reverbs inside synths

[zerocrossing]

I just finished a bit of music using a Nina for a spacey pad for one part. I figured I’d circle round and replace the reverb and whatever other effects I’d put on there when doing the preset, but I never got around to it. I totally forgot. Why? because it worked perfectly in the mix and nothing about it was sticking out or sounding bad. It sounded awesome. I only thought of it because this thread reminded me.

Are Nina’s reverbs super good? I’ve never really put them up against other reverbs, but I’ll definitely say that the results sound great to me.

[Stokely]

I usually disable built-in reverbs. A mix can become cluttered and unnatural if each instrument has a different type of reverb.

I prefer to have the same reverb on all instruments but not in equal amounts. For example, to simulate close miking I send less of an instrument's signal to the reverb. Bass instruments only get a bare minimum amount of reverb to avoid muddiness.

I found that a very subtle delay often works better than reverb for making an instrument less dry.

I have a similar mindset. I don't usually want a ton of different verbs all in the mix...but it depends. If the reverb is part of the patch sound, or modulated internally in some cool way and sounds good, I'll probably leave it alone. Sometimes a "better" separate reverb changes the vibe of a patch not for the better, even if it might be cleaner or higher-def.

When I use Diva for example, it's usually for a vintage-y more basic sound, and I almost always turn off the verb. Repro I'm more likely to leave it on but still probably most times remove it.

[Odd Fella]

I like a built-in reverb because one can save it along with each patch. Must make even more sense for 3rd-party sound programmers, who sell their sound sets. They can't include instructions on how to set up an external reverb for every patch.

Some patches simply require a reverb, else they are pointless.

[Examigan]

Yes, they sound great.

[Ah_Dziz]

I like them in most cases. As long as it's a flexible reverb or one that's so crappy it can be abused for sound design purposes. I don't see the point for standard mixing purposes, but reverb can be incorporated into many types of patches in a useful way that also drastically change the sound rather than trying to place it in a "space". I use the reverb in zebra all the time and it's kinda crappy. It is fun to put on a send (inside zebra) and then process with other FX.

[jancivil]

When I use a synth (or something that in its design may as well be a synth) along with acoustical simulation instruments, I do not put the former in the 'nice' room with the latter, it has never fit. I think owing to synths eating a lot of space. I do use a realistic room but it's a harder, danker and deeper (front to back) space (Pernegg Monastery). And I'll put that at the back so it's a space behind the 'cleaner' space (Synchron Stage wide, which isn't very deep). I don't have any specific recollection of a synth's internal reverb.
Absynth has an FX page you might call some of 'reverb' but I wouldn't, it's beyond. I know I've used the flanger in NI Kontour & I think I have used its "echo" but I want to hear the synth before I think of reverb and I may well just not apply any.
However in one thing I use frequently that may as well be a synth in terms of how you treat things, SINE Creative Tools, a lot of it comes with Room or "Space" where very different things than "Core" happen, and that I will output separately, preferring to send {a print of} that to the back of the long room while "Core" is left dry. Mixing more than a single reverb I'm a bit paranoid of, stuff sounds whack pretty quick.

[Aiynzahev]

I'd say the Virus line is an example of the one of the worst onboard reverbs I've ever heard. Perhaps the very worst though is Largo. Anyway the good ones, I'd say the one in Spire, Massive (and Massive X) and Diva's is nice too.

As a preset designer, of the highest calibre!, you would definitely know more than most how onboard reverbs sounds, as you'd be constrained to them for your preset packages.

I'd be curious to know what other reverbs you use?

Massive X does have a good reverb for sure. I have several UAD and Valhalla, and find I usually get something more to my taste from these, than from a synth directly...

Sorry I was being way too harsh on the TI. I don't know why I said that, I had forgotten Novation's Nova synths, Alesis, Akai and so on, there are plenty of synths out there with worse on-board reverbs. I think the Virus TI reverb can be nice actually, with the right settings. That said a number newer VSTs have much more impressive reverb. Massive X, Spire, Pigments etc. Even if these newer VST's don't have great reverb they tend to be less metallic and ringy than a lot of older ones.

I make use of onboard reverb on most banks I work on, I think reverb built into presets can give you the inspiration to hear the patch in a musical context. Once you've settled on a sound etc, I think it's beneficial to turn off the onboard reverb and use your preferred reverb plugin on a send. It's usually going to sound cleaner that way as you can process both the raw synth sound and reverb separately. That said sometimes a mix of both is great too & if you have the options in the mod-matrix etc you can set up the reverb to be a dynamic part of the patch.

So yeah, sorry for a that weird outburst!