How many reverbs per track?

[jens]

Best practice would put a single reverb on an effects buss send. The more verbs you stack the less control and your mix troubles will surface quickly.

This is good particularly if you want to make everyone sound like they’re in the same room together.

It's even better if you want to make everyone sound like they're feeling bored together.

However I would add this one tip to that:

Set the reverb’s pre-delay to 0, and then use a short delay between each send and the reverb, and set them for different amounts, depending on where you want to place them. Longer delay time with a wetter reverb mix ratio will sound further, shorter delay time and drier mix will sound closer.

To be clear, this delay should be in-line, 100% wet, and have no repeats. You can correlate distance to time, as 1’ ≈ 1ms.

Voxengo Sound Delay works brilliantly for this task and is free.

You will probably have to set up an intermediate FX channel to send to from your audio track to place the delay on, then send on to the reverb from there. Do this for every track getting reverb so each one can have a different amount of pre-delay.

Yes! That's a brilliant tip indeed! Makes it sooo much easier than having to put an instance of the same reverb on each track.

[DCrown]

How many reverb topics per DCrown ?

some people don't realize when a topic is beaten to death... i just call it obsessive-reverb disorder

Some just don't realize it's not about listing reverbs here, but how to use!

Have you tried Reaper?

I use Reaper, yes

[jens]

Problem solved then, right?

[DCrown]

Set the reverb’s pre-delay to 0, and then use a short delay between each send and the reverb, and set them for different amounts, depending on where you want to place them. Longer delay time with a wetter reverb mix ratio will sound further, shorter delay time and drier mix will sound closer.

I do this as pre-delay is an important component of getting the right reverb sound. However, I just use the pre-delay parameter on each reverb instead of setting up extra aux tracks just to put in a delay plugin. Not sure why I would do that unless I was using a reverb without pre-delay.

If it's about having an easily accessible knob or fader, I guess I could add the pre-delay parameter to the track controls or mixer panel in Reaper.

I think it's about making all instruments like being recorded in the same room.
So take for example one room reverb, set pre delay to 0, and route every instrument to the daw's stock delay (cpu friendly), each instrument to a delay with different delay time and all delays to the room reverb. Maybe a shorter delay time on lead vocal to have it more upfront. This routing can be easily done in Reaper, but I suppose every daw can do it. You don't need several aux tracks in Reaper, just one aux track with several delays and a reverb.
Another way is to use two aux tracks,
1st with a rather dry reverb (lead vocal, bass, drums, instrument solo) , 2nd with a wet reverb for making instruments sound further (background vocals, rhythm guitar, synths, maybe keys) and also delays for each instrument before the reverbs of the two tracks.
jamcat explained it pretty well.

[DCrown]

My question is whether you always should send a dry sound to a room reverb (sound without any reverb), because sometimes you would prefer also having a synth's internal hall or whatever reverb.

[jens]

whether you always should

"always" - that's just about the most important word in music production (and life in general) - too many people don't realize that strictly following certain rules and formulas is the most important thing.

[DCrown]

whether you always should

"always" - that's just about the most important word in music production (and life in general) - too many people don't realize that strictly following certain rules and formulas is the most important thing.

Forget "always", I ve tried now and it sounds terrible, a sound with hall into room reverb, just terrible, so the correct word is "never" haha
Of course there are things in life you shozld never or always do, experience is your teacher, fire is hot, isn't it?!

[xx JPRacer xx]

I use one reverb to "gel" everything together and other track reverbs for FXs or push instruments to the back.

Some people that use many reverbs on the same track usually use different part of the reverb for different task, eg: they'll use the "early" part of one reverb into the "late" part of another.

[AtomOfScent]

I usually have 1-2 send reverbs to help cohesive things with a shared sense of space but tend to use reverbs on individual tracks most often. Virtual instruments and samples typically already have a reverb sound, and I'll add a more traditional reverb and a more creative sound design one which might be automated.

Also, it might seem counter-intuitive but it's often better to use reverb plugins on individual tracks rather than on groups or sends due to how multi-threading is handled.

I have 16 cores and 32 threads to balance the CPU load. 5 instances of the same reverb on individual tracks can be fine, but one instance on a group or send could cause dropouts since processing is forced to occur on one thread.
As an extreme example 32 threads being 85% utilized might be fine, whereas 1 thread at 95% and 31 at 0% would crap out even though the overall CPU usage is far lower.

[jamcat]

A totally different way to approach reverb is to put one on every track.

Not big artificial Lexicon style reverb, but rather very understated, natural room simulation. This would be for physically modeled instruments, synths, or super dry samples. Or if you recorded yourself in an anechoic chamber.

Use a live room from something like UAD Sound City or IK Sunset Sound, or the TC Electronic System 6000 or some other highly realistic room simulator, or of course, an IR of a real space, to place each part in an acoustic environment. Place the chosen plugin in the first insert slot on the track, and mix the wet/dry balance to taste for each part in solo. Remember that you're going for natural and understated, not a big effect.

Here, we're simulating the live recording environment, so the ambience is baked into the sound, as opposed to sending out to a reverb effect in post. This will get you a lot closer to the sound of recording live in a studio with mics.

Use this as the foundation for all of your audio tracks. You can still set up a few sends with different artificial reverbs for added effects, as usual.

[JerGoertz]

Another way to do things is put a reverb on every *other* track. On the alternating tracks, put a delay.

[kritikon]

I need at least 35 reverbs for my orchestral pieces. One for each player. I want to make them all sound like they're recorded in a room and glue them together for the final mix. I want them to sound like they're recorded in the Palace of Versailles, but unfortunately each instrument is in a different room. The triangle player is in the hall of mirrors and is doable, but the tuba player is in the servants' toilet downstairs and it's a bugger of a job getting the right reverb for that.

[Fornicras]

I need at least 35 reverbs for my orchestral pieces. One for each player. I want to make them all sound like they're recorded in a room and glue them together for the final mix. I want them to sound like they're recorded in the Palace of Versailles, but unfortunately each instrument is in a different room. The triangle player is in the hall of mirrors and is doable, but the tuba player is in the servants' toilet downstairs and it's a bugger of a job getting the right reverb for that.

I love how this sounds satirical and real at the same time.

[martinjuenke]

I always use 42 different reverbs on every track.
Why?
Because 42 is the answer to everything - always.

[whyterabbyt]

I always use 42 different reverbs on every track.
Why?
Because 42 is the answer to everything - always.

I concurred in advance.