Read part 1 of “The Importance of Space in a Mix”

Reverbs

As with all facets of mixing and recording, the source sounds are paramount.

Choosing the best reverb(s) for the job up front will ultimately determine the end result. So, even before we get into the mixing of the space, let’s talk about sound selection. In a musical piece, we can treat the reverb as any other sound source, with four basic components:

• Rhythm
• Volume
• Tone
• Texture

Rhythm

One of the key elements of any reverb is it’s decay. The length of the tail is often an indication of the expanse of the space. However, it also determines the time in which the reflections sustain in the mix – and that’s a rhythmic concern.

A long sustaining sound in a fast tempo piece, or rhythmically complex piece is going to mask elements of the mix and generally slur the overall rhythm. A quickly decaying tail in a slow piece on the other hand, will leave a lot of empty space with very little impact from the reverb. Find a tail length that compliments the speed of the piece.

Pre-Delay

Another rhythmic consideration is the speed of the pre-delay. Pre-delay is a key element in determining the front to back relationship of the dry sound and the space it exists in. In other words, pre-delay helps the ear recognize how close or far the dry sound is.

Generally speaking, the longer the pre-delay, the closer the dry sound. A zero millisecond pre-delay means that the reflections and the dry sound are reaching the ear simultaneously – which puts the dry sound far away. This acoustic phenomenon could be an article all to itself, but we’ll leave it at that for now.

Pre-delay is also a rhythmic element – it determines a space of time from the initial dry sound before the early reflections show up. Anything within the Haas Zone (10ms or less), isn’t going to have much effect on the rhythmic sense of the sound. Once you start getting up to 20ms and greater, the slap back effect becomes distinct and there is a clear rhythmic effect. Find a pre-delay that compliments the speed or rhythm of the piece.

Lastly, some reverbs (particularly room and hall style reverbs) have a rhythmic space between the early reflections and late reflections. This is not always controllable, but listening for that “bulky” moment in the reverb sound is very important when selecting a reverb. Often times, plates are a good choice for drums partially because there are no “early” or “late” reflections – eliminating that particular rhythmic concern.

Volume

Generally, when I’m mixing, I prefer just enough reverb to add a little life to the elements in the mix. Often, I’m setting my reverbs 15 or 20dbFS lower than my dry elements. However, this isn’t to say reverbs can’t come to the foreground. It’s a very important aesthetic decision.

Just remember that whether the reverbs are subtle or prominent, they still need to sound right. Tone and Texture – this is where we get into the gritty stuff. There are many factors in determining the tone and texture of a reverb. First comes the style of the algorithm or convolution, then the three “D”s: diffusion, density, and damping.

Algorithms and Processors:

• Springs and Plates – A transducer sends vibrations across a metal coil, which are then picked up by another transducer. Springs have a “rigged” texture, and a hollow tone. Certain frequencies will jump more than others. Plates use a similar system, but work around vibrating metal plates. The result is a more natural sound – but one which is often “denser” than a real space.

  Plates will also highlight certain frequencies. The exact tonal qualities will vary to some degree in spring reverbs, and to a greater degree in plates. One major tonal difference is that plates tend to be “shinier” than springs, which feel more “empty” or “lonely” if those words can even apply to sound. Vibrations appear immediately and decay linearly – there are no early or late reflections.

  Because of these things, plates and springs are often very distinct and forward sounding reverbs, and useful for adding firmness or punch to the elements that feed them.

• Chambers, Halls and Rooms – Hall and room reverbs simulate the way a sound would actually acting in a given space. The characteristic sounds will change distinctly from unit to unit.

  Rooms are often based on rectangular or semi-rectangular, level spaces. Halls are often modeled off of minute amphitheater designs with curvature to the walls and incline from the sound source. Halls will usually have less separation between the early and late reflections.

  Otherwise, the algorithms are generally based around a size approximation. Halls are designed to be vast and deep. Rooms are designed to be natural. Halls will have a more even tone, whereas rooms may have resonant peaks and dips – but this is entirely dependent on the particular reverb unit. Chambers are unique room designs, and will vary as often as actual reverb chambers will vary.

  Many reverbs, especially the “natural” space algorithms also may have settings for diffusion, density, and damping…

Click here to read the rest of this article written by Matthew Weiss and learn more about diffusion, damping and density

The Importance Of Space In A Mix: Part #2 – The Tools is a post from: Home Recording Studio Guru

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1. The Importance Of Space In A Mix: Part #3 – Mixing The Space
2. The Importance Of Space In A Mix: Part #1
3. FREEEeee Reverb Effect For Mac and Windows!

Okay, so technically the Loudness War began a looooong time ago.

I was recently interviewed for a featured article on this because of my connection with TurnMeUp.org. More on that in a moment.

If this whole “Loudness War” thing is unfamiliar to you, here’s the quick and dirty from Wikipedia:

The trend of increasing loudness as shown by waveform images of Something by The Beatles mastered on CD four times since 1983.

“This phenomenon can be observed in many areas of the music industry, particularly broadcasting and albums released on CD and DVD. In the case of CDs, the war stems from artists’ and producers’ desires to create CDs that sound as loud as possible, or louder than CDs from competing artists or recording labels.

“However, as the maximum amplitude of a CD is at a fixed level, once that level has been reached, the overall loudness can only be increased by a combination of dynamic range compression and make-up gain. This is done by applying an increasingly high ratio of compression to the dynamic range of the recording and then increasing the gain of the recording until the peaks have reached maximum. Certain extreme uses of dynamic range compression can introduce distortion or clipping to the waveform of the recording.”

Here’s a video that also explains the Loudness War in a very quick and easy manner:

Now we come to the self-serving part of this post.

A while back, Charles Dye, John Ralston and I founded http://TurnMeUp.org as way for an artist to fight back against the loudness trend and release a dynamic record if they so choose.

I was recently interviewed on the subject by David Sason of Bohemian.com and the it’s now out. Here’s the beginning of the interview with a link to the rest of it. Thanks for the great story David!

It’s called “soundcheck” on the iPod. On some television sets, its name is “steady sound.” Today, virtually every electronic entertainment device has some sort of built-in volume control, seeking to level the increasingly jarring fluctuation in the loudness of audio or video content in the 21st century. “What’s probably most noticeable to people is how loud a commercial is on television when it comes on,” says Allen “Big Al” Wagner, recording industry veteran and proprietor of Big Toe Studio in Vancouver, Wash. “That’s the same technology being used to make music louder.”

As the cofounder of Turn Me Up!, Wagner, along with engineer-producer Charles Dye and rock musician John Ralston, is trying to counter a trend that’s quickly entering the cultural lexicon via a dramatic term: the “loudness wars,” a moniker that aptly describes the aggressiveness with which the loudness race has progressed and the destructive effect it’s had on the audio arts. Whether rock, hip-hop or jazz, music is roaring like never before. Turn Me Up!–the name tells listeners what to do with quieter, more dynamic albums–aims to hush the blast.

“It’s the equivalent of someone screaming everything they say,” says Wagner. “Imagine taking a painting and saying, ‘It’s not bright enough, so let’s take the Mona Lisa and go over it with all day-glo colors so that all the colors scream, all the time.”

Go to the rest of the article at Bohemian.com »

“Begun, The Loudness War Has.” is a post from: Home Recording Studio Guru

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