![]() Instead, I simply dial up my favorite 140 or 250 plate to get that vintage sound. I’m a huge fan of EMT plates, but having a real one in house would be quite the pain. Imagine plugging in your Telecaster, dialing up a cool amp and adding real reverb from a Fender Twin. ![]() I then add in some IR-based reverb instead of a modeled sound. When recording guitars direct using software such as Amp Farm, Amplitude or Eleven, I tend to capture the sounds dry. Unique and classic sounding reverbs can take a plain old guitar sound and really make it shine. I have recorded IRs of amps such as my old Gibson and acoustic spaces like the Mount Tabor performance space in New Jersey, and use them on sessions quite frequently. Since you are able to record your own samples, notable user Joe Gore has posted his Fender Super Reverb’s IRs in addition to a set from his classic Magnatone amps. Altiverb users can go to and download Wendy Carlos’ own EMT 140 Plate, Notre Dame Cathedral or AMS RMX16 Reverb. Highlights include Cello’s Studio 1, LX48L samples and the Sydney Opera House. Waves IR users have a huge bank of sounds at. Many companies have websites allowing you to download new sounds that are constantly being updated. The only downside is requiring all of the different software! I use different samples from various companies, since mixing tends to require a wide palette of flavors. Since effort is required to actually record and collect these sounds, the quality can vary wildly. What separates one type of product from the other is primarily their samples. For Logic users, Space Designer is built-in. Starting around $500, what you get for the money is quite a bargain! Other companies making great IR-type reverbs are Waves (IR-1, IR-L, IR-360), Digidesign (TL Space), Tascam (GigaPulse) and McDSP (Revolver). Today, Altiverb is on Version 6, running in mono, stereo and surround on TDM Pro Tools for Mac, RTAS, AU, MAS and VST platforms. When desktop computing became fast enough, Audio Ease released Altiverb, which would only run on the AltiVec processors of certain G4 Macs. ![]() The mathematical requirements involved in creating good convolution-based impulse responses are massive. Yamaha followed suit with their SREV1 sampling reverb, with both units still in use at many studios today. Sony engineers traveled the globe recording a variety amazing spaces – my favorite is the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This unit cost around $10,000 and you had to buy a selection of discs to load the different sounds. The first company to make a hardware convolution reverb was Sony, with their breakthrough DRE-S777. But how do we get our hands on these sounds? The second uses math to record that actual space and reproduce it for you. The primary difference between a traditional reverb and a convolution reverb is that the first uses math to simulate spaces. By using a convolution engine combined with an IR you can have real reverb at your fingertips. Using a microphone array or direct feed, the impulse response of a space is recorded. The samples being reproduced are created using a technology called convolution – hence the term, “convolution engine.” Simply put, either a sound “spike” – a cap gun for example – or a full sweep tone from 20Hz to 20kHz is sent into the space or gear you want to capture. A convolution reverb uses acoustic samples from real spaces, such as halls, churches and studios, or equipment like plates, chambers and classic digital reverbs to create its unique sound. The term “convolution reverb” is being thrown around quite loosely these days as more of these types of products appear on the market. For this column, I’ll focus on the reverbs – next month we’ll cover amps and speakers. Not only are there an amazing array of these reverbs that sound great, but there are now IRs of different speakers from classic amp models. This is the first of a two part series exploring the technology of impulse responses and convolution reverbs. A screenshot of Audio Ease’s Altiverb 6, displaying the IR of Mechanics Hall in Worcester, NY
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