This is generally the last effect that is placed in the series because it blends the entire body of the sound.
The reverb that we previously mentioned dealt with spring reverberation contained in the amplifier. Some prefer the sound of the spring reverberation because it not only gives a rather warm sound (like the tape echo), but it is also very characteristic. It doesn't match however the true room reverb, which requires the use of modern digital equipment. Also in this case, the best reverberations come from the higher priced equipment.
Natural reverberation is created when a sound is reflected off various types of material in a closed environment.
The most common example is in churches (the so-called "cathedral effect"). The reflection of the sound is not single: the reverberation is the sum of the reflections given by the beat of the sound off the walls (called echo). These beats are very close to each other but our ear only hears one return sound (while the delay is distinguishable in each of its returns).
In some cases the reverb is an obstacle of good acoustics. When playing in an insufficiently acoustic location, its possible that natural reverberation created by
the walls and furnishings can negatively influence the musical performance. For this reason we use particular materials for the absorption of the sound,
such as the use of particular lead panels combined with absorbent material. A good material to optimize the acoustics at home is egg cartons:
the geometric shape of the material is very important, as the reflection of a sound wave off a surface varies depending on the obstacles in its path.
There are many types of reverberation. The characteristics of the type of reverb vary with the reflecting material,
the size of the environment (natural or artificial), or with other obstacles found along the reflection path.
Lets analyze four types of reverberation. These are usually control parameters present on most all reverberation equipment and are normally programmable.
In multi-effect units the reverberation is usually present as a type of effect, also because it simulates the common surroundings in the construction of a sound. I also want to emphasize the fact that even though we will see only four types
of reverb, in reality most equipment make many of their own, some of which are variations of basic reverbers. Those analyzed here are considered the most important.
When programming the reverb you should always evaluate the environment in which you will play. If you find yourself in an acoustically insufficient location with a lot of natural reverberation,
it is better to lower the level of this effect, since our reverb would be added to the natural reverberation,
confusing the final sound of the instrument.
The simulation of the reverb typical of a room is obtained using the control called Room. The room dimensions are adjusted using the Small, Medium and Large controls.
The Room type reverberation is a very short reverberation, because the simulated environment is quite small.
The Chambre is the control that simulates the room where all the interior furnishings have been removed, and there are no obstacles in the path for reflected repetitions. In this way the reverberation is more alive and more diffuse with respect to the Room control. You can also add numerous harmonics to the sound, subsequently changing the qualities of the same reverberation.
The Hall effect simulates the concert hall, which is therefore a much more spacious environment than the Room. With this effect it is possible to check and program the dimensions of the Hall. The characteristic of the Hall effect is to produce a more opaque sound with respect to the Room. The larger the simulated hall, the higher the content of low frequencies.
It's possible to use this type of effect in the construction of a typical sound when playing a solo, because the Hall effect adds depth to the sound. Adding too much effect to the foreground with respect to the original sound would "mix up" the sound.
This type of effect simulates a process of artificial reverberation used in recording studios in the past. The instrument that produced the reverberation was made of a 1m x 2m metal plate, held by a few springs.
A loudspeaker was fixed to this plate that transmitted, for example, the sound of a guitar and that "aggitated" this plate. This produced a reverberation that was recorded and then mixed with the original signal. Today, like many other effects, the Plate is electronically simulated.
This effect is often used for singing, but can also be very interesting with the guitar.
These two types of effect are completely artificial, because they are reverberations that don't exist in nature. You can say that they are "effects of the effect".
The Gate is obtained by truncating the net effect of the Room or Plate reverberation, meaning that the normal decay of the reverberation is abruptly interrupted.
This interruption is done at a certain point in the previously programmed decay.
The Reverse performs the opposite of the reverberation: instead of decaying as a common reverb, the Reverse increases in intensity until it abruptly stops.
The use of these two types of effects is usually in rhythmics or percussion, because their best results are obtained on interrupted, not continuous, sounds.
To better understand this type of reverberation, you should determine the use of the various controls that are usually
found on processors for the regulation of this effect. In the next page you will see how to make some basic adjustments in obtaining a good reverb.
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