how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snares.

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shubelo
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how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snares.

Post by shubelo »

Been trying to really nail Reverbs heaps lately, I want to get the reverb timbres on the claps/snares on these tracks. I think I have nailed the gated part down but its more the sound of the reverb that I want.

My reverbs sound way to crisp, metallic like instead of sounding like a puff or air like the one in the clips. If that makes sense? I've played around with EQing the high and lows, diffusion and shape because I had played around with everything else but I feel its something in the Reverb settings??


Best example starts at 33 seconds




from the start







I have played around with larger values on the size decay etc and Im sure its got to do with getting the sound but Im not hitting the right balance between the settings (not even in the same ballpark)




How do they get it to sound soft, fluffy air sound and not harsh metallic like
oblioblioblio
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Re: how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snare

Post by oblioblioblio »

did you play with EQ before and/or after reverb? EQ before will give you much greater control than EQ after, but both can be useful to get to a specific effect. EQ before will control what goes into the reverb, try drastic cuts here. You could also do it the other way and boost certain things before, and then shape it afterwards.
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Re: how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snare

Post by oblioblioblio »

also like mentioned, some reverbs like the one in live can always sound quite metallic and a higher quality reverb should be a lot smoother.
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Re: how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snare

Post by lem »

oblioblioblio wrote:also like mentioned, some reverbs like the one in live can always sound quite metallic and a higher quality reverb should be a lot smoother.
I only ever use Abletons native reverb in my music. I also noticed how metallic it sounds compared to the ones in Logic (which is what I used before) I have got the sounds I wanted from it by using a lot of eq before and after but also things like distortion and phasers to make it sound less robotic and more oraganic.

I struggled with claps for ages. I think the secret to reverb is to paint a picture with it. My claps sound like ass on there own. Especially with reverb. But when you have other sounds with reverb it becomes a lot less obvious that there is reverb on any single sound. The focus is drawn away, so you can get a lot more creative with them.

Hope this makes a bit of sense
shubelo
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Re: how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snare

Post by shubelo »

Thanks guys, will check out the reverbs listed etc.

I'm using the Lexicon reverb plugin, so from what I've herd its still pretty good and high quality, I've read other people rate it highly as well. I believe its possible with this plugin, Im just not experienced enough.


I am using the reverb in a send/return. my chain looks like this EQ,VEB, Comp. Reverb is a medium plate, diffusion 100, 2 ms pre delay, large size and decay, shape full. That pretty much the setup. I have Eq'ed the the sh!t out of it trying high and lows, so know I think there's also another element Im looking. When you listen to the example they have some ''air'' quality to them and when I cut the highs it sounds to bleak.

The first example track sound like a splash/wash a bit like a white noise. IMO, it doesn't sound like a reverb at all but we know it is.

The 2nd and 3rd example have the same sort sound to them but different lengths. So theoretically if I shortened the 2rd and 2rd reverbs it would be the same, if you know what I mean.
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Re: how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snare

Post by oblioblioblio »

software lexicon is gonna be fine, although it's probably quite feature heavy which might slow you down. Don't waste too much time tryin g different reverbs though. Easy to waste lots of energy doing that, although I'm terribly guilty of doing that myself.

when doing stuff like this, if the effects chain gets super complicated you're doing something wrong... I only worked that out recently. Too much processing and it becomes like a sample, you forget what's doing what and then just leave i, or just change one or 2 things. But if you keep the effects chain smaller you can be sure of everything that is happening and it's much more fluid and effective.

The next question is what are you putting into the reverb? A sample, or a synth with filtered noise? Working on that area might help you get what you want.

If the highs are too bleak with EQ before, try a more subtle EQ after. I would cut the low end going in to stop it from getting too muddy, and then try a gentle touch of removing the highs afterwards.

Reverb is relatively simple with experience, but it's easy to overcomplicate it, and it's probably a bit of a headfuck with some parameters making loads of difference and others really subtle. You should be able to hear pretty easily what's going on. A smaller room size and smaller decay time might be a good idea. Worth playing with diffusion to get a feel for that.

Compression might help later on, but I would switch it out and get the other stuff where you want it first.
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Re: how to get washy/fluffy air reverb timbre on claps/snare

Post by oblioblioblio »

I think the second and third tracks probably have some gating or compression techniques going on. Search for gated reverb.
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