Reverb flavors

[winky dinglehoffer]

Reminds me a bit of the really distorted reverb...

The first instrument in this track is really "really distorted reverb." Some random synth patch into a sound Workshop 242. (And if you happen to listen further, the bass guitar is the same box, but not quite as drenched.)
https://soundcloud.com/user-109157517/pianobender

Teisco with a new bridge sounds like a brilliant idea. I've been cleaning up my brother's old Japanese Tele knockoff (which sounds cool, but nothing like a Tele), & it could desperately use new tuners as well as a new bridge. I might see if I can convince my brother to spring for one.

[drumsound]

many times I will use a pre-delay on drum reverbs, but usually in the sub 10ms kinda way. just enough to get the smack of the drums so they are not completely obscured by the reverb, but not slappy or phasey either. But for vocals, I will have a longer - 50-80ms pre-delay - on there and use a plate (UAD EMT or Soundtoys little plate, which incidentally does not have a pre-delay and they apparently don't seem to be developing anything new so I'm a bit disappointed we are still on "Little" plate...but I digress). To me that really helps with maintaining clarity in a vocal but still getting the ambience behind it

In a lot of my mix templates I have an aux with Echoboy Jr and Little Plate.

I do this too sometimes, but Little Plate does seem to have a pre-delay built into it. The more I use that one, the more I love it.

My reverb chain is usually EQIII for H/LP and ducking out some gunk in the mids, then reverb, then Decapitator. I made a preset for the latter that I default to. When I turn it off, it gets really boring. I think I still don't really do a good job achieving the reverb sounds I hear on other records or in my head though. I like my PCM60 a lot because it's so minimal and it usually works one way or another if used modestly.

One recent success story was actually sampling a reverb and using that instead of having a send. I only wanted it for the snare, so I just recorded some different hit velocities, reverb times/pre-delays.... Gave me a consistent sound. If the part was fast I used the shorter/brighter sample, slow got the 4 second huge boys. Will likely do more of that. Great for heavy stuff where there is no room for reverb among the wall of guitars and distortion.

I like to get a little tweaky with predelay times, so I like something before Little Plate.

What's Decapititor doing in your description above?

It's way to late after a long day (see Garges thread) for me to understand the last paragraph.

[Recycled_Brains]

In a lot of my mix templates I have an aux with Echoboy Jr and Little Plate.

I do this too sometimes, but Little Plate does seem to have a pre-delay built into it. The more I use that one, the more I love it.

My reverb chain is usually EQIII for H/LP and ducking out some gunk in the mids, then reverb, then Decapitator. I made a preset for the latter that I default to. When I turn it off, it gets really boring. I think I still don't really do a good job achieving the reverb sounds I hear on other records or in my head though. I like my PCM60 a lot because it's so minimal and it usually works one way or another if used modestly.

One recent success story was actually sampling a reverb and using that instead of having a send. I only wanted it for the snare, so I just recorded some different hit velocities, reverb times/pre-delays.... Gave me a consistent sound. If the part was fast I used the shorter/brighter sample, slow got the 4 second huge boys. Will likely do more of that. Great for heavy stuff where there is no room for reverb among the wall of guitars and distortion.

I like to get a little tweaky with predelay times, so I like something before Little Plate.

What's Decapititor doing in your description above?

It's way to late after a long day (see Garges thread) for me to understand the last paragraph.

Decapitator is used as a subtle enhancement tool. It brings out the harmonic structure of the reverb tails more and generally makes it sound deeper and more interesting / nuanced to me. I'm not dialing in obvious distortion (most of the time). The tone control is really helpful for changing how the reverb sits in the mix. I frequently automate that depending on the part of the song. Roll it back so it tucks away and thickens things during a verse, forward to brighten and make it more obvious in the chorus, for example. My preset starting point is the "P" setting, gain at either 2 or 4, tone -1, mix 100%. Honestly, even the default setting sounds better to me.

It's one of those things where after trying it, the reverb just sounds boring without it.

the last paragraph... find a snare hit with minimal bleed, copy it to a new track, 100% wet reverb dialed in how you like it, eq/whatever else, commit that to a track, copy/paste just like you would any sample/trigger. I usually do a couple versions of that on separate playlists or tracks. Longer tail, shorter tail, brighter, darker, etc. Take your pick depending on the part and what you want it to do. I think the project I mentioned in the last post has a single coming out this week so I can post a link. You can make it very loud in the mix without totally washing out your kit because you don't have the constant bleed running through the verb. Opens the doors to some creative stuff.

[trodden]

Between 2006 and 2015 I just put the LXP-1's "dark plate" on everything along with Alesis Wedge's "70's echo" and an awesome cruddy sounding DOD spring reverb (r848). I've gone through at least three LXP-1's, the current working one I got from the wonderful and missed Chris Garges. Then I finally bought Valhalla's Vintage, Plate, and Room plugs. They sound great, best reverb plugs i've ever used, but I don't do well with so many options. So now I fuck around too much trying to figure out what is "good". So this is a good thread for me.

[trodden]

I feel that it can also allow me to have the reverb be more felt than heard.

That's a great way to articulate what I'm finding my reverb goals are more often these days.

My move is often to keep pulling the reverb fader down until I don't think I can hear it anymore and then turn it up just a hair. I don't want to notice it but I want to notice when it's gone.

This here. I'm also a big fan of using of using an ambience/small room on the snare, and then sending that to the general drum reverb rather than just the dry snare itself going to the drum reverb.

[trodden]

Decapitator is used as a subtle enhancement tool. It brings out the harmonic structure of the reverb tails more and generally makes it sound deeper and more interesting / nuanced to me. I'm not dialing in obvious distortion (most of the time). The tone control is really helpful for changing how the reverb sits in the mix. I frequently automate that depending on the part of the song. Roll it back so it tucks away and thickens things during a verse, forward to brighten and make it more obvious in the chorus, for example. My preset starting point is the "P" setting, gain at either 2 or 4, tone -1, mix 100%. Honestly, even the default setting sounds better to me.

It's one of those things where after trying it, the reverb just sounds boring without it.

Thanks for sharing this secret ingredient! I'm definitely going to try this.

[trodden]

In Re "distorted reverb", I've done a couple of records where I sent the vocals ("evil" screamy black metal stuff) out to a silvertone 1482 in an iso booth, and used the vocals through that as my reverb send.

[vvv]

In Re "distorted reverb", I've done a couple of records where I sent the vocals ("evil" screamy black metal stuff) out to a silvertone 1482 in an iso booth, and used the vocals through that as my reverb send.

Makes me think of The Strokes.

[Recycled_Brains]

In Re "distorted reverb", I've done a couple of records where I sent the vocals ("evil" screamy black metal stuff) out to a silvertone 1482 in an iso booth, and used the vocals through that as my reverb send.

That's sick. I need to try something like that. It'll be interesting to hear the difference between the source distorting the reverb vs. distorting the reverb itself.

I need to get a Pignose or something like that for shit like this. I've been experimenting now and then with setting up a 57 next to whatever vocal mic I'm using and plugging that into a distortion pedal --> Memory Man set 100% wet and then recording that to it's own track along with the main vocal. I haven't quite gotten it to sound good enough to bother with having the extra track, but I bet running it to an amp instead of just a pedal would be cooler.

[Burnt Ernie]

I have 2 pzm's taped on the walls/ceiling as far away from everything as possible happening in the live room,which is not big. Those get crushed through a valley people dynamite on peak limit/de-ess settings.
I have a ev 664 pointed against a metal music stand,against my drum set behind me. That runs into an Ampeg Gemini guitar amp,with the reverb turned on,with a 57 on it. Its fun to just shout at a music stand when doing backup vocals.
They get tracked through an old soundcraft 200b (as well as all the close drum mics) into interface.
I Play around with predelay times,nudge as necessary.

[trodden]

In Re "distorted reverb", I've done a couple of records where I sent the vocals ("evil" screamy black metal stuff) out to a silvertone 1482 in an iso booth, and used the vocals through that as my reverb send.

That's sick. I need to try something like that. It'll be interesting to hear the difference between the source distorting the reverb vs. distorting the reverb itself.

I need to get a Pignose or something like that for shit like this. I've been experimenting now and then with setting up a 57 next to whatever vocal mic I'm using and plugging that into a distortion pedal --> Memory Man set 100% wet and then recording that to it's own track along with the main vocal. I haven't quite gotten it to sound good enough to bother with having the extra track, but I bet running it to an amp instead of just a pedal would be cooler.

I like your PigNose idea. Sadly, the Silvertone belongs to Pete, my bandmate, and after he heard i was using it on other people's vocals (it HIS secret weapon) he got butthurt and took it back. Even though I explained that it was for a reverb send (and way cooler sounding) than what we've used it for (SM58 plugged into it) with him. It's got a cool tremolo as well, which adds to the fun psychedelia aspect. Used to find Silvertones for $40 or less, but then the White Stripes came along...

[trodden]

In Re "distorted reverb", I've done a couple of records where I sent the vocals ("evil" screamy black metal stuff) out to a silvertone 1482 in an iso booth, and used the vocals through that as my reverb send.

That's sick. I need to try something like that. It'll be interesting to hear the difference between the source distorting the reverb vs. distorting the reverb itself.

I need to get a Pignose or something like that for shit like this. I've been experimenting now and then with setting up a 57 next to whatever vocal mic I'm using and plugging that into a distortion pedal --> Memory Man set 100% wet and then recording that to it's own track along with the main vocal. I haven't quite gotten it to sound good enough to bother with having the extra track, but I bet running it to an amp instead of just a pedal would be cooler.

I like your PigNose idea. Sadly, the Silvertone belongs to Pete, my bandmate, and after he heard i was using it on other people's vocals (it HIS secret weapon) he got butthurt and took it back. Even though I explained that it was for a reverb send (and way cooler sounding) than what we've used it for (SM58 plugged into it) with him. It's got a cool tremolo as well, which adds to the fun psychedelia aspect. Used to find Silvertones for $40 or less, but then the White Stripes came along...

I'm pretty sure "overdriven combo amp to feed vocal reverb send" was used for both of these records? It's been 10 years....

https://addaura.bandcamp.com/album/burn ... he-ancient

https://addaura.bandcamp.com/album/and-the-lamps-expire

While I've also used it on every blackQueen record in the last 12 years, vocals and keys/synths, but not strictly for a reverb send on those, but just distorted Pete hollering.