# Suggestions on template reverbs?



## Puzzlefactory (Aug 19, 2017)

Im putting together my largest template to date and im not sure what to do about reverbs. 

I'm using several different libraries each with their own levels of recorded "wetness". 

In the past I've just used one or two reverbs on a couple of send channels. 

But I've seen lots of different ways of doing reverb and not sure what to go for. 

I've seen people who have different reverbs for the different instrument sections (not sure if they then send that to a master reverb for "glue" or not?)

I've seen people talk about one room and one hall (although not sure what use a room verb is for orchestras). 

I've seen people talk about two reverbs with different pre-delays depending on instrument position within an orchestra. 

And then I have the issue of the different levels of wetness form the different libraries.

So all in all, I'm a little confused which approach to take.

Anyone got any advice?


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## CGR (Aug 19, 2017)

In my experience it depends greatly on the particularly track I'm working with, and what sonic goal/result I'm searching for. Are you aiming for a result which sounds like live players in a natural space, or are you producing a track in which all bets are off in terms of how sound behaves in a natural space, and the most unorthodox approach and application of reverbs may be just what the track needs?


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## Puzzlefactory (Aug 19, 2017)

Well as it's going to be my basic go to template, I want a "jack of all trades" setup. But also I want to be able to blend everything nicely together (particularly as all my different libraries have different levels of wetness/dryness).


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## CGR (Aug 19, 2017)

That's a tough one - a 'one size fits all' template. I have a number of style/context specific templates setup in Logic suited to various types of music. My vocal/piano/bass/drum projects lean more towards room & plate reverbs, with a Valhalla Room verb on the master output. My instrumental piano/orchestral projects utilise more convolution reverbs, with a bias toward small hall/recital space reverbs. Depends greatly on the mix of the sampled instruments with any baked in reverb/ambience, and dryer sampled instruments and live recorded material. I've found a mix of convolution and algorithmic reverbs give you a broad range of possibilities and textures, regardless of the style of music I'm producing. My overall tip is to pay attention to appropriate pre-delay amounts on the reverbs, to preserve some clarity.


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## CGR (Aug 19, 2017)

Further to my previous post, Valhalla Room is invaluable in my work, and it constantly plays an important role in the production of all types I music I produce. Great piece of software, and I have a great admiration and respect for it's creator Sean Costello.


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## Puzzlefactory (Aug 19, 2017)

There's also the issue of blending libraries.

Let me give you an example. In my template I have Hollywood strings and Albion One. Now Albion has a huge amount of room ambience in the recordings from Air studios and in comparison HWS sounds pretty dry.

Now if I use a master reverb as a kind of mixing glue, I'm going to have to use a huge amount in the HWS just let it "catch up" with Albion. 

Alternatively I could insert a reverb on the Hollywood channel and then send it to the master reverb (for the glue) but this might be reverb overkill. 

In regards to Valhalla, I've been tempted but I already have the softube reverbs from Komplete and from what I can see, they're very similar products (modelled after the same hardware?).


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## JohnG (Aug 19, 2017)

Hi there

I think it's a matter of feel and gradually dialing in the sound you like. Personally I like quite a bit of reverb; others like a much more dry sound. The best place to start with all this is to be judicious selecting mic positions. that also can help make different libraries blend with each other.

to address one of your specific questions:

-- the reason to have a separate reverb for a section (brass, for example) could be aesthetic, but it also could be that if you're delivering a score for media you are offering the producer / director the ability to delete that section if he or she wants. Or to use it solo -- or to more or less remix the cue and / or play "GarageBand" with your stems.

While personally I find such a thing somewhat sacrilegious, it's not always. For video games, it is not uncommon to deliver a 3 or 4 minute piece for a game level that is expected to take 10 minutes to play (or maybe much more). In that situation, they might want to manufacture a "percussion and strings only" version of the track, or otherwise muck with it.


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## CGR (Aug 19, 2017)

Puzzlefactory said:


> There's also the issue of blending libraries.
> 
> Let me give you an example. In my template I have Hollywood strings and Albion One. Now Albion has a huge amount of room ambience in the recordings from Air studios and in comparison HWS sounds pretty dry.
> 
> ...


Yes, sometimes an attempt to mix different libraries just doesn't work, and the search for compatible libraries can be time consuming with a lot of trial and error. Often there is a sonic incompatibility that can't be overcome by plugging in a reverb in an attempt to glue them together. It makes me think of the sonic imprint or vibe which studio/record labels like Sun Studios, Stax, Motown etc. imparted on their records. There was a cohesive and identifiable sound they achieved, and they weren't battling with trying to mix individual instruments/vocals recorded in such completely different spaces and with very different techniques. I recently created a very quick improvised track using Sampletekk's TBO piano (Yamaha C7), a free Rhodes piano sound font, a free upright sampled bass and Addictive Drums 2, and a friend of mine who owns and operates a professional recording studio (and is also a top-tier session drummer) was convinced it was a live recording. The reverbs I used were Convolution rooms & plates, at levels that felt 'right' to my ears. It's a blend of science and art I believe!


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## davidgary73 (Aug 19, 2017)

A great video to watch. 

In Depth Tutorial - How To Mix Orchestral Samples Recorded In Different Locations @


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## Puzzlefactory (Aug 19, 2017)

Yeah, someone posted that on Facebook when I posed the same question. Will definitely give that a watch.


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## Breaker (Aug 20, 2017)

I've been trying to setup my templates so that I have different reverb options easily available. That said, lately I've been using two different strategies:

More complicated one:

All groups have their own reverb (convolution) which is routed to corresponding group (ie. String reverb goes to Strings group)
Some 'Random Hall' as a master glue reverb
Vocals (choir and solo) have extra reverbs (cathedral and plate)
Drums / Perc have an extra reverb (plate)
Pianos have extra reverbs (small room, plate, a 'wash FX') and two delays
All these extra sends might or might not be used, depending for example if I want the piano to sit in the Orchestra or be a more 'cinematic' one
This gives lot of flexibility but is also quite slow to mix if I have lot of going on in the track.

Simpler option:

One hall reverb for everything
One reverb for tails (Actually lately I've fiddled with two; a high and a low one)
More of a set-and-forget solution. Works maybe a bit better for more modern production as I can tone down the tails of the shorts for a tighter sound. Also if I need to deliver dry stems with FX separately, the first option is totally an overkill.


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## will_m (Aug 21, 2017)

In my template I'm using Spaces, each stem has it's own reverb bus, as Spaces has different convolution presets for different orchestra sections.

I feel this creates more depth without mixing reverbs too much. 

Then I have a few more sound design reverbs setup, ones with long tails etc.


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## Puzzlefactory (Aug 21, 2017)

Think I'm going to go for the one reverb per section method. 

As this is going to be my basic template and hopefully at some point in the future I'll have to send off stems, it'll probably be best to have it built into my setup now.


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