Need good "Drum Room" verb

[doug_hti]

I just had an albums worth of drums tracked in a small drum booth without room mics.

I really haven't used any of the convolution reverbs out there....is that the "easy" answer....and which one...I have Revibe (at the studio I'm working) and I can pick up TL Space pretty much on the cheap. I WILL NOT get Waves IR-1. I also have a few normal (older) hardware boxes. My buddy strongly suggested TL Space.

I tried fiddling with Revibe for a hour or so tonight and it was really difficult to not have it too loud or too soft (with or without compression and EQ)....I just couldn't get it to sit.

For this project I really need the drums to be able to sit back in the track, yet still have some weight. The drum recording sounds absolutely fine and a great player....just no room mics....for a project that really could have used them....

any recommendations or tricks?

my hardware boxes are:
orville
roland r880
lex300
pcm81

will convolution blow these (I don't know the lex300 very well at all) out of the water in terms of realism and sitting in track or do the boxes still generally gel better....

in other words should I waste my time (the time I don't have enough of right now) to explore convolution reverb?

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by doug_hti

any recommendations or tricks?

Altiverb in combination with one of your outboard boxes.


Also try an outboard colored delay to predelay the convolution verb(to add a little character to the software verb).


And lastly try 2 reverbs each in mono panned in different directions(each predelayed differently off course).

[bpatural]

The conv. reverbs help to add a little ambience to OH mics for close micd small room kits...I like, tl space (the sony hardware box sounds real good as well), but they're all about the same if you have some good room samples (the cello rooms are great), but the real depth seems to come from a fake reverb on the snare.... looks like you already have a lot of good choices there.

-brian

[doug_hti]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

Altiverb in combination with one of your outboard boxes.


Also try an outboard colored delay to predelay the convolution verb(to add a little character to the software verb).


And lastly try 2 reverbs each in mono panned in different directions(each predelayed differently off course).

cool thanks

i have a couple SDE1000s that I can probably use for some predelay

Thrill you have the r880, right....what algorithm do you like from that box...i've only had it for a bit, but it seems to be of definite quality and i don't miss my m5000 as much anymore....

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by doug_hti

cool thanks

i have a couple SDE1000s that I can probably use for some predelay

Thrill you have the r880, right....what algorithm do you like from that box...i've only had it for a bit, but it seems to be of definite quality and i don't miss my m5000 as much anymore....

I don't use the R-880 on drums only on vocals.


Which algos?


There are 2 patches from the Nichols/Massenberg card that i just tweak over and over.

One is a plate and the other is a hall thing.

I also will layer the R-880 with other units to thicken it up.

By itself its a little thin but some how i get it to work.

[picksail]

Lexicon PCM 70 Tiled Room
Cello Studios 2 - Altiverb IR
Kinway Studios - Waves IR

[recky]

If you recorded to PT or similar: Copy the overhead tracks, mono them and set the resulting track to its own output. Then nuke it (perhaps EQ out the extreme ends of the freq. spectrum)! 1176 (all buttons in), Ridge Farm Boiler or any other dirty/over-the-top compressor will do. Add a touch of guitar amp simulation (or reamp) to taste. Run in parallel to your drum mix.

This will add an amazing level of depth and "warm fatness" without even touching reverb.

[commaKaze]

Setup mics in front of you monitors in different spots of the control room as you play the drumtrack back. Record. Let simmer for a minute. Mix. Add herb de provence, squash, various verb. voila.

[TanTan]

R-880 presets:
Drums Garage
Percussion Ambience

i love em' for drums\percussion ambient

[smoothmoniker]

Hey Doug

Have you heard the room sound on BFD? If its the kind of space you're looking for, I have an impulse of that room (el dorado) from fxpansion. No need to get neck deep into the parameters, you'll either like it or not right away. Catch me on IM if you're intersted.

-sm

[CorkyTart]

Feed a mix of just the drums into a bigger room and blast the piss out of the speakers and record that and put it back into your computer.

[doug_hti]

i actually threw it into the live room originally of the studio i'm planted in(not where the drums were tracked), but it wasn't doing it for me this time as the live room isn't that big (the sound I'm looking for) which led me to this post....I know I can smash it to pieces to pull more room out, but was hoping for a cleaner more hifi fix with a more natural decay/density....and frankly quite curious about the convolution stuff.
I at least have a handfull of things to try in regards to convolution and I'm digging my 880 box as well...

SM, I don't have BFD, but thanks!! I think my gigastudio rig has some convolution stuff, I need to bring that to the studio. I also need to score altiverb or tlspace NOW (anyone selling it for tdm). I hear you might be over at el dorado for a bit coming up.

thanks for the suggestions...

[Gravity8058]

Quantec Yardstick --- peeerrrrfffect!

[Mike Tholen]

You should REALLY try to get yer hands on an old Quantec QRS (what I use ALL THE TIME) or the new Yardstick.
Nothing sounds or reacts like a REAL ROOM quite like a Quantec does...I use it for EVERYTHING! Drums, Strings, Horns, Vocals, Percussion...as always though YMMV.

[Kiwiburger]

My Kurzweil Rumour has great small rooms. Although I find I have to reduce the width considerably to make them sound realistic, and since there isn't a width parameter available you have to do that in your mixer.

On PC here, so i use the free convolution reverb (SIR). I've found that you can take a longer impulse, and shorten it considerably with the envelope setting, and get some very tasty small rooms out of impulses you normally wouldn't consider.

I got the Rumour because so many people insisted that hardware reverb is so much better than plugins. It's certainly good, but in most cases my plugins can do and equal or better job. Nice to have the option though.

[Lanstar Zero]

Something similar was posted above, but you could run the drums to a PA or some monitors in a larger room and record that with some room mics..

[thermos]

Recky, thats a great trick! Great with the ssl lmc compressor.