Reverb comparison strategies

[vomitHatSteve]

So I finally figured out how to make room impulses work in reaverb and having been experimenting with them in my mixes.

I don't know if it's working or if it's a good idea even or if I should be pursuing it.

So I took my most recent busy mix (80-some tracks) and exported some excerpts using different 'verb strategies

CDS-A is the original mix with the following reverbs:
Drums - Using EZD's "room" and "reverb" channels as provided with the plugin turned down pretty quiet and sub-mixed with the rest of the drums
Glitch drums - no 'verb
Lead vocals - submix Raw track, heavily compressed track, 2 instances of JS: Stereo Reverb in series and cranked up
BG Vox - submixed together, routed through Reaverbate
Doubled vocals - usually muted, no 'verb
Bass - no 'verb
Lead guit - no 'verb

CDS-A.mp3

CDS-B through CDS-F are an identical mix except all previous 'verb channels are muted, and all the above channels are routed through a single Reaverb instance with a different room sample. (rhythm guitars and synths are not run through verb ever)

CDS-B.mp3

CDS-C.mp3

CDS-D.mp3

CDS-E and CDS-F use smaller room impulses that are slowed down to 1/4 speed

CDS-E.mp3

CDS-F.mp3

So I end up with a number of questions.
Do the 'verb bus mixes sound muddier? Better glued together? Is the 'verb distracting in those mixes since it has a much more obvious tail? Is the lack of 'verb distracting the the first mix?

You folks have any thoughts on this process? Suggestions for what might make things more sensible?

[Greg_L]

I like "B" the best, but all the tracks B-F are okay with me. I like them all better than A.

I don't often send everything to one reverb, but I like the "gluing" effect it does with your tracks. Unless I'm using reverb for an actual sound effect, I usually tend to use very light reverb on things so you can't really tell it's there but you can tell if you take it away. I tend to use reverb as inserts. Drum buss gets a reverb. Vocal buss gets a reverb. Sometimes guitars might get their own reverb. Every subgroup gets it's own reverb, or none at all. Then maybe, very infrequently, I'll strap a master reverb across the master buss to treat the whole mix. That's not often though. With reaverb you can tailor the wet and dry mix within the plug, so you don't really need to have the reverb as a send.

I've always thought your vocal methods leave your vocal tracks kind of small and thin. The reverb adds some nice fullness and space to the sound for sure.

[rayc]

Nice work - no preferences for me...as a recovering reverb junkie I try avoid it m'self.

[vomitHatSteve]

Thanks for the input, guys

[JD01]

I just have one track with my favorite impulse set 100% wet 0% dry and send small amounts of my other tracks to it. I only ever have one reverb in a whole project.
Hi pass the impulse so things don't get messy.

[vomitHatSteve]

Hi pass the impulse so things don't get messy.

I've considered if I need to EQ it at all. I'm curious if the slowed down impulses address some of that automatically. (Since a 1/4 speed sample of a 44k impulse isn't going to have any frequencies above 5k)

[JD01]

Hi pass the impulse so things don't get messy.

I've considered if I need to EQ it at all. I'm curious if the slowed down impulses address some of that automatically. (Since a 1/4 speed sample of a 44k impulse isn't going to have any frequencies above 5k)

Now you're talking witchcraft shit.

[WhiskeyJack]

I think I like B. It still has a lot of clarity and definition of all your moving parts while sounding still glued together nicely and your solo vocal parts aren't as verby and roomy. as all the others seem to be.

I can't comment on reverb usage as i still don't ever really feel like i have a good grasp on how to best use it. I really am a big advocate of simplicity so i try to use the less is more approach most times. I have one reverb i use for drums and one for vox. I set them up as sends and do a submix within the routing of the send to season to taste. That does sort of complicate it i guess, but i only ever work with two verbs.

Guitar solos usually get sent to the same verb as the vocals to fill the same space. At least that is what i tell my self.

[TripleM]

I thought A had much too much reverb overall and the different reverbs were stepping on each other a bit.

My favorites were either E or F. But anything B thru F were good too me.

I usually create 3 reverb busses: lead vocal, rhythm guitars, backing vocal. They're 100% wet, 0% dry. Then I barely send any signal from the source tracks to them and everyone tells me my mixes are dry. Ha.

If I reverb the snare, I'll send it to my rhythm guitar reverb. I'll usually send a lead/riff guitar to the lead vocal reverb. But it depends on the particular mix and particular reverb impulse.

I'll put a delay in the chain before the reverb plug. I'll delay a lead vocal anywhere from 40 - 70 msec. The other stuff is usually delayed 30-50 msec. I find this really can give you a lot more depth.

On the backing vocal reverb bus, I'll put a chorus after the reverb plug.

I use SIR as my reverb plugin. Reaverb works well too. I have a slight preference for SIR because you can play with the early reflections - that can change a "big" reverb into a pretty "small" one pretty quickly. That can come in handy. I usually like Medium and Small room impulses. Every once in a while I'll use a Hall if I want something bigger or an Ambience impulse if I want something smaller.

I'll EQ cut the low end up to 300-400 hz and EQ cut the high end down to 2-3K. The cuts will be somewhere between -3 to -6 dbs. Those numbers depend heavily on the particular impulse file I'm using. Those are some pretty big cuts - cutting a big range of the audio spectrum. But cutting the low end cleans up mud. Cutting the high end gets rid of excess sizzle. It can sound thin and muffled if it's isolated, but when you blend it in with the source track it tends to work nicely.

Just the way I do it. Kind of a long process for a guy that hates reverb.

[vomitHatSteve]

Interesting. I can see the 'verbs in A stepping on each other. I wouldn't have expected too much reverb overall tho.

Thanks!