Using GVerb+

[Max85]

Hello everybody,

I read a little bit more and wanted to share, what I think the parameters do.

I confine myself to the special parameters. Size, Time and Damping are self-explaining (or because GVerb+ is based on GVerb details can be read on the audacity manual about GVerb or How-To-Geek). Also Early Mix (= density) and Predelay (= helps that source stand out a bit from its reverb tail) should be clear.

Regarding the color of the reverb Harrison itself describes it - for me a little bit generalising - as following:
"The input filters, crossover filters, and damping adjustment allow you to tailor the frequency response of the reverb to sit better in your mix."

I think the single parameters have the follow function (it would be nice, if someone from harrison could confirm my estimate):

Damp:
This is a classic GVerb parameter and controls the response of the early reflections and the decay of the reverb tail. This primarily affects the earlier iterations and the tail, though it can decrease the swell if the value is too high. The higher the value, the less intense is the reverb.

Input LPF:
I think, this parameter is wrongly labelled (you can see this, if you edit GVerb+ with the generic controls). Strictly speaking this parameter adjusts the classical GVerb setting "Input Bandwidth". This changes the ranges of frequencies affected by the reverb and so provides some kind of "tone" controll. Smaller values will make it sound muffled while higher values will affect more frequencies and make it sound more bright or intense.

The dark-grey painted settings:
To understand the dark-grey painted settings I think, it is important to know, that GVerb+ uses two separate processors (one each for the lows and highs). So I think the following happens here:

LPF/Xover Low:
This is a low pass filter, which sets the frequencies for the processor for the lows. I don't know whether this is applied only to the tail or the (wet) reverb sound as a whole. I think the latter is right.

HPF/Xover High:
This is a high pass filter, which sets the frequencies for the processor for the highs. Again I don't know whereon the filter is applied.

Low/High Mix.
The label is for me misunderstanding. In the Generic controls it is named "High/Low Balance" whereas in the GUI it is labelled "Lo-/Hi-Decay". I think it sets the mix of the high and low processor. But I cannot rule out that the parameter sets the relation of the decay times of the two seperate processors.
I think this sets the mix between the two processors and not the decay times.

I don't know whether someone find this helpful. For me it is always important to understand what is going on with a plugin.

off-Topic:
In the meantime I tested other reverbs for Linux, too. Especially Dragonfly Reverb and Uhbik-A are great. They are a little bit brighther than GVerb+. But after so much testing with GVerb+, it becomes my favourite :-). And for my voice a little bit warmth from the reverb is really nice.
Uhbik-A sounds really great. But I hate that Mixbus also in stereo mode generates 8 outputs. You can disable them with the PIN connection control. But nevertheless all plugins after Uhbik are quadrupled.

Best wishes,
Max

[jonetsu]

In the meantime I tested other reverbs for Linux, too. Especially Dragonfly Reverb and Uhbik-A are great.

It's a long time I haven't used Gverb+. I should give it a run next time around. In the meanwhile, with wine and linvst installed on Linux, the door is opened for a wider range of reverb units. I hover between IK Multimedia CSR Room and CSR Hall, as well as Melda Turbo Reverb and Voxengo's Old School. If I want to seriously lean on the FX side, then Sonic Charge's Echobode, Melda's Spectrum Delay and Psychic Modulation's EchoMelt are the ones. I find Uhbik-A too metallic for many uses although u-he's recent Twangstörm is not bad at all.

[sunrat]

...Especially Dragonfly Reverb and Uhbik-A are great. ...

Dragonfly now has v2.0.0 which has a separate Room Reverb to complement the original Hall Reverb. I've been using them a lot. Recommended. It's free and has Linux, Mac, and Win versions.

[Hagen Barz]

in my opinion a-reverb is worth a try. it sounds really good and is true stereo.

[Tassy]

Do not put the cart before the horse. If you are beginner you should not start with learning the knobs of any specific reverb.
I would suggest to use the simplest and find how to use any reverb.

Some general facts put in the simplest approach:

There are mono, mono-to-stereo and stereo reverbs
You must know which or what instrument/vox needs reberb at all.
A simple rule: If you hear the reverb it is too much (not in case when it is ment in special songs)
It can be checked by muting the reverb and if you just feel something is missing then the level is good.
First about mono ones:
If you use a reverb on the track you use only a hair (some % wet) of it and if you pan the track the reverb will follow it
If you use a reverb on a bus, now with v6 having full latency compensation, you can put it on a mono utility bus.
- in this case you set the reverb 100% wet and use the bus fader how much reverb you add to the sound
- in case of using a mixbus (stereo bus) you use stereo reverb also 100% wet and add the amount by the send knob and by the bus fader

You can spend ages to learn the knobs and you will go no ahead with your mix.
When I started to learn mixing I did not know anything about reverb and decided to fully forget it and for almost a year I mixed without any anywhere. My friends in Mixcoach said they could detect my mixes at once because they were 100% dry
My aim was to learn how to get a great balance and how to use compressors and EQs without messing up the result by a wrong use of reverb.

Then a great pro member Stone Walters suggested to experiment how he uses reverb
It is to use layers of room, plate and hall. Put these kind of reverbs on three buses 100% wet and if you start adding them, bleeding them into the sound of the track by sending from zero to an extent you like.
Ever since no one told me that something is not good with my reverb. And it took only a week to learn.
G-verb has these kinds of basic factory settings. If you are satisfied what you find this way then and only then I would suggest to play with the knobs by experimenting.
best
Tassy

[bjohnh]

I also think it's worth understanding the basic concepts of reverberation so you know what you're changing when you fiddle with settings.

One of the better descriptions I've found is Chapter 9 of Robert Toft's recent book, Recording Classical Music, which is a useful but expensive book. He walks you through several sophisticated reverb plugins and explains what their different settings do, and why you might want to adjust certain settings. If you're mystified about what pre-delay is (the difference in time between the arrival of the initial sound and the arrival of the first reflections), or why some reverb plugins have EQ settings (because physical spaces tend to absorb high frequencies more than low), it's all explained there.

The presets are good starting points, of course.

[sunrat]

...
You must know which or what instrument/vox needs reberb at all.
A simple rule: If you hear the reverb it is too much (not in case when it is ment in special songs)
It can be checked by muting the reverb and if you just feel something is missing then the level is good.

Wonderful advice. I also learned mixing without reverb, albeit in live sound. All too often I hear sound guys setting up a mix and achieving a poor or average sound for instruments and washing it out with reverb as though it will fix it. Usually it just becomes worse. Much better to get an excellent sound without reverb and then lift it with just careful addition of tiny amounts at a time. Of course sometimes you want a huge reverb for effect rather than as spatial enhancement, but you still need the dry sound to be as close to perfect as possible.

You can spend ages to learn the knobs and you will go no ahead with your mix.
When I started to learn mixing I did not know anything about reverb and decided to fully forget it and for almost a year I mixed without any anywhere. My friends in Mixcoach said they could detect my mixes at once because they were 100% dry
My aim was to learn how to get a great balance and how to use compressors and EQs without messing up the result by a wrong use of reverb.

Also great advice. You learned well!

[Tassy]

As to live mixing reverb is a great friend of musicians but an enemy of the mix and music
Same with delay, vocalists demand for a lot delay and tell-tell-tell-tell all-all-all words-words-words and think it sounds good.
A guitarist friend of mine who was also singing (not as well as playing) was all against less delay on vox till he confessed that I was right the lot delay is not good for music but great to mask his poor singing performance...

I always ask: Do you hear Elvis saying-saying-saying on a record? Ha was great and famous with a simple fast slap delay mostly.
Why do you want an everlasting echo then?
For live mixing I learned to be more of a psychologist than an audio engineer

[jonetsu]

Same with synth sound sets. Many wrap their sounds in reverb and delay, making them sound 'glorious' and 'epic' although when all reverb and delay are removed from a synth patch - the 'fabulous' selling argument for a sound set - often what is left is not much. After getting a couple of those sound sets I became wary of those who are enveloping their sounds in such a way. After all, those extras will have to be at least toned down, if not removed, for proper mixing into a song context.