Audio Foundations: Reverb

Explains one of the most essential ingredients in audio mixing, reverb—the time it takes for sound to bounce, echo, and decay during a live performance or recording.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you need to know before watching this course
• Songs you should listen to while watching this course
• Using the exercise files
• Using the Get in the Mix session files

1. Understanding Reverberation

• What is reverb?
• Why do we use reverb?

2. Technologies for Creating Reverb

• Capturing reverb acoustically through room tracks
• Creating reverb acoustically through a reverb chamber
• Creating reverb mechanically using springs and plates
• Creating reverb digitally via algorithms and convolution
• Optimizing signal flow, effects loops, and CPU resources

3. Key Parameters and Reference Values

• The anatomy of reverberation
• Mastering reverb time, predelay, and wet/dry mix parameters
• Understanding the frequency dependence of reverberation
• Tapping into advanced parameters such as diffusion, density, and more
• Reference values from the best orchestra halls
• Hearing beyond the basic parameters
• Touring the interfaces for six reverb plugins

4. Reverb Techniques

• Choosing the right reverb for each of your tracks
• Simulating space with reverb
• Hearing space in the mix
• Timbre and texture
• Shaping tone and timbre with reverb
• Creating contrasting sounds for your tracks
• Using nonlinear reverb to help a track cut through
• Emphasizing the reverb using predelay
• Strategically blurring and obscuring tracks
• Get in the Mix: Changing the scene by changing reverb
• Get in the Mix: Gating reverb to emphasize any track in your production
• Reversing reverb to highlight musical moments
• Synthesizing new sounds through reverb
• Get in the Mix: Supporting a track with regenerative reverb
• Getting the most out of room tracks

5. Advanced Reverb Topics

• Setting up your own reverb chamber: The architecture
• Setting up your own reverb chamber: The audio
• Using convolution correctly
• Getting great impluse response

Conclusion

• Next steps