Reverb & Effects for Live Sound

[balzen]

Is it common to add some reverb or other effects (delay, etc...) to live sound? Is it a good idea? How does one go about doing this? I ask because I have begun to tape some of our live shows. When I listen to the result, it makes a HUGE difference (positive) when I add a touch of reverb through my headphones. This should not be a surprise to me, as of course we added a fair bit when we made a CD. Is there some sort of digital unit that I should think about throwing into my rack that does a nice job with this? Would this go after the EQ, as the last in the "string" of signals before going out to my powered speakers? Advice would be appreciated!

[TimmyP1955]

Reverb preferably goes in a parallel loop. It is fed by an Aux bus (which allows one to independently adjust the amount of reverb on each mic - if you are multi-micing) and brought back in to the mixer via a return or a channel (or two if stereo). If you are single micing you can of course put it in the signal chain, but I would not do it that way unless you are using a preamp w/o an Aux out and extra input(s).

The more complex the signal going to a reverb (the more instruments the signal has), the better the reverb has to be. Some sound great when tested with a single voice or instrument, but become an incoherent mess when fed with a complex signal. My favorite affordable single engine reverb is the Kurzweil Rumour, which is hard to find used. The Lexicon 90 series are very nice, but pricey. The worst I've tried is the Alesis MidiVerb IV.

As to whether it's a good idea, that depends on the ensemble, the venue, the reverb, and other factors. My standard of reference for acoustic music - both for instrument tones and quality of reverb - is Alison Krauss' So Long So Wrong album.

[mark]

I second the nod to Ms. Krauss' use of reverb for her style of music. It becomes an instrument as tasteful as the rest of the music. I actually use Krauss as a verb (as in noun, not reverb), to "Krauss all over it" is to apply massive amounts of very tasty reverb. Now accomplishing that live is a whole 'nuther matter. Most rooms provide natural 'verb and a fair bit of that feeds into the mics, reinforcing the effect. I tend to not use any 'verb inside. Outdoors or in a really dry room, I'll use a touch of whatever seems to work in the room to provide a sense of space.

I have a Lexicon M200 but I wouldn't recommend it. I don't like the sound of it.

[TimmyP1955]

I have a Lexicon M200 but I wouldn't recommend it. I don't like the sound of it.

Are you using it in mono or stereo? Some reverbs don't sound very good in mono, especially if you sum the L and R outputs together (take away the sense of space that a stereo reverb gives, and it just sounds like you're in a well - unless it's a VERY good reverb). I've used one only once, and I seem to remember it having potential, but then I was mixing a rock band, which is a different kettle of fish.

With some reverbs I don't find a single preset that I like without some tweaking. Most presets have too much bottom (the low end drones on), too much top (more sizzle from the reverb than from the sound that went into the reverb), and too much flutter (turn up the diffusion to fix this).

[gzsound]

I have found that a short delay works better live than using reverb. Usually, I'll blend delay and a short reverb if necessary, but typically with bluegrass I very rarely use any effects at all.

[TimmyP1955]

Delay was very big - and very overused - by rock bands back in the 80's. I didn't much like it then, and still don't. I may occasionally use a delay when I want an obvious repeat, but that is very song specific. If I want to create a space, I use a reverb. If I can't get what I want, I do without.

[mark]

Are you using it in mono or stereo?

We run in mono and the M200 returns in mono. I've played around a fair bit with the different options. Of course, no one reverb style works everywhere but I have yet to find a setting that works for me. I really should sit down with the thing and a pair of phones and find something nice. But as I said before, we so rarely use it that I haven't bothered.