Reverb on Ryan Adams "Heartbreaker"

[mhecker]

Hello everyone,

right now I played some Ryan Adams songs so I have something to test my mixing skills on. Right now I try to imitate the reverb used on "Hearbreaker" (especially "My Winding Wheel"). Probably, it`s all real romm reverb. But how can I simulate this (using convolution? or only early reflections without reverb tail?).

thx for your help,

Martin

[aermotor]

Great album, love the production on it. The reverb on that track in particular is almost imperceptible, very dry on the mix, I only hear it really in the beginning when there's no other ambient notes. Though I don't know what was used it sounds like a chamber or something similar but very, very subtle. Not sure if that's the best to practice on for getting decent reverb as it's just so subtle. There are other tracks on the album that are more apparent and are a combination of delay/reverb. Goodluck.

[mhecker]

thanks for your reply,

I think although there is not much reverb audible you get a feeling of the room. Do you get this bei just using early reflections? And how do you get this effect of Ryan bieing directly in front of you? I know, a lot of newbie-questions. Anyway, thanks for your replies!

martin

[PRobb]

That is one of my favorite albums of the last ten years. I absolutely love the production. It feels like an updated version of the Band's Brown Album. Very live band in a room.

[Razorfish]

I remember reading that there was loads of spill on those sessions; Ethan Johns said that most of the drum sound was from the vocal mic I think.

I'm in an amazing room at the moment, recording with great instruments and musicians, and all of the ambience is from the spill, which sounds incredible. It hammers in the fact that the room is so key to acoustic music and if you find a great room, that is 90% of the battle.

Heartbreaker one of my favourite albums of all time, and that is just a perfect song by the way.

[espasonico]

I also love that album. Great songs, great performances, great sound,... everything is great. I got into Ethan Johns because of that album. His work with RayLaMontagne is also great.

I sometimes wish that there there was a little bit less vocal level on that album. It makes sense that the drum sound comes from the vocal mic.

Also the mastering is special. Doesn´t sound compresed at all.

[PRobb]

I just listened to it. I'm not sure how much verb is added. It sounds like spill.

I suppose the way to try to recreate that would be to use an Alti verb room as a "room mic". Send everything (you might want to use pre fader sends) to it. Solo the return and try to create the balance that a room mic would hear and bring that up under the mix.

[Sarusan]

If I remember right, Ethan said that there was no compression at all on Heartbreaker. I know there wasn't any on the vocal.

Later he started using a Roland, but at that point it was plates, chambers and room spillage. Gold was all plates.

Steven