Hello,
I was wondering if it’s a common technique to add reverb on the final mix, to add space to the whole song.
Is it something we hear unknowingly on professionnal artists music?
Thanks,
Pierre

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Always… or I should say almost always. Reverb is a very important part of recording because when you place a microphone close to an object (close miking technique) what you gain is isolation of that one sound, but what you lose is the feeling of space. It is unnatural for you to hear a vocal for example with the singer 3 inches from your ear.

You are used to hearing a singer several feet away - where the sound can bounce off of walls and the ceiling and floor. Now you don’t want it to sound like a gynasium or a canyon either so a small amount of reverb with a reasonable size room is typically used. Of course, your mileage will vary based on the genre of music (the budget, and the people in charge of production ... that is, if they know any better)… but in most ‘natural’ sounding recordings, most everything but low frequency items has some small amount of reverberation applied.

Hope that helps. Although dealing with the Motif XS you may find this article on Reverberation interesting…

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Thanks. But I meant on the whole mix not just a track in particular, like a global reverb on the final 2 stereo tracks?
Thanks, Pierre

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

If it sounds good - do it!!
But one word of caution - when assessing your mix on headphones, it is often very difficult to get a true picture of how much reverb to apply. Mixes I’ve done using headphones to set the reverb levels have always required redoing and always making it less reverb /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

At the end of the day it depends what sort of sound you are after. Too much reverb can really muddy a mix up.

Cheers

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Thanks a lot.
As for the guitar, I used compression successfully, even in headphones it’s bearable.
CIAO P.

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

But I meant on the whole mix not just a track in particular, like a global reverb on the final 2 stereo tracks?

Actually, more often than you think.  On a 2 track mix you can unify the sound a bit with reverb.  Also, you can use it to mask edits, and effects changes with it.  And sometime a mix is so full of disparate sounds that the only way to make them sound as if they belong together is to add reverb.

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

I’ve also noticed that if I set reverb levels using only headphones, I usually have to redo them.  That’s why I first mix using headphones, and then I redo the mix using speakers.  I keep going back and forth between headphones and speakers, until it sounds right to me.  I have also found out that the defusion setting on the reverb contributes to how good it sounds through the headphones vs. how it sounds through the speakers.  If you have a reverb that is set to only reverberate on the center channel, it’s more likely to sound the same on both the headphones and the speakers.  However, as you spread the reverb out, it sounds more different.

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Joshy,
And how do I set a reverb to reverberate only in the center channel? More than often is is spread especially with the motif, or is it something I don’t do right?
Thanks, Pierre

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Technically, you do not have a “center” channel - not sure what he means by that… (unless you are doing some kind of surround mixing). In general Reverb can be applied overall - but make use of the equalizer usually provided for the reverberant signal… remember it is high frequencies that reverberate (best). Their short wavelengths mean they strike a surface like a wall or ceiling and bounce back… Low frequencies due to their longer wavelengths do not bounce back well - and can tend to muddy the mix a great deal.

See the article on Reverberation for tips.

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Thanks a lot for your input.
CIAO P.

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

No. Hardly ever.

Engineers do the final mix and when they do, they add very little. In fact, they try to decrease effects.

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Hmmm.  With a comment like that, it’s unlikely you’re going to drum up much business…

Every sound engineer (and I’m not going to quibble over the symantics) I’ve ever talked to says the opposite… A sound engineer’s job is to make a final mix sound good and appropriate to the venue. 

Reverb is probably the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT effect, in that a song, unless recorded in an appropriately ambient environment, is going to sound exceedingly dry and cramped if there’s no reverb added later.

Decrease effects?  Huh?  Don’t know that that’s even possible.

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

Actually, the modern trend has been to use less reverb and use other effects such as delay etc sparingly to create a different sense of ambience.
Back in the 80s, tracks were often swimming in reverb - thank you lexicon /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=
That’s not to say don’t use reverb, but more to say experiment with the effects you do have to create something that has an audio ‘wow’ factor, even if it is quite subtle.

Cheers

Re: Do producers do this: applying reverb on mix

I think it’s mostly better to put reverb on individual tracks where you want to have it. It’s better controllable and you doesn’t get that muddy sound.

If you want to create a special environment that you want e.g. sound a normal record like it would be made in a live hall then you would use it at the whole mix, but you would need a very high end reverb unless you doesn’t want to destroy the whole music.