Alternative to Reverse Cymbal???

[Mr. Tunes]

Can anyone tell me what are some good sounds to use instead of the cliche/quintessential cymbal swell? I use the sound frequently add some pizazz to transitions when I do music for media stuff, but am looking for some alternatives. Any ideas?

[Tomdini]

Well... you could maybe do a cymbal roll? Like a reverse cymbal, only physically possible.

Uh... there are lots of things you can do for swelling/crescendo-ish stuff for transitions. But you basically have your two types... rumblies, and airnesses. These are highly advanced, technical audio production engineer terminology, so take notes.

For rumblies, you can use any kind of pad played low, add some filters which automate along with an increase in volume, and it'll get real heightened and intense right before the break. Can sound cool for ominous stuff, or if you're transitioning to a darker/more dramatic or evil sound.

Airnesses are just the opposite. Add a ton of treb to a pulsing lead, play it up high, fade it in and out with an automated resonance filter or a flanger or something, and right when it ends, have your break.

I dunno what else to say... timpani drums? Gong scrapes?

Once I used a woman screaming bloody murder in a dance track... it was creepy as hell, I was DJ'ing a Halloween party.

I'm not sure I've been helpful at all. I'm sick and Robitrippin' right now, so uh... please excuse my scattered thoughts.

-Tom

[Polite Company]

when I do music for media stuff

What do you mean by media stuff? I ask because if you are free to experiment with whatever you want you might want to try something like engine noises, I've found some interest samples of such things though right now I can't remember where. Actually I can't remember much of anything right now. Damn head colds.

[Mr. Tunes]

Well... you could maybe do a cymbal roll? Like a reverse cymbal, only physically possible.

Uh... there are lots of things you can do for swelling/crescendo-ish stuff for transitions. But you basically have your two types... rumblies, and airnesses. These are highly advanced, technical audio production engineer terminology, so take notes.

Thanks for the suggestions. The 'rumblies' aren't an option cause they're too dark sounding. The 'airiness' is tricky cause this stuff can sound too synth-y sometimes. Gong scrapes are cool, I sometimes use them in conjunction with the reversed cymbal.

What do you mean by media stuff?

Yes that was vague sorry. It's sort of like trailer type work, jingles & stingers that appeal to a broad audience I'm always looking for sounds that are cool but not too synthetic, spooky, bizarre - not too percussion based, not too melodic. The reversed cymbal rides the fine line between all these things and I think that's why it's been so popular over the years. I was just wondering if anyone else has found they use it too often and what they replace it with?

[soniccouture]

the reverse cymbal is a classic, as you say, and is hard to replace - i would suggest you reverse some of the stuff in Konkrete ( you said you owned it), but you want to keep it fairly natural....
I often look for an existing element in the track, and reverse that. That way it fits in very well - or even take a whole loop from the track ( maybe the drum mix, maybe the guitar -whatever) and reverse that so it kind of builds up on itself, kind of thing. Either way, i think its good to force yourself to be creative with the elements that form the piece you are writing, as this can really throw up something new from time to time.

[jupiter8]

Would'nt reversing just about anything "real" that has the "right" envelope sound cool ? Obvious choices: reverse sustaining pianos, guitar chords ,etc.

[bastien]

Reverb!

Try putting your whole mix (or selected tracks) through a nice, big, 100% wet reverb, then render that out starting at your 'hit' point. Then bring in the rendered reverb, placing it to start one or two or whatever bars before your hit point, and fade it in before and out after the hit point using automation, to taste.

It sort of sounds like a cross between the reversed-reverb ('poltergeist') effect you often hear used on vocals, only not as weird, and an orchestra stab, only not as stabby.

[waiting man]

reverse cowbell

[CypherOne]

I sometimes do the reverse reverb thing on some vox sample and then remove the vox sample itself, so you're just left with the 'verby bit...if that makes sense.

[blaster78]

shaped and filtered noise works well.

infact anything with a slow attack can do a pretty good job of "replacing" your reverse crash.

i often use pattern gated noise as well.

[CypherOne]

for that matter, reversing any kind of 'hit' works okay...as long as it has a reasonable length tail.

[Mango]

my favourites are a timpani roll, or a waterphone swell

[HongKongTain]

What I love to do is use the Spectral Relativity IMPULSES and run them thru SIR -- put that on top of a section of your track, and you can end up with all KINDS of cool things you can filter or even just volume-swell into goodness. Some of those impulses just give you moody textures -- but many of them leave you with spacey organic vibes that are in the same key as your song (since your song is what's driving it, duh).

It's what I use for reverse-cymbal spots, basically.

[Rabid]

Gliding notes and chords.

Effected guitar feedback.

Orchestral swells.

Choir swells.

Reversed echo effects. (Not backward, but hearing the soft echo before the main sound. Like the effect used towards the end of Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin.)

A building sequenced pattern.

[Paulie Phonick]

One reversed ping only.