What reverbs do you like to use with DP?

[mongoose]

Go-to reverbs for me are Waves Renn Verb, UAD EMT Plate 140, and UAD Lex 224. 'Cause I love how they sound.

On the rare occasion when I want a "real space" verb I'll use either Proverb or Waves IR-L.

[Kubi]

Lots of Altiverb 7, especially for real rooms and for small environments to liven up stuff recorded in dead rooms, or synthetic sounds; lots of Lexicon PCM for main reverbs.

For specialty old school stuff: Softube Spring reverb, PSP Spring reverb, Softube Tsar.

For exaggerated verbs: Valhalla Shimmer, Eventide Blackhole.

Just like with compressors and EQs, I have too many… Nice problem to have.

[bayswater]

Go-to reverbs for me are Waves Renn Verb, UAD EMT Plate 140, and UAD Lex 224. 'Cause I love how they sound.

On the rare occasion when I want a "real space" verb I'll use either Proverb or Waves IR-L.

+1 on Ren, UAD EMT and Proverb, for the same reasons.

[Shooshie]

Odd to see Altiverb hardly represented at all among the responses. I have most of the reverbs mentioned here, and 12 years ago you would have found me using TrueVerb, and RealVerb before that, but Altiverb 7.1 is by far the best reverb I have used. They've recently remade all of their IR's for 7.1; I'm not sure what that means exactly, but everything certainly sounds great.

But with Altiverb it goes way beyond the available IR's, which are plentiful and varied, and of the highest quality. The controls enable you to do so many things with the reverb. For example, remove the reverb tail (there's a button for that, kind of hidden) and just use the direct and reflections, or even just the reflections if you want to merely blend it with your main sound, and you get a room sound without reverb. I don't know if any other IR reverbs can do that. But I haven't explored them all recently. There are many other controls, too.

There are IR's of every kind of gear and every kind of space imaginable, and they're adding more all the time. These guys do this very well. In the new version, you no longer have to worry about Altiverb stealing DP's controls away. It's transparent and easy to use as it was in the beginning.

Another useful item is the ability to audition reverbs with built-in sounds, such as a trumpet, voice, or drums. I don't use it all the time, but when I do, it's invaluable. I don't have to find a recording and run it to try out changes.

Anyway, I can't but scratch the surface of Altiverb usage, but suffice to say that it's one of the very best of the best reverbs available. Reverb is an essential studio tool, and using one like Altiverb opens up recording possibilities (variations in close-miccing, especially) that no studio should be without. Like a microphone, a DAW, or a pre-amp, it costs a bit more money than your typical plugin, but it's something worth spending that money on, then worth learning to use all its features so that you get your money's worth.

That's my opinion, anyway...

Shooshie

[Armageddon]

Odd to see Altiverb hardly represented at all among the responses. I have most of the reverbs mentioned here, and 12 years ago you would have found me using TrueVerb, and RealVerb before that, but Altiverb 7.1 is by far the best reverb I have used. They've recently remade all of their IR's for 7.1; I'm not sure what that means exactly, but everything certainly sounds great.

But with Altiverb it goes way beyond the available IR's, which are plentiful and varied, and of the highest quality. The controls enable you to do so many things with the reverb. For example, remove the reverb tail (there's a button for that, kind of hidden) and just use the direct and reflections, or even just the reflections if you want to merely blend it with your main sound, and you get a room sound without reverb. I don't know if any other IR reverbs can do that. But I haven't explored them all recently. There are many other controls, too.

There are IR's of every kind of gear and every kind of space imaginable, and they're adding more all the time. These guys do this very well. In the new version, you no longer have to worry about Altiverb stealing DP's controls away. It's transparent and easy to use as it was in the beginning.

Another useful item is the ability to audition reverbs with built-in sounds, such as a trumpet, voice, or drums. I don't use it all the time, but when I do, it's invaluable. I don't have to find a recording and run it to try out changes.

Anyway, I can't but scratch the surface of Altiverb usage, but suffice to say that it's one of the very best of the best reverbs available. Reverb is an essential studio tool, and using one like Altiverb opens up recording possibilities (variations in close-miccing, especially) that no studio should be without. Like a microphone, a DAW, or a pre-amp, it costs a bit more money than your typical plugin, but it's something worth spending that money on, then worth learning to use all its features so that you get your money's worth.

That's my opinion, anyway...

Shooshie

Not at all -- I love Altiverb on film score stuff, especially when using it to match up instruments/orchestra sections that were recorded wet with stuff that was recorded dry. The scoring stage IRs make everything sound just like the classic movie scores I remember, and the controls, like you said, are the easiest and most intuitive to use out of any reverb plug out there. I prefer algorithms when working with rock or electronic stuff.

[Klaus]

Easiest on cpu convolution reverb AU plugin (AFAIK ) :
http://audio.lernvall.com/
LA-convolver

Best

Klaus

[Prime Mover]

I stopped using convo reverb plugins a few years back. No offense to Altiverb specifically, but I found that I could get closer to what I wanted more quickly and with more control with more synthetic means. To be honest, I also just prefer the idea of modeling more than sampling/convolution. Then again, with the projects I work on, I'm not so much concerned about realism as I am about interest and musicality. Not that Altiverb doesn't have that in spades, but IRs tend to be specifically designed with the intention of providing realism. I went through a phase with them, but realized that I was just more in love with the idea of them and the "realism" of them than I was with the actual effect it had.

But every type of work calls for different strategies, and it's absolutely clear that Altiverb serves a lot of producers and projects very well, and even probably could mine. However, I've just found that I can get by very well with traditional multi-stage digital reverbs and I'll always prefer to do so if I can.

If I had $500 sitting around, I'd be willing to give it a shot. But frankly, I'd put that money to a bunch of digital reverbs with different flavors, but that's just me. Been extremely happy with Valhalla Room, I'll get me some Redline at some point.

[Dan Worley]

I've been wanting Altiverb for a very long time. I've used it a few times and it's absolutely brilliant. But Audio Ease never seems to have a sale. I'm not saying it's not worth what they're asking for it, designers and developers need to make money, and it would probably pay for itself very quickly, but these days I need extra incentive before reaching for the wallet.

I've always been a Lexicon fan, but the only reason I got the PCM bundle is because they dropped the price and there was also an additional discount being offered at the same time.

[BKK-OZ]

I've been wanting Altiverb for a very long time. I've used it a few times and it's absolutely brilliant. But Audio Ease never seems to have a sale. I'm not saying it's not worth what they're asking for it, designers and developers need to make money, and it would probably pay for itself very quickly, but these days I need extra incentive before reaching for the wallet.

What he said.

[Dan Worley]

Yeah, you might want to try something a little more conservative. Of course, it all depends on what you're working on and the algorithm you're using.

I can't tell the exact settings you're using, but (and I had this discussion on another thread) I'm not using MW EQ, either -- just the low-rent 2-band ParaQ. I had no idea you could actually control the slope of a HPF with MW EQ. A lot of the stuff I ever read or people I talked to about Q-ing 'verb always said to use a 200 Hz HPF after a a reverb auxiliary, so I always assumed that's what you were "supposed to do". Of course, it depends a lot on the EQ, too. If you look at the HPF or LPF slope on a ParaQ, it appears to actually take out at least 20 more Hz

Far be it for me to give any kind of actual mixing advice, but if you feel 150–240Hz is getting you stuck in the mud, instead of using a low cut, try notching down that range (or wherever) instead. You'll have more control with gain and Q and slope type, with MWEQ or others.

You can low cut at approximately 90Hz and that will take care of any rumble or thumping that might take place.

Low mids are extremely important to the quality and integrity of reverb, so most of the time (but realizing there are no rules), you don't want to remove too much or it can come back to bite you by making things sound too thin and one dimensional.

[Shooshie]

Algorithmic reverbs are like fluorescent lights; no matter how you filter them, they've always got a certain spectrum in them that you can't remove. That's not necessarily a bad thing; I've used fluorescents in my house for decades, actually preferring the ones that attempt to balance the spectrum toward sunlight, which I greatly prefer to incandescents. Likewise, there are places where algorithmic reverbs just sound "right." But when they don't, there's nothing you can do to fix them. That's been my experience, anyway, where algorithmic reverbs always have a certain metallic flavor. In doing orchestral and acoustic instrumental stuff, I just can't use them. Altiverb is all that works for me. Well, I could use Waves IR1, or MOTU's ProVerb, but I've never just "clicked" with those as I have Altiverb.

But we each have our needs and priorities. That's something I totally get.

Shoosh

[rnappi]

I've been wanting Altiverb for a very long time. I've used it a few times and it's absolutely brilliant. But Audio Ease never seems to have a sale. I'm not saying it's not worth what they're asking for it, designers and developers need to make money, and it would probably pay for itself very quickly, but these days I need extra incentive before reaching for the wallet.

I've always been a Lexicon fan, but the only reason I got the PCM bundle is because they dropped the price and there was also an additional discount being offered at the same time.

I did and feel exactly the same as you. I got the PCM Bundle last year for $389 and I just can't convince myself to shell out for Altiverb.

One verb that doesn't get mentioned a lot is EWQL Spaces. I got this during the Black Friday sales to cover my convolution needs and I must say, it's very good. It's still on sale for $150, so if you're shopping for convolution, check it out.
http://www.soundsonline.com/Spaces

rich

[Prime Mover]

I just refuse to give EWQL any more money, they just treat their users so poorly over there, and they flat-out lied about why they weren't able to give out/sell their IRs prior to Spaces announcement. Not gonna go there.

Totally understand convo for orchestral stuff, I've only used IRs for that. Not so sure I agree about acoustic. I've done some acoustic work with Valahala with quite a lot of success. Keep in mind, convolution is pretty new, and there have been many decades of successful acoustic recordings made with Lexicon and other conventional reverbs. The one thing that digital has done a good job of reproducing are plates, and lots of acoustic guitar recordings use plates.

I used a lot of medium room parametric reverb on fiddle parts with good success, actually often prefered it to proverb. Then again, there were a few parts that I completely ditched reverb for a simple tap delay (recreating an outdoor space).

[Shooshie]

The one thing that digital has done a good job of reproducing are plates, and lots of acoustic guitar recordings use plates.

Even MOTU's ancient plate reverb has always sounded good to me. I agree about plates and digital, but then... that's one of those cases where the "metallic flavor" is perfect. That's what plates are all about!

Shoosh

[Armageddon]

Algorithmic reverbs are like fluorescent lights; no matter how you filter them, they've always got a certain spectrum in them that you can't remove. That's not necessarily a bad thing; I've used fluorescents in my house for decades, actually preferring the ones that attempt to balance the spectrum toward sunlight, which I greatly prefer to incandescents. Likewise, there are places where algorithmic reverbs just sound "right." But when they don't, there's nothing you can do to fix them. That's been my experience, anyway, where algorithmic reverbs always have a certain metallic flavor. In doing orchestral and acoustic instrumental stuff, I just can't use them. Altiverb is all that works for me. Well, I could use Waves IR1, or MOTU's ProVerb, but I've never just "clicked" with those as I have Altiverb.

But we each have our needs and priorities. That's something I totally get.

I agree! For me, Altiverb works for orchestral/film score stuff, and Lexicon PCM works better for rock/pop/whatever else -- and for the same reasons you just described! I've tried using algorithms on film scores and it somehow feels cheap and "too much", and using Altiverb on regular music doesn't sound like it's "enough" (I'm also stuck in the Eighties, too, so that could be a factor!). And I have a stock of other reverbs that I either use as effects, or if I want material to sound like it's from a certain era, or to use on instruments where a normal reverb doesn't bring out certain characteristics in something. I even have an old Ratshack Reverb plug that emulates the old cheapo Radio Shack reverb (it's actually a delay).