Confusion about how and which reverbs are ok?

[Novaliz]

I'm still unsure about how to use reverb properly. To make it easier I have broken down my questions. I produce Witchhouse/ Hard Wave myself. Both genres are very reverb heavy.

a) Is it ok if you use a subtle room reverb on the drums, then have one instrument with a plate reverb and another with a hall reverb? Doesn't that hurt the consistency of the reverbs? or

b) Is it better to use the same reverb for all instruments to have consistency of all reverbs?

[AnX]

Whatever sounds right/good

[vurt]

depends how much like a real world space you need it to sound? don't know the genres in question, but anx is right, if it sounds good, it's right!

[imrae]

I generally prefer to have a few reverbs/delays on busses and then send different mixtures from channels. Then you can create the illusion of a large space with things at different distances. If the vocal mostly has clean room reflections while drums have a lot of diffusion, it sounds like the drums are at the other end of the room and vocalist is close. But done badly they sound like unrelated recordings mixed together.

Sometimes an "effect" reverb on a particular instrument sounds artificial in a good way, like a spring reverb on electric guitar or gated snare reverb. They are not natural but we understand how to place them.

[Synth Master Jedi]

I'm still unsure about how to use reverb properly. To make it easier I have broken down my questions. I produce Witchhouse/ Hard Wave myself. Both genres are very reverb heavy.

a) Is it ok if you use a subtle room reverb on the drums, then have one instrument with a plate reverb and another with a hall reverb? Doesn't that hurt the consistency of the reverbs? or

b) Is it better to use the same reverb for all instruments to have consistency of all reverbs?

I don't know what witchhouse or hard wave is exactly, but they don't sound like natural genres, and therefore you can do whatever you please with the reverbs.

If you were doing jazz or classical and you are going for realism, then you might want to think about consistency and realism in your verbs.

But if you're not going for natural, which you clearly are not, then mix and match, do whatever sounds good to your ears. You can even use multiple different reverbs on the same source. A bit of plate on the vocal, with a bit of hall for example.

Listen to other productions that you like in that genre and then just use your ears to achieve something that you like. There are no rules and you can use whatever reverb(s) you like.

Learn to identify different types of reverbs when you hear them so that you can be able to identify what you like, like plate, room, hall, chambers etc.

[lwj]

Whatever sounds wrong.

[chk071]

Whatever sounds right/good

That's how it used to be. Nowadays, we just want to press a button, and instantly gain experience from nowhere.

[chk071]

Whatever sounds wrong.

You know, that might even be the better option. What is a better experience than a mistake that you learn from?

[vurt]

Whatever sounds wrong.

You know, that might even be the better option. What is a better experience than a mistake that you learn from?

just don't suggest that to skydiver novices

[arkmabat]

Just make sure a limiter is on the master, and maybe don't use earbuds when you're starting out. Otherwise you'll risk getting tinnitus like me. I've been very hard on my ears and it's quickly catching up.

[elxsound]

I'm still unsure about how to use reverb properly. To make it easier I have broken down my questions. I produce Witchhouse/ Hard Wave myself. Both genres are very reverb heavy.

a) Is it ok if you use a subtle room reverb on the drums, then have one instrument with a plate reverb and another with a hall reverb? Doesn't that hurt the consistency of the reverbs? or

b) Is it better to use the same reverb for all instruments to have consistency of all reverbs?

I don't know what witchhouse or hard wave is exactly, but they don't sound like natural genres, and therefore you can do whatever you please with the reverbs.

If you were doing jazz or classical and you are going for realism, then you might want to think about consistency and realism in your verbs.

But if you're not going for natural, which you clearly are not, then mix and match, do whatever sounds good to your ears. You can even use multiple different reverbs on the same source. A bit of plate on the vocal, with a bit of hall for example.

Listen to other productions that you like in that genre and then just use your ears to achieve something that you like. There are no rules and you can use whatever reverb(s) you like.

Learn to identify different types of reverbs when you hear them so that you can be able to identify what you like, like plate, room, hall, chambers etc.

All of this… adding on here… for reverb types, you should also learn the difference between analog (springs, plates, tanks), digital (lexicon fame), and natural environment. There are many classic signature sounds that have heavily influenced why people reach for certain reverb choices.

[jamcat]

Not sure about Witchhouse, but I know for Fresh Step you have to use Waves H-Reverb tempo synced to 137 bpm with a reverb time of 1.55 seconds.

[lwj]

Whatever sounds wrong.

You know, that might even be the better option. What is a better experience than a mistake that you learn from?

I meant it seriously. AFAIK witchhouse is supposed to sound off and wrong. Answer: drown it in wholly inappropriate amounts of reverb. Works for me, although I don't make witchhouse.

[Unaspected]

Whatever sounds wrong.

You know, that might even be the better option. What is a better experience than a mistake that you learn from?

I meant it seriously. AFAIK witchhouse is supposed to sound off and wrong. Answer: drown it in wholly inappropriate amounts of reverb. Works for me, although I don't make witchhouse.

Exactly.

Think supernatural rather than natural.

And don't be afraid to limit or compress your reverbs.

[lwj]

Same goes for a lot of these more experimental and niche dance genres. Take something 'proper pro producers' and flip it on it's head, radically. If there's a sound people hate, make it a style

With something like psytrance there's more of a defined way it's supposed to sound and a proper way of doing things. But for instance with techno (something I know something about) there really isn't... or shouldn't be. That's the whole reason (IMO) techno is kind of dead and lame at the moment: it's so popular, everyone wants to do it. They all ask each other how so you get a lot of tracks that are made the same way and so what sounded big an dangerous 6 years ago is now just That Default Shit.

Not saying that's wrong. You gotta learn somehow. But my point (I guess) if you want to stand out in a more niche, weird, experimental genre you shouldn't chase what's current (or considered proper) but aim ahead of the curve. By the time you're good enough at it, it won't be exciting anymore/ If everyone is making dark, doomy stuff, make something bright and colourful.

Anyway, more directly to OP's point:

a) Is it ok if you use a subtle room reverb on the drums, then have one instrument with a plate reverb and another with a hall reverb? Doesn't that hurt the consistency of the reverbs? or b) Is it better to use the same reverb for all instruments to have consistency of all reverbs?

Nope, not even if you're trying to properly pro-produce something
The fact there are plate and hall reverbs to begin with indicates there are no hard rules: they're both reverbs that sound great on certain material and not so much elsewhere (plate for drums, maybe guitar.. metallic, impacty stuff/hall for orchestral sounds, pads, strings, fx and so on). If realism and consistency was the goal, you'd just use subtle room on everything.

There's also a difference in using reverb as a special effect, or as a mixing tool to 'place' sounds spatially. These can cross over: it can be both at the same time especially in electronic music, but important to keep in mind anyway.

P.S. listened to some witch house, I can dig it.. but yeah, just go wild.