As we concluded in part two of this series , these findings also prompt the question of when too much reverb or being too ‘ wet ’ starts to cross the line into being a bad thing . Just like unlimited trips to the ice cream bar can go sideways at some point , turning up the reverb on every channel and on the main outputs until we are swimming in a giant wall of reverb wash is certainly going too far . The key here is to strike a good balance between a rich and immersive sonic setting and the intelligibility of each and every sound source in the mix . How might we go about best achieving that goal ?
EQ TO THE RESCUE ! Just as equalization and high pass and low pass filters are a primary tool in creating ‘ space ’ within a mix for instruments and vocals to find a nice place to sit and remain intelligible , EQ can be used per reverb instance to shape the reverb tonality as needed . Instruments that fall lower on the sonic frequency spectrum rarely need reverb added — so we can restrict the application of reverb to those instruments and sources that really need it . While not part of the Algargoosh study , I think we ’ d be safe in saying that the sort of room and reverb application that folks are used to hearing on their favorite recordings and in films , etc . would bring about the positive results in ‘ cheerful ’ and ‘ inspired ’ psychological effects , while an unintelligible wash of a few seconds of hall reverb from the bass and bass drum would only get the sound engineer into trouble .
In other words , don ’ t reach for a reverb on the master output and turn it up and assume that you ’ ll immediately see the sorts of results that the Algargoosh study predicts . Start with the obvious candidates like the lead vocal and snare drum as you learn how to manage and massage reverb within your mix . Once you pull those channels up and begin to apply some reverb , work on refining the EQ of the reverb itself to add a bit of richness or fullness ( accentuating the mid frequencies generally ) or to add some ‘ sizzle ’ ( only present in the high frequency range ). Depending on your console and reverb options , this can either be achieved within the reverb effect instance itself (‘ on ’ or ‘ in ’ a channel strip ) or by creating a reverb effects ‘ channel ’ that the reverb sends into . Using this reverb EQ trick and being selective to only instruments or sources that would benefit from reverb should combine for a good mix and positive results !
WHAT IS A ‘ GOOD ’ MIX ? I ’ ll end this final part of the room tuning and reverb series on a philosophical note . What is a good mix ? I usually put ‘ good ’ in scare quotes around these sorts of terms out of philosophical habit . Are we justified in saying that there is an
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