Sections - Tips & Tricks

38 - REVERB FX TIPS        

From: kilo
Email: here
Date: 04-Apr-99

Most of these tips relate to things you can do with a midi & H/Disk system. Some will apply to Tape & midi as well

MAKE YOUR OWN GATED & WIERDO REVERBS
Fairly common one this, you probably know it, but if y'don't, and you've got a stereo noise gate, here goes.

• Send the desired sound from the mixer, via an auxilliary send (echo/fx send) to the Reverb Unit.
• Bring the L & R outs from the Reverb Unit into the L & R inputs on a stereo noise gate.
• Set the Reverb to a large reverb setting, like a hall or something.
• Set the gates to Stereo Mode, and set a low Threshold, and a fast Attack.
• Next set a short decay time on the gates, and send the reverb through.....
• You should get a massive reverb sound, which by adjusting how long the gates stay open for, cuts out quickly
• You can now wierd up the sound, by changing the Attack Time on the gates

The beauty of doing it yourself, is that you can get just the correct amount of open/hold time on the gate, to obtain the custom sound you're after, and to rhythmically fit the song......Most cheaper Reverb Units if they have Gated Reverb, fix the decay time, which can clash rhythmically with the song.

Once you've set up the effect, say on a synth pattern, you can run the sequencer, and record the Reverb effect with the synth onto H/Disk (or Tape). You can then arrange the effected synth patterns into the song with copy/drag 'n' drop, and then reset the reverb for general use in the final mix....

MAKE YOUR OWN RHYTHMIC REVERBS
Another wierd variation can be had by setting the gates to Fixed Stereo mode, AND... Trigger Input mode, and then while having the Reverb go through them, trigger the gates open and closed rhythmically with something like a hi-hat pattern.
All you have to do, is send some hi-hat to the Trigger Input Socket on the gates from either an Aux Send, or with an insert cable plugged into the hi-hat- channel insert socket.
This gives you wierd rhythmic reverb coming off a sound. Once again, you can record the effect into H/D, and arrange the patterns into your song, then reset the reverb for general use.

MAKE YOUR OWN REVERSED REVERBS

Ok first for a H/Disk system.....

1. First choose a reverb with a fairly long decay.
2. Next apply some to your vocal or a synth or snare drum or something.
3. Play the song, and route the reverb only into the soundcard, and record only the reverb.
4. Line up the reverb with the vocal or whatever, and then do a reversr audio command.
5. You will now have a reversed reverb part, that you can drag around in relation to the original sound until you get a cool effect.
6. Unlike with FX units that have a Reverse Reverb patch, this one really does play BEFORE the original sound.

OK for tape machines.......carry out steps 1 & 2, but before you record the reverb, turn the spool of tape over, so it's playing backwards.

Next, locate a free track (be careful here, cos your tracks will be back to front.....that is, what was track 1, will be track 8 on an 8 track machine.)....

Play the vocal (backwards) through the reverb, and record the reverb only, onto a free track.

Put the tape back the right way round, and.......Woah !!!.....This FX sounds wicked on a vocal. Try also keeping the tape the right way round, and recording some reverb onto a track at high speed, then play back at low speed.....Hmmmmm.....Not bad !!

MAKE SOME TIME OFFSET REVERB
With H/Disk, you can record a reverb from say a synth or vocal onto a H/D track, and then drag it around to offset it in time from the original.......Hey, why stop there.....You can copy the reverb over to an adjacent track, then offset them from the original sound each by a different amount.....when youve got it right, mix the two soundfiles together. You can get single , double, triple, or whatever ammounts of offset reverb..!!

GHOSTLY VOCAL REVERB
If you get an old Spring Reverb, you can rip off the case cover, and bawl and shout into the springs......You wont hear the result while you're doin' it probably, but if you record it into your H/Disk, or to tape, it can make some wierd atmospheric noises

You can also try running different objects up and down the springs and recording that.

Also just tapping or banging the unit, makes some wierd noises, especially if you put that sound through your normal Digital Reverb, to give it depth and distance......

Effects like these, will create more interesting sounds in your chewns than buying a massive top end synth.......If you start to think along these lines, you will find all sorts of creative shit you can do to give your tracks that distinctive sound edge.

If you are working alone, and you want to produce multiple FX like the above, but also with pan and volume fades, or complicated echo FX, see the PRODUCING COMPLEX FX TIPS in the FX-RACK section.......