PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

I like to use reverb. But there's a difference between the sound of headphones, the sound of a listening room, and the sound of live PA in a room built for 500 people.

I don't like when musicians use reverb on stage, that sounded great and wet and thick in the studio, but in the room built for 500 (which then adds a lot of reflections and reverb of its own) ends up washing out the sound that was intended for the audience's ears.

I haven't had the chance to use the SCOPE/XITE-1 in a live scenario, but that day is coming at the end of the month. So, what reverb do people who use SCOPE in a live scenario use? Do you have rough comparisons for what a reverb sound in the studio translates to onstage? In the past, I've just used more basic reverbs on my bass, or effect sounds (tape delay). But, now that scope has opened up a few doors, the possibilities are endless...which means choices need to be made.

I'm thinking an S|C Chorus-Delay device would be a good replacement. It doesn't have long tails, but provides the equivalent of early reflections and I think can seed the room to provide its own tails. Maybe a Flu-Liq-Delay since it can be toned down to an almost dry effect at will, but still add the extra stereo separation, and in effect displace the audio heard from the environment the listener is in. Which to me, is the whole point of reverb as an effect, rather than just making the signal a bit more wet.

suggestions? tips & tricks?

Personally I would use NO reverb at all on bass intended for live (and not much in studio recordings either tbh). But really, that bass will just become a splurge with verb.

I would be tempted to try short delays and slapback (single repeat) delays rather than necessarily using reverb. If you really want reverb using the early reflection portion as you suggest is probably the way to go. Probably something artificial like a plate will sound better than a room or hall type reverb, SC-Plate perhaps. The SC-Ambience would be a good alternative to try rather than a 'full-on' reverb.

Along with that I would also suggest using a lot of high pass filters to cut that low end on most sources - so many live gigs I go to sound awful because there's so much bass action going on in other instruments other than the bass, that it all becomes a mush (do not trust the sound man for this unless you know him).

Thanks for the feedback. I definitely push the bass through HP before verb, usually set to filter below the 2nd harmonic. For spacey things, it allows for low end while the verb smears the percussive elements. But for beat oriented music, short delays are key.

My question is more on overall mix. HP on everything else is a good idea. And I forgot about the Early Reflection verb, I'll experiment with that this week.

live?

some delay and leave it at that, is best for most venues.

A little delay and no reverb IMO.

Greg

unless it's for a special effect....

SC 5.1 Room in Stereo........................Splash for space, very short tail, low DSP in stereo w/ ER's disabled.
Celmo's Stereo EchoReq 2.0.................Bog Spooky Reverb/Delay combo similar to Ursa 3U Space Station, perfect for B3.
I'd rather have the Union FOH and Sound Cops they call engineers here run a Spotlight and leave the mix alone.

don't count on the room to make your sound: as people go in, as heat and humidity goes up, the sound of the room will change drastically, especially the high frequencies and general diffusion of the sound.

Use a delay like in the 50's : it will give the depth and ambience (check the classic "Gene Vincent - bebopallula" cause it is the root of echoverb, and from there adapt the sound to yours). The problem with reverb is just feedback. may be you can make a very short verb before the echo and the mix of both could be something interesting.
Reverb on bass? not advised. In a live, what is appreciated is when the bass is vibrant and gives... bass frequencies (to shake your belly )
With a good bass sound/speakers etc, if you add reverb you will probably take a huge place in the "mix" already, and will loose the definition in the low frequencies.
Reverb is good on drum machines and acoustic snares, or special effects here and there... to use sparingly and someone must always check on feedback, to lower the vverb a bit when needed, and add it when possible..... Idid some PA "engineering" (big word) and i was constantly moving faders, sends, eq potis etc according to what is happening on stage. Bands have always been very grateful and happy with the sound (well, i did 3 or 4, no more, but all of them were happy with teh sound and control over the sound
500 people = small room yes ? (what is the surface area, height, and what are the walls made of / covered with). This can help determining what kind of ambience the room brings.

It is important to have someone who can correct the sound live. Half of the ones i saw in various small shows don't deserve to touch a single knob of a behringer mixtable (they don't even deserve to look at it, lol)... But sometimes the guy is good. A good guy behing the desk makes a huge difference for the show, pleasure, and understandability of your music...

good luck

I use the Classic Reverb with h/p filter above 1k and a medium decay(Used sparingly). This gives a nice reverb shimmer without getting muddy. The filter cutoff can be lowered to give more warmth to the sound inf the room is dry.

I will also L-R-C delay with short delay times.