How to use reverb & other effects

[Bigdog]

I was recently accused of treating some singers..differently than others.

Which first of all is totally untrue.

The accurer (another KJ) stated that I used more or less reverb on certain singers based on their talent or lack of it.

This is totally false.

I do not now nor have I ever used reverb based on a singers talent level.

I use reverb based on what effect and how mush was used in the original song...regardless of my singers talent level.

I would not use the amount of reverb on a country song as was used by Led Zepplin just because that singers wasn't considered a good singer. (How many KJs know how much reverb LZ even used on 99% of their songs?) My guess is not many.

My point is...I use reverb based on the original song and never based on who is singing that song.

There is a huge difference between the two.

Many KJs don't understand or know the difference. That said I visited this KJs show last night and I ran into a singer and his first comment to me was listen how dead it sounds because he is not using reverb. At all...

So I assume no reverb ever is better....maybe because the KJ is more worried about taking pictures for facebook than trying to mix each singer? Maybe he thinks because he has decent speakers there is nothing to worry about..

Maybe he doesn't know how much reverb was used on certain songs. Maybe he thinks only bad singers need reverb. What I heard last night was not a night full of great singers. Many of which could have benefited from some reverb..


So now my question is....How do you use reverb?

Do you bother to change it for different songs?

Do you only use it on bad singers?

Or not use it at all?

Or just use one setting all night long?

Do you know there is a difference?

[mr.dj]

I use one setting all night long.
This is a setting that I have tested in the past and I think sounds best average sound for most singers.

If someone asks for more or less I will alter it.

I did experiment with a TC Helcion Voicelive play that you can dial in actual artists names or song titles and it will automatically adjust the reverb settings and also add other effects like autotone as used by a lot of the new singers. I found it too much trouble setting up for each singer to bother with, it is really for a solo singer and for that probably very good.

[Bigdog]

For each and every singer I'm adjusting their volume, gain to prevent distortion and reverb amount based on how it was in the original song.

[wiseguy]

I set my sound, including reverb, to suit the room I'm performing in. I don't adjust the reverb for each singer or song. There are some of my regular singers that I make specific adjustments for, including highs, lows, and reverb.

If you want to mimic the sound of the artists, especially the latest pop artist, you better invest in auto-tune.

[Bigdog]

I try to make the entire song sound like the original recording and that includes the reverb. It only takes a second to adjust the reverb for each song.

[mr.dj]

I'm surprised you can remember exactly how the reverb sounded in the original for every song that might be requested.

I get many requests for songs I've never heard, especially the newer tracks.

Simply turning reverb up or down does not necessarily set it to an original sound there are a lot more perimeters to consider like delay, decay & timing. These settings mimic different room sizes and surfaces.

Unless the singer is an impersonator as well I see no way he is going to sound like the original no matter what you do with reverb.

I only set the reverb to the mic, not the original song as that should already be as the original.
I set the reverb to what I think gives a warm tone to most people voices, just takes the flat response sound away.

[wiseguy]

I'm surprised you can remember exactly how the reverb sounded in the original for every song that might be requested.

I get many requests for songs I've never heard, especially the newer tracks.

Simply turning reverb up or down does not necessarily set it to an original sound there are a lot more perimeters to consider like delay, decay & timing. These settings mimic different room sizes and surfaces.

Unless the singer is an impersonator as well I see no way he is going to sound like the original no matter what you do with reverb.

I only set the reverb to the mic, not the original song as that should already be as the original.
I set the reverb to what I think gives a warm tone to most people voices, just takes the flat response sound away.

You are absolutely correct. There is no such thing as setting the reverb to what it was in the original song. The correct reverb setting is ALWAYS what sounds best in the room you're performing in. Some singers will request extra reverb because they mistakenly think it will make them sound better. Too much is just as bad or worse than none at all.

[Bigdog]

Over the years there have been some unique sounding effects in a handfull of songs....these would require special equipment. The average reverb unit usually has delay and other similar effects...

For the majority of the older songs reverb was king. So for example if someone was singing Led Zepplin you wouldn't change anything?

Most country songs are on the lower side of the effects....I back off the reverb for country songs. There are other rock songs groups "Heart" for example that used a heavier reverb on most of their songs...

By listening closely to the songs on the radio you can hear more reverb than you think might be in a song....I have been surprised...

I really don't see how you can adjust the reverb to the room....Most bars don't sound like caves when they get full of noisy people....So any natural effect that would or could be heard when the room is empty...will not be there when it's full of people.

I have used a delay on songs that had it ...but the majority of the time reverb will sound close enough to the correct effect.

Pink Floyd was heavy on the effects...

The point is...I do not set the reverb for the singer.....I base it on what was in the original song and I think this is how it should be done. On rare exceptions I will boost the reverb on someone that really sucks....and it's more to help smooth out their voice.

Singing on a dry system without any reverb to me couldn't suck more...reverb helps to blend the canned music with the live vocals...making them sound like they were actually done together as one interwoven piece.

I really don't sing on dry systems...No reverb sounds very unprofessional to me. Like the KJ either doesn't care or doesn't know how...the result is the same...CRAPPY..

[djBe]

guess i am the odd man out, as is often the case here on K-T Forum. If i think a singer will benefit from a little more or a little less reverb I will adjust. My feeling is the bar owner isn't just paying me for my gear and roadie muscles, he's paying for my ears as well and has placed confidence in me that I will do my utmost to make the music sound as entertaining as possible all show long.

If my ears tell me a singer will sound better with a tad more reverb, for example, to compensate for a dry clipped type of delivery, or less reverb to adjust for, say, two female singers not quite in sync with each other, then I turn it down as reverb will only heighten the disparity.

Likewise, I know which mics will be better for different singers and dispense accordingly. Which brings us to a well threaded bone of contention found elsewhere here...lowering the volume on bad singers. I do it, most KJs here say they do not...but my feeling is i have loyalty to the singer, the crowd and the bar...and just like mixing music in a studio you have to mix those sensibilities to the happiest medium possible....I will bring down the master volume a bit, the highs if its a screecher, and the singers volume a bit.

Two more tips with respect to the OP....bringing up reverb to cover bad singing does NOT help, it only makes things worse.

And if you run vocals on stereo or dual-mono, its better to keep reverb mostly on one channel, and the other channel mostly dry.

Live and let Rock! };=D