Post
by Professor » Sat Dec 18, 2004 12:20 am
Sorry to sound like a snob here, but the TC System 600 is a frighteningly authentic sounding reverb. I'd rather record dry and use that than record in most concert halls because I get all the 'verb I want, ridiculous levels of parameter control, and no environmental noise. But then, the going rate is in the $9k and up range, so it probably is beyond the budget.
But I would be concerned that if you just don't like any reverb sound, then perhaps you are setting up your signal flow to and from the 'verb in a strange way.
I like to have a pair of aux sends connected to the L&R inputs on a reverb engine, and then the outputs of the reverb unit patched back into two more full channels on the console. (In the case of the TC, 8 auxes are normalled to the stereo ins on 4 engines and returned across 8 console channels.) I also tend to use one "main" reverb that is the 'room' into which I place the band. I dial in tiny bits of kick and bass, lots of snare, overheads, maybe piano, solo instruments, etc. Basically I create a second, parallel mix headed for the reverb and then bring that into two channels and mix it with the dry sound of all the channels. This layout really makes it easy for most any reverb to sound 'natural' especially since those console return channels can be equalized, compressed, etc. to make the sound more convincing.
But if you are trying to drop a reverb plug-in on each DAW track that seems to need it, you won't necessarily get the same kind of blend and homgenous reverb sound as you do when little bits of each instrument are dialed into the 'room'. And if you are doing something like taking a final mix, and patching it into a reverb processor, with the outputs passing on to the mix-down deck, then you've got a very weird situation. Reverb across a mix adds the same amount of reverb to every instrument, but things like kick and bass should have the same reverb as background vocals or a sax solo.
As long as you understand what your setup is trying to achieve and you hold realistic expectations of how the reverb should sound, I think you'll find that every reverb is good for somethings.
-Jeremy