAUSE I HATE THEM, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW
THAT HATE DESTROYS THE HATER, I DON’T CARE, I WISH I HAD THE
GOLD AND PLATINUM ALBUMS, THE ROYALTIES, THE DANCING AROUND IN A
VIDEO WITH PUFFY AND JIMMY PAGE AND GODZILLA, ALL OF IT, AND I DON’T
CARE WHO KNOWS IT!
WHAT WAS YOUR QUESTION?
REVERB LEVEL.MESS AROUND WITH THE RETURN FADERS, RUN IT UP TO WHERE YOU
ARE REALLY HEARING THAT TANK AND IT IS JUST GODAWFUL WRONG, THEN
REDUCE IT UNTIL IT IS NOT ANNOUNCING ITS PRESENCE SO HELLISHLY.
DO NOT OVERDRIVE YOUR AUX SEND, EITHER. LEAVE SOME HEADROOM, SO
A PEAK DOES NOT RED-LINE THE UNIT’S INPUT. MANY PEOPLE THINK
“REVERB” SOUNDS BAD, BECAUSE THEY HAVE ONLY HEARD IT UNEQUALIZED,
OVERDRIVEN, AND RUN TOO HOT IN THE MIX.
TONALITY. A SUPER-HELPFUL WAY
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A GIVEN REVERB PROGRAM SOUNDS LIKE IS TO LISTEN
BEFORE THE BAND SHOWS UP, BY PUMPING SOME CD THROUGH IT. LISTEN
TO THE CD DRY, AND THEN SLAM A BUNCH OF ‘VERB ON IT. HOW DOES
THE TONE CHANGE? THAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH EVERY VOCAL
OR INSTRUMENT YOU RUN THROUGH IT LATER. YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO
PERCEIVE THAT IF LOUIE AND THE LOSERS ARE MADLY SOUNDCHECKING AWAY
AT 100 DB WHEN YOU ADD SOME REVERB TO LOUIE’S VOCAL, AND SQUINT
IDIOTICALLY AT THE MAINS, TRYING TO HEAR WHAT IT IS DOING AMONGST
ALL THE MUCK. EQ OUT THAT HONKING 630/800, OR THE SAVAGE HISSING
OF SUMMER LAWNS UP AROUND 10K.
WHEN THEY ASK YOU IF YOU MIND IF THEY PUT THE REVERB RETURNS INTO
EFFECTS RETURNS THAT DON’T HAVE EQ, SAY “YES, I MIND!
AND I’VE GOT A GUN! PUT THEM IN CHANNELS!” IT’S WORTH
CHARTING SOME INPUTS TO GET THAT. ALSO PUT THE CD IN CHANNELS, SO
YOU CAN DRIVE ALL AUXES WITH IT.
PRE-DELAY. ONE OF THE
TOP MIXERS IN THE WORLD EXPLAINED PREDELAY TO ME IN A WAY NO ONE
EVER HAD, AND I AM ABOUT TO DO A VERY POOR JOB OF PARAPHRASING IT.
THE REVERB DOES NOT START WORKING UNTIL A GIVEN AMOUNT OF TIME HAS
PASSED, ALLOWING A GIVEN AMOUNT OF NATURAL SIGNAL TO REACH THE LISTENER’S
EAR WITHOUT THE REVERB ADDED.
TWO CLASSIC APPLICATIONS OF
PREDELAY ARE ON TOMS AND ON BALLAD VOCALS. I AM NOT GOING TO TALK
MILLISECONDS HERE, YOU JUST SCROLL AROUND AND SEE HOW THE DIFFERENT
LENGTHS SOUND TO YOU. WHAT THE EXTENDED PREDELAY ACCOMPLISHES IS
TO LET WARMTH EXIST PRIOR TO THE EFFECT EXTENDING THE HIT OR WORD.
LET’S
SAY LOUIE’S DRUMMER MAX WINO HAPPENS TO HAVE SOME GORGEOUSLY
TUNED RACK TOMS. MAKING THE PREDELAY LONGER LETS THE ACTUAL NOTE
OF THE INITIAL HIT HAPPEN, WITHOUT THE DISTRACTION OF THE REVERB
IMMEDIATELY SAYING “ME TOO! ME TOO!”
SIMILARLY,
WHEN LOUIE’S FANS ARE GRINDING ON EACH OTHER DURING A SLOW
SONG, YOU CAN USE PREDELAY TO HELP YOU GET AWAY WITH A LONGER REVERB
TIME, BECAUSE IT IS NOT SLURRING THE CONSONANTS OF THE WORDS –
SINCE LOUIE DOES ENOUGH OF THAT ON HIS OWN - BUT STILL ADDS A NICE
WASH AT THE ENDS OF THEM.
AND TOM, ONE LAST THING. IF YOU
MESS UP, I WILL KNOW.
LUV
- THE OLD SOUNDMAN
