REVERB USAGE IN MULTITRACK AUDIO MIXING

• Published in: Online journal of music sciences Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 116 - 133
• Main Author: İsmet Emre YÜCEL
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nilgün Sazak 01.06.2023
• Subjects: audio plugins; music production; reverb; signal processing
• ISSN: 2536-4421
• DOI: 10.31811/ojomus.1309441

In music production, reverbs are one of the most important sound processing tools that allow the timbre signature of indoor spaces to be created and added to the existing signal flow. Reverbs are frequently used in different stages of the creation of musical works, whether by professionals or novices, from recording to releasing. In recording technologies, acoustic (echo chambers-echo chambers) and electro-mechanical (spring reverb, plate reverb) reflection insertion methods were used in music production and even radio broadcasting before the 1950s. In the 1950s, tape technology, which allowed multi-channel sound recording, took its place in the studios of major record companies. Towards the 1970s, tape recorders became widespread due to the increase in the number of channels, their portability, and their cheapness. However, the increase in the number of channels made it inevitable to add room ambiance to the recordings. With the digital reverbs developed in the 1970s, more suitable reverb units began to be used in the music industry compared to the echo chambers in large studios, which are very costly to build. Over the years, reverberation algorithms and related hardware have been developed and today it has taken the form of an audio plug-in format used in computer-aided recording programs. Since reverbs make the sound much larger and more appealing than other sound processing tools such as equalizers, compressors, and delays, reverbs are misused by novices. Therefore, the correct use of reverb is important for musicians interested in recording technologies. For this purpose, in this study, from the perspective of music production, the use of reverbs in multi-track recordings is described and explained through two basic scenarios where two and three reverbs are included in the signal flow.