Tips and tricks, anyone?

[KMuzzey]

As you might've noticed from my first thread... I am on a mission to create a really authentic-sounding environment around my VSL samples.

I'm not good with the EQ and effects thing, but I'm playing with all kinds of different combinations of room sounds & dynamic effects.

If anyone out there has had good luck with combining certain effects that has resultd in your "perfect sound" can you throw some hints my way, or post your secret recipes?

And another question -- I'm not exactly sure what the point of the "predelay" effect is, and I don't know how to use it... is that something that might help achieve the perfect room sound for orchestral instruments?

Kerry Muzzey
NY NY

[Simon Fox]

Predelay on reverb delays the entire reverb signal. The critical bit is the first reflections that follow the direct sound. By adding more predelay you are moving these first reflections further away form the direct sound. This can give an impression of increasing the space around the instrument, but more still and it will sound more isolated - possibly 'closer' as a result. It's a matter of finding a happy medium. I've often used it (30-40ms max) with artificial reverb (lexicons etc.) to make the reverb more noticable, thereby allowing me to reduce the overall level of it in the mix (don't really like the sound of artificial reverb much). With convolution reverb it's even more sensitive, and often 0ms will sound cleanest. As usual, it's a case of 'listen'.
Generally if you're untrained in the various reverb parameters and don't notice any difference when fiddling with a preset, leave it where the program put it - because there might be a reason for the preset setting. It's often the combination of lots of these parameters that works together to create the effect.
...And with reverb it's dangerous to work too long in one go: your ears adjust and next morning you could be in for a shock! First impression next morning is the most relevant guide!

Good luck,
Simon

[Nick Batzdorf]

@Another User said:

And with reverb it's dangerous to work too long in one go: your ears adjust and next morning you could be in for a shock! First impression next morning is the most relevant guide!

How true!

I almost always use a long (40 - 50ms) predelay on strings, because it lets you hear the bow impact and still let them float in reverb. That's true of the other sections too, but especially strings.

[Dietz]

@Simon Fox said:

[...] With convolution reverb it's even more sensitive, and often 0ms will sound cleanest. [...]

Using AltiVerb, I found that using the "negative" delay-setting (which means that the IR is shortened at the beginning, AFAIK) works extremely well with our samples, because then the reflections of our SilentStage seem to merge best with sampled reverbs.

HTH,

/Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library

[Simon Fox]

I'll give that a try!

You could always offer an impulse of the 'silent stage' so we can remove the ambience a bit using the deconvolver program... just a thought... Not strictly necessary, but who knows...

[Simon Fox]

@Nick Batzdorf said:

I almost always use a long (40 - 50ms) predelay on strings, because it lets you hear the bow impact and still let them float in reverb. That's true of the other sections too, but especially strings.

That's a good idea too! Can get a bit too dense otherwise...

Thanks,
Simon

[Dietz]

@Simon Fox said:

You could always offer an impulse of the 'silent stage' [...]

So where do you think did our first real-world tests regarding the MIR-project start ... :-]

/Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library

[Simon Fox]

@Dietz said:

So where do you think did our first real-world tests regarding the MIR-project start ... :-]

er, Musikvereinsaal? [:D] [:D] [:D]

If this MIR turns out to be really good (as we expect it will be, of course) it may turn into a general recording industry tool rather than just VSL. Most of my friends (Tonmeisters) are still using Lexicon as their only reverb. If it came as a package in itself, independant of samplers and sequencers,... - could get some major attention!... But this is all 'Zukunftsmusik', as they say!

Simon

[Nick Batzdorf]

@Another User said:

Using AltiVerb, I found that using the "negative" delay-setting (which means that the IR is shortened at the beginning, AFAIK) works extremely well with our samples, because then the reflections of our SilentStage seem to merge best with sampled reverbs.

Hey, you're right! Great tip. Thanks for that.

[Dietz]

@Another User said:

If this MIR turns out to be really good (as we expect it will be, of course) it may turn into a general recording industry tool rather than just VSL. Most of my friends (Tonmeisters) are still using Lexicon as their only reverb. If it came as a package in itself, independant of samplers and sequencers,... - could get some major attention!... But this is all 'Zukunftsmusik', as they say!

Simon

If it would be _my_ decision, we would keep it for ourselves at all! [6] - Oh well, we'll see.

/Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library

[KMuzzey]

Thanks for the tips, guys -- I'm off to experiment some more!

Kerry

[Rok Lintok]

I find that when i need a sound to seem distant ( e.g percussion at the back of the stage), by cutting high frequencies+ a good reverb, it will place it further away in the mix. [[;)]]