I am using EastWest instruments as a VST in Cubase, and I want to apply reverb to the individual instruments.

Do I place the reverb as a send on the MIDI track and as such it is applied when I convert to the individual audio tracks.

Or do I record a dry audio track in Cubase and apply the reverb during mixdown?

On either option I could get a separate plug-in, or even an outboard unit, but I guess that’s another subject!

Peter

Re: Reverb - where to apply?

Peter, I usually record DRY, then apply all effects on the Audio during mixdown.  You get a lot more flexibility that way; if you change the effects at the MIDI level, you have to re-record the whole track during Audio conversion.

If you do it during mixdown, you just redo the mixdown.  In Cakewalk, at least, the Mixdown is much faster than real-time.  Some other DAWs (not sure about Cubase) require as much time during Mixdown as the duration of all the components.

Re: Reverb - where to apply?

Hi Peter,
Bit of a clarification please /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=......do you want to apply the same reverb to each instrument in varying amounts or different reverbs to different instruments? Are you using different instances of Play for each instrument or are all your instruments in one instance of Play? Do you want to use the Play convolution reverb or a plug-in? Are you sending the audio outs of each instrument to a separate single Master bus that controls only those Play instruments or are there other instruments going to the same bus? Answers to these types of questions will give us a better indication of what you want to do and therefore how it can be done.
If you are recording each instrument separately on to it’s own audio track, then normally you would record it dry as Tony suggests, but there can be exceptions (as there always are). The point is that you don’t want reverb on the track(s) permanently until you are ready to begin mixing. Once reverb is embedded, obviously you can’t remove it.
If you want to use the same reverb on a number of audio tracks, the best approach is to set up an fx track containing a reverb plug-in (100% wet), which is then sent to a master bus. Then you use Send for each individual track to send the audio from the track to the fx track. The level and intensity of the reverb added can be controlled for each individual track. This approach is a good one as it allows us to consider placement of the instruments in the stereo field as well as how reverberant we want each one to be. In any case you’ll want to work with reverb and audio not MIDI.............frank

Re: Reverb - where to apply?

Thanks guys, yes I wondered if essentially it should be done dry at first.

Reference Frank’s points :
re :do you want to apply the same reverb to each instrument in varying amounts or different reverbs to different instruments?
In most cases I want the same reverb in different amounts to each instrument.

re : Are you using different instances of Play for each instrument or are all your instruments in one instance of Play?
Ah, now there’s a point!  I’ve yet to figure this out.  In my first project with EWQLSO I have opened a separate Play for each instrument, but that’s because know no better! (I know there’s a master button for reverb, but I haven’t used it as I have multiple instances of Play).

re : Do you want to use the Play convolution reverb or a plug-in?
The Play reverb has a good reputation I believe, but I have not decided yet what to use as a standard. My only other option at this time is Roomworks.  However, I am quite open to get a separate plug-in or even an outboard hardware unit. (If I use the Play reverb doesn’t that automatically have to be used on record, i.e.prior to mixdown?)

re : Are you sending the audio outs of each instrument to a separate single Master bus that controls only those Play instruments or are there other instruments going to the same bus?
At the moment all the Play instruments are on the same bus and nothing else is there.

re: If you want to use the same reverb on a number of audio tracks, the best approach is to set up an fx track containing a reverb plug-in (100% wet), which is then sent to a master bus. Then you use Send for each individual track to send the audio from the track to the fx track. The level and intensity of the reverb added can be controlled for each individual track.
...and that is exactly the way that I am doing it /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

Thanks for any further views/advice.

Peter

Re: Reverb - where to apply?

Forgot to mention:  For me, my only option is DRY.  I’m using a MoESRack, not VSTs.  While the MO has decent effects, if they’re not exactly what I want, I dry it up, record it to Audio, then go from there to Sonitus:fx or PerfectSpace or whatever.

Re: Reverb - where to apply?

Hi Peter,

Re: “In most cases I want the same reverb in different amounts to each instrument”
---Then the approach using an fx track in Cubase is probably your best with this. Do consider a high quality reverb plugin. There are MANY of them, but IK Multimedia’s versatile CSR (click here) comes to mind, as do the UAD verbs such as the Plate 140, and a wonderful one that is no longer available (RoomVerb), but there are many many more of various types. And yes there’s nothing wrong with considering external units like Lexicon, but perhaps you’d be happier with software at this stage. Certainly the latter is a more expensive option.

Re: “Ah, now there’s a point! I’ve yet to figure this out. In my first project with EWQLSO I have opened a separate Play for each instrument, but that’s because know no better!”
---Actually you must /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt= because you made the right choice. That is indeed the approach recommended by EW.

Re : “However, I am quite open to get a separate plug-in or even an outboard hardware unit.”
---See above.

Re: “If I use the Play reverb doesn’t that automatically have to be used on record, i.e.prior to mixdown?”
---Yes, unless there’s a way of using the Play reverb only in an fx channel, and personally I don’t know of any way to do that. Certainly using 5 instances of Play with 5 convolution reverbs is not something you want to attempt regardless. /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

Re: “At the moment all the Play instruments are on the same bus and nothing else is there.”
---Good approach and it offers you options in that Master bus for those instruments. An fx track though still sounds like your best bet in this situation.

Re: “...and that is exactly the way that I am doing it”
----See, you really didn’t need us after all! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt= .......................frank

Re: Reverb - where to apply?

re: “See, you really didn’t need us after all!:

Oh yes I did.  /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

Thanks as always........Peter