What's the right way to add reverb?

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LstBrunnenG

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Last year, we made a CD of our swing choir at my school. The chorus director insisted on adding reverb in Sound Forge, and it ended up sounding pretty bad.

How can we add reverb so it doesn't sound as bad?

BTW: Last year we recoreded in our rehersal room, which is already a very live room. This year we are recording in the auditorum, which has about the worst acoustics on the planet.
 
It really depends...many reverb plugins sound crappy in the first place. When adding digital reverb to something that already has a fair amount of natural reverb, its even worse, especially in a choir situation.

And, before you start messing around with the tracks, they need to sound decent in the first place...as "dry" as possible, as loud as you can get it without distortion. Using enough mics is important. You didn't say how big your choir is, but I would probably want an SM81 or equivalent (small diaphram condenser mic) per 6-8 people, each mic on a seperate track, and seperate mics for soloists on their own track. I would find someone somewhat experienced to mix it.

Actually, I would find someone somewhat experienced to do the entire production. Even the pros usually don't produce their own music. There are reasons for that.

I would imagine that the reverb wasn't needed last year, and probably even less this year.
 
This is a high school, not a hollywood studio. If we could have someone mix it for us, we would. As it is, the mics are all going to a sound board, which the director checks before each song and balances the levels for us. The sound board then outputs stereo to a component CD burner. From there we rip and edit the tracks.

We're using two larger mics (I have no clue what you call them, but they're omnidirectional and roughly conical in shape) and a solo mic.

We're not even selling this CD. I just don't want it to sound silly, that's all. Maybe no reverb is what I'll end up pushing for.
 
I'm no professional, but I like to start of with as dry of a copy as I can get for the original, then play around with the reverb settings until I find something that sounds good to me. Of course, whether reverb makes something sound better really depends on the type of music: solos and bass I find benefit the most from it, while it just ends up muddying a detailed multi-harmonied section.
 
I didn't say pro, just someone that has done it before.

You shouldn't want it to sound silly, I'm sure you guys work your butts off for it, and want a recording you can be proud of.

With only two mics, you definitely should try to talk him out of adding reverb.
 
With only two mics, you definitely should try to talk him out of adding reverb.
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Agreed
it just ends up muddying a detailed multi-harmonied section.
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Agreed.
I would imagine that the reverb wasn't needed last year, and probably even less this year.
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Agreed.

Maybe no reverb is what I'll end up pushing for.
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Sounds like a good plan.
Stick to noise reduction and keeping the levels straight....You should wind up with a nice recording that allows the room to handle the reverb part.
Even if the mic setup and room suck it is still better then adding pseudo depth via reverb. ;)
 
I agree wholeheartedly with MisterX (and I've worked in several different professional studios), with one small addition. Set up the mics in the room you're going to be recording in, and record just one person clapping. Allow enough time in between claps for the natural reverb to die out. Use that to gauge how much reverb is naturally occuring. If you still feel like you need more than that, face a mic toward the far back wall (assuming there is not audience) or try aiming a mic at the choir from the back of the auditorium. Do the test claps each time. Just play with mic placement until the room sound right in the recording. I try to avoid non-natural reverb if at all possible.

Funny story just came to mind.....doing some work for a local group (now pretty popular throghout the state) I actually recorded the vocalist from inside a bathroom....the acoustics just sounded right for what they wanted!

Good luck!


-Z
 
Zemo said:
I agree wholeheartedly with MisterX (and I've worked in several different professional studios), with one small addition. Set up the mics in the room you're going to be recording in, and record just one person clapping. Allow enough time in between claps for the natural reverb to die out. Use that to gauge how much reverb is naturally occuring. If you still feel like you need more than that, face a mic toward the far back wall (assuming there is not audience) or try aiming a mic at the choir from the back of the auditorium. Do the test claps each time. Just play with mic placement until the room sound right in the recording. I try to avoid non-natural reverb if at all possible.

Funny story just came to mind.....doing some work for a local group (now pretty popular throghout the state) I actually recorded the vocalist from inside a bathroom....the acoustics just sounded right for what they wanted!

Good luck!


-Z
Click to expand...

The "clap test" is an excellent idea. I'm sure that there will be more than enough reverb with normal mic placement.

The more I record, the less reverb (and other effects excepting compression and/or upward expansion) I use.

A bathroom makes an excellent recording booth...especially for acoustic guitar. Wish mine had a 10' - 12' ceiling.
 
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