I thought some of you might like to know about a cool trick to get that studio reverb sound. I mean that silky smooth reverb with presence. My experience with rack mount reverb units, like Quadreverbs, Microverbs, etc., is that most of the patches sound fake and "springy" sounding. True, on some units you can program your own patches and use digital EQ and other parameters to tweak the sound, but here is an old trick that us live sound guys use to get the ultimate sound. It involves patching the verb unit to the mixer so that a channel fader drives the reverb, and therefore affords you the ability to use the channel strip's EQ to tame the sound. Also, you can add reverb to the monitors by simply turning the proper AUX send for the channel that drives the verb. Here is how to set it up:
1. Run a patch cord from the unit's output to any channel's input on the mixer board. Assume for this example that you choose channel 8 on the mixer board.
2. Run a patch cord from the reverb unit's input to an AUX send on the board. Assume for this example that you choose AUX 2, and that AUX 1 is driving your monitor speakers. Make sure that the AUX 2 control on channel 8 is OFF, and NEVER cut it up. Doing so will produce a shrill feedback. You will only move AUX 2 up on the other channels that have mics plugged into them.
3. Channel 8 fader is what drives the reverb. Think of it as a master reverb control. I EQ my unit on the channel strip like this: Treble all the way up, bass and mids all the way off. You may have to tweak this a little, but you will find it to be very little.
4. There are a few controls that need to be checked. On the reverb unit, there is a MIX, LEVEL, DRY, etc., or similar controls. At first set them all up the middle. Push the channel 8 fader to it's mid range position. Plug in a mic into channel 1 on the board and adjust it so that you hear sound in the speakers. If the mixer has a AUX 2 Master, turn it up half-way. On channel 1 for the mic, turn up AUX 2 until you hear reverb. You should experiment with the reverb unit's knobs so you are sending a strong signal to the channel 8 fader. You want to drive the unit just below the point of clipping. Back the input knob on the reverb unit back a tad if the clip light flickers on the unit. Likewise on the mixer, be sure that the channel's input trim pot on channel 8 is adjusted so that it has sufficient signal but does not clip. Also, on the reverb unit's front panel there may be a MIX knob that changes the signal from dry to wet. I usually adjust this knob near fully up, almost all wet. After you spend some time tweaking your reverb unit's knobs, they will rarely need adjusting again. My rack-mount Alesis Midiverb hasn't been changed in over a year now!
5. To add reverb to the monitor, simply turn up the AUX 1 send on channel 8. Again, leave the AUX 2 ALL THE WAY DOWN at ALL times on channel 8.
6. If your reverb unit is a stereo unit, and you have a stereo board and run it stereo, then you can use two channel strips to drive the reverb unit's left and right channels. Pan the balance left on one strip and rigt on the other. Now any slap-back echos or stereo reverbs, flanges, choruses, etc., will sound AWESOME. Don't forget to EQ the strips that drive the verb.
If you have never run a reverb this way, you will be totally surprised at the difference of the sound you get. I get so many compliments on my sound system, and I attribute this trick to most of those compliments!
If you have built-in onboard effects, check your mixer's manual, some mixers have very flexible patching capabilities that may allow you to still use this trick.
How to get studio sounding reverb
This is the way I have been running my reverb from day one. It is the way the music store owner set it up. He runs a $100,000 PA system and does some major events in the area.
It's easier than trying to twist knobs. It's like running the volume for the music and vocals. Everything is on a slide. EZ to look at and know immediately where you stand.
It's easier than trying to twist knobs. It's like running the volume for the music and vocals. Everything is on a slide. EZ to look at and know immediately where you stand.
Among almost all pro-audio engineers, this is how reverb and other outboard effects are run. Having the ability to seperately mute, EQ and control the level of your parallel effects is very handy. Another added benefit of this for a KJ is that if you do run a vocal monitor on the stage, you can also send the verb to the vocal monitor. Just make sure you're sending it to the Monitor or Aux Send that you use for your monitor post-fade. This way the level of verb in the monitor will adjust as you adjust the fader.
I have read many posts about using reverb the correct way.
Many opinions say that the reveb (effects) should be very subliminal to the point of not knowing it's there. Yes and no....
I tend to replicate the effects to make my singers sound exactly like the original. So I constantly change the reverb settings for each and every song. Because each and every song has a different effects setting.
This comes from really knowing how the songs really sound. Experience and careful listening to lots of music is the only way to do this.
For most country songs I have a pretty standard setting. That is just so the reverb is noticable but not over powering and not dead. I haven't heard too many different effects use in country music.
One major exception that comes to mind would be Patsy Cline songs that seemed to be a little heavier on the reverb.
Led Zepplin songs are very heavy on reverb. That was a major part of their signature sound. As are some Journey songs. (Not as heavy as LZ, but you can hear it very plain.) Ozzy songs. On The Dark Side by John Cafferty, Little River Band.
Len Barry's 1-2-3 and Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down have very similar effects. You have to listen hard to hear it but it's there and different.
I don't have the effect that Cher used on Believe, I make it sound close and on the word Love (If you believeeeeee in Love.ove.ove.ove...) end with a delay and I do it in the song Holiday by Madonna. Holiday.ay.ay.ay...Celebrate.ate.ate.ate...
So when I say I try to make you sound like the record, I mean it. 99% of the time I can get it pretty close.
I'm willing to bet that 50% of the KJs have no reverb unit. Of the other 50% I'm betting 45% don't know how to use it. 4% probably never change the effects from song to song.
I have a "singer"
that when his song starts is talking into the microphone to see if the reverb is on. He wants no reverb at all or any other effect on his voice. He tends to sing songs that require reverb. Like Play That Funky Music and without some reverb IT SOUNDS STUPID. He sucks to begin with and no reverb sounds worse.
I never sing any song without some effect on my voice. It's amazing how much reverb enhances the voice and makes it blend with the music.
A KJ show without reverb sounds horrible. Doesn't matter if every other aspect of their show is top notch. I would never go to any show that didn't use reverb. But I don't know of too many shows that are worth going to anyway.
Reverb units cost about $200. One of the most valuable pieces a KJ can own, if they know how and when to use it right.
Many opinions say that the reveb (effects) should be very subliminal to the point of not knowing it's there. Yes and no....
I tend to replicate the effects to make my singers sound exactly like the original. So I constantly change the reverb settings for each and every song. Because each and every song has a different effects setting.
This comes from really knowing how the songs really sound. Experience and careful listening to lots of music is the only way to do this.
For most country songs I have a pretty standard setting. That is just so the reverb is noticable but not over powering and not dead. I haven't heard too many different effects use in country music.
One major exception that comes to mind would be Patsy Cline songs that seemed to be a little heavier on the reverb.
Led Zepplin songs are very heavy on reverb. That was a major part of their signature sound. As are some Journey songs. (Not as heavy as LZ, but you can hear it very plain.) Ozzy songs. On The Dark Side by John Cafferty, Little River Band.
Len Barry's 1-2-3 and Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down have very similar effects. You have to listen hard to hear it but it's there and different.
I don't have the effect that Cher used on Believe, I make it sound close and on the word Love (If you believeeeeee in Love.ove.ove.ove...) end with a delay and I do it in the song Holiday by Madonna. Holiday.ay.ay.ay...Celebrate.ate.ate.ate...
So when I say I try to make you sound like the record, I mean it. 99% of the time I can get it pretty close.
I'm willing to bet that 50% of the KJs have no reverb unit. Of the other 50% I'm betting 45% don't know how to use it. 4% probably never change the effects from song to song.
I have a "singer"
that when his song starts is talking into the microphone to see if the reverb is on. He wants no reverb at all or any other effect on his voice. He tends to sing songs that require reverb. Like Play That Funky Music and without some reverb IT SOUNDS STUPID. He sucks to begin with and no reverb sounds worse. I never sing any song without some effect on my voice. It's amazing how much reverb enhances the voice and makes it blend with the music.
A KJ show without reverb sounds horrible. Doesn't matter if every other aspect of their show is top notch. I would never go to any show that didn't use reverb. But I don't know of too many shows that are worth going to anyway.
Reverb units cost about $200. One of the most valuable pieces a KJ can own, if they know how and when to use it right.
Effects do vary by song and in many cases they vary withing the song. Some songs need only enough verb so that it's barely detectable, others (especially many slower songs) need it soaking in verb. Also many songs use dry vocals in the bridge and then bring the effects back in when the chorus fires up again as a way of building up. Knowing the songs is by far the best way to get it right, but even if you don't know the tune, once you get to know the "tricks" you can pretty much tell what makes sense where.
Hi, I am using a Vocopro DA-1000 PRO at home. Can I get close to studio sound reverb on this machine? What is the best setting to get the best reverb on this machine, in terms of the level of delay, repeat and digital echo (the three settings available)?
My present setting sounds good when I am singing whilst listening on the open speakers, but when I listen on the headphones (e.g. trying to record my singing), I can only hear a lot of echo with my voice, cannot hear the presence of my voice. I have to turn down the delay, repeat and echo right down to get acceptable voice on headphone and recording. I did that before and made some nice recordings of my own singing. But then I am puzzled with what the right setting is.
I guess when I am singing and listening through open speakers, I hear my own voice and the echoed voice from the speakers, having a perfect mix. But when I am listening to through the headphone or recording, I can only hear the voice from the speakers, which on its own will have too much reverb. Am I correct?
Can I ask, what the best settings are for delay, repeat and echo for live performance and for recording at home?
My present setting sounds good when I am singing whilst listening on the open speakers, but when I listen on the headphones (e.g. trying to record my singing), I can only hear a lot of echo with my voice, cannot hear the presence of my voice. I have to turn down the delay, repeat and echo right down to get acceptable voice on headphone and recording. I did that before and made some nice recordings of my own singing. But then I am puzzled with what the right setting is.
I guess when I am singing and listening through open speakers, I hear my own voice and the echoed voice from the speakers, having a perfect mix. But when I am listening to through the headphone or recording, I can only hear the voice from the speakers, which on its own will have too much reverb. Am I correct?
Can I ask, what the best settings are for delay, repeat and echo for live performance and for recording at home?
The effects on that unit acts globally with each mike, meaning you can't adjust the echo separately from each mike so a duet has the same echo processing on mike one and mike two. The only thing you can do to change that is to turn the echo off.Hermie wrote:Hi, I am using a Vocopro DA-1000 PRO at home. Can I get close to studio sound reverb on this machine? What is the best setting to get the best reverb on this machine, in terms of the level of delay, repeat and digital echo (the three settings available)?
My present setting sounds good when I am singing whilst listening on the open speakers, but when I listen on the headphones (e.g. trying to record my singing), I can only hear a lot of echo with my voice, cannot hear the presence of my voice. I have to turn down the delay, repeat and echo right down to get acceptable voice on headphone and recording. I did that before and made some nice recordings of my own singing. But then I am puzzled with what the right setting is.
I guess when I am singing and listening through open speakers, I hear my own voice and the echoed voice from the speakers, having a perfect mix. But when I am listening to through the headphone or recording, I can only hear the voice from the speakers, which on its own will have too much reverb. Am I correct?
Can I ask, what the best settings are for delay, repeat and echo for live performance and for recording at home?
The short answer is...You can't.
Echo is echo and reverb is reverb. Two entirely different effects.
That's the trouble with the disc playing machines. They all have only echo. Reverb is a more universal effect. Echo must be a very cheap effect to install. I have never seen any disc player that has onboard reverb.
To get reverb you will have to buy a stand alone reverb unit.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=181014
Then you will probably need some type of mixer to use the reverb. Now you are starting to see why doing karaoke costs so much. Or you could buy a mixer with built in reverb.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630139
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630142
Or you could get a powered mixer with effects.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630202
Then you could get speakers to go with the mixer.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=601211
A couple of speaker stands.
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... sku=459556
You'll have a nice home karaoke system. And you won't blow out your TV speakers or your surround sound speakers.
You could record out of the mixer.
Echo is echo and reverb is reverb. Two entirely different effects.
That's the trouble with the disc playing machines. They all have only echo. Reverb is a more universal effect. Echo must be a very cheap effect to install. I have never seen any disc player that has onboard reverb.
To get reverb you will have to buy a stand alone reverb unit.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=181014
Then you will probably need some type of mixer to use the reverb. Now you are starting to see why doing karaoke costs so much. Or you could buy a mixer with built in reverb.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630139
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630142
Or you could get a powered mixer with effects.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=630202
Then you could get speakers to go with the mixer.
http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=601211
A couple of speaker stands.
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ ... sku=459556
You'll have a nice home karaoke system. And you won't blow out your TV speakers or your surround sound speakers.
You could record out of the mixer.
