#Reverb reflection graph pro

This results in masking, muddiness and causes a smeared direct sound. If you use a reverb that is not really suitable for the source material you are working with, it will amplify unwanted resonances and make your audio sound hazy. Reverb is an effect that has a lot of power but it also is something that has the potential to quickly muddy your creation – and this already begins with your input material. This often results in a very muddy sound. There is a tendency to compensate for a problematic reverb that isn’t sounding right by making it more imposing. Artificial sounds and more experimental settings work well in genres like pop, metal and EDM. needs to be specifically coherent and sound natural most of the time. For example, reverb for tracks in classical music, folk, country, etc.

#Reverb reflection graph pro

Pro tip: The “right” reverb parameters strongly depend on the genre your music belongs to. By rummaging around a large number of presets on your way to finding the perfect reverb, your original idea can quickly become wishy-washy and in the end you may have invested a lot of time only to lose track of your sonic vision.

You can lose your aim anytime during your workflow and reverb certainly isn’t an exception. The hard part is to actually stick to your initial goal.

When we start with a new creation, we usually have an idea about how it should sound. Here are a few general examples of the latter when adding reverb: Losing aim There is a lot to be gained by using reverb but there are also several things you want to avoid. Bringing together technical aspects and affective intentions can be quite tricky. As well, reverb is a lot about conveying a feeling. The sonic character of the reverberation depends also on the reflective qualities of the space’s surfaces.Ĭonsidering the properties of different reverb components, finding the right parameters of the envisioned reverb for an audio track can quickly become immensely time-consuming whilst mixing. The “tail” embeds the original sound into a soundscape and can render it indistinct if strong enough. (Late) ReverberationĮvery reflection that we hear later than ~ 50 ms after the direct signal is added to what we typically call reverberation (also known as decay, diffuse sound or reverb tail). The temporal difference between early reflections and diffuse reverberation also contains important information about the listener’s distance from the sound source. Early reflectionsĪudio reflections that reach our ears 10 – 50 ms after the direct signal provide us with a lot of information about the nature of a room – its size, its surfaces and indications of its shape. 343 m/s, it has therefore travelled around 3,5 meters after 10ms. First reflections can amplify the signal and add color to it, but they can also produce undesirable comb filter effects. Here is a short breakdown of the reverb components and their technical aspects (read more about reverb in article “ Reverb in audio production“).Įvery audio reflection that reaches our eardrums within 10ms after the direct signal is combined with the original, direct sound. When it comes to using reverb in audio production, we need to keep all of this in mind. The reverb tail however, is more about embedding and enveloping and validates what we have interpreted from the early reflections. For example, early reflections give us a comprehensive impression of the room (its size and geometry), the surfaces we are surrounded by and how far away the sound source is. The components of reverb determine how our brain interprets what we hear. As well, we will explain what you need to consider when using reverb in audio production. We want to show you why reverb isn’t just a pretty effect but rather, it is something crucial to our perception. These all carry different information that we then perceive. Each reverb is built from distinguishable components: the direct signal, first reflection, early reflections and the reverb tail.