Favorite ALTIVERB settings for Pop/Rock Vocals?

[u2bonoman]

I'd really be interested in your favorite settings for vocals, especially Pop or Rocks styles - not just the preset, but how you set it as well.

Thanks!

[u2bonoman]

Things that go BUMP in the night.

[aclarson]

First off, I can say with some certainty that my settings would be different every time I use it, there's no preset that work for every song, or usually even two songs.

That being said, I don't use Altiverb, but if it has controls like some of the other IR reverbs (I've used TL Space), I do find that I tend to cut the low freq gain, too much low freq reverb seems to muddy things up quick, often times I have it 10-15 dB below the high freq.

Depending on the instrument you might want a little pre-delay if the reverb muddies the transient. If you know the BPM of the song, I usually like to set it to an even interval so the reverb starts on beat, seems more natural to me. Same with the decay, I usually listen to 100% wet and set the decay to have an even drop off with the BPM of the song, then blend it with the dry signal to taste.

The key is really having an IR that suits the song, after that it's just tweaks.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by u2bonoman

I'd really be interested in your favorite settings for vocals, especially Pop or Rocks styles - not just the preset, but how you set it as well.

Thanks!

Plates work well. aclarson´s sugestions are good too.

[u2bonoman]

Originally Posted by kurt

Plates work well. aclarson´s sugestions are good too.

Yeah I've discovered that the Plate 140 (small) sounds good on vox, but I always have a difficult time getting it to sound just right. I realize that there is no magic preset or anything, but I think a lot of people have a go-to approach and then tweak from there.

That's what I was kinda hoping to generate from this, just to give me some ideas I guess, because reverb is the thing I have trouble with the most.

Like for instance, I can never figure out just how wet to set it for most Pop/Rocks stuff, as well as room size, etc. Decay time isn't too much of an issue.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by u2bonoman

Yeah I've discovered that the Plate 140 (small) sounds good on vox, but I always have a difficult time getting it to sound just right. I realize that there is no magic preset or anything, but I think a lot of people have a go-to approach and then tweak from there.

That's what I was kinda hoping to generate from this, just to give me some ideas I guess, because reverb is the thing I have trouble with the most.

Like for instance, I can never figure out just how wet to set it for most Pop/Rocks stuff, as well as room size, etc. Decay time isn't too much of an issue.

It all depends of the singer. If the song is out of tune, reverb is just amplifying & prolonging that. Than, the right acoustics in CR. & the most important: E x p e r i e n c e.

[mistervenable]

Originally Posted by kurt

It all depends of the singer. If the song is out of tune, reverb is just amplifying & prolonging that. Than, the right acoustics in CR. & the most important: E x p e r i e n c e.

Where can I buy the E x p e r i e n c e plugin? Does it come with Chris Lord Alge presets? That's all I use. If he ever writes back to any of my daily emails, I'll be a master engineer! jk

Reverb is one of the toughest things to get dialed in correctly. Experiment with EQing the return. A lot of guys, myself included, use several different delays on the vocals- and that will sometimes even eliminate the need for verb, but I usually have a plate on there as well. Just watch for muddiness and overcrowding. Also, automate or ride those sends (and returns) if needed. Don't set and forget it... it's not a crockpot.

Have fun!

[kurt]

Originally Posted by mistervenable

Where can I buy the E x p e r i e n c e plugin? Does it come with Chris Lord Alge presets? That's all I use. If he ever writes back to any of my daily emails, I'll be a master engineer! jk

Reverb is one of the toughest things to get dialed in correctly. Experiment with EQing the return. A lot of guys, myself included, use several different delays on the vocals- and that will sometimes even eliminate the need for verb, but I usually have a plate on there as well. Just watch for muddiness and overcrowding. Also, automate or ride those sends (and returns) if needed. Don't set and forget it... it's not a crockpot.

Have fun!

E x p e r i e n c e is what takes a longest time. See your little nose in the mirror. dfegadThan ad some Chris Lord Alge presets. Than wait 10 or 20 years & reread this again.

[imaginaryday]

if the mix is dense, i low cut the revereb send and notch-out any nasty freq mud/boxiness using a transparent eq (such as sonnox eq). if the mix is open like a ballad for instance, i would not cut the lows as much.

again, as some of you mentioned, there is no one size fits all in mixing. let the music dictates where it wants to go and just hold its hand gently until you get there.

[mistervenable]

Originally Posted by kurt

E x p e r i e n c e is what takes a longest time. See your little nose in the mirror. dfegadThan ad some Chris Lord Alge presets. Than wait 10 or 20 years & reread this again.

I was being sarcastic.

[kurt]

thumbsupNo problem. ..Reverb/delay, like compression, does take time before one can use with confidence.