Familiarisation

> Step by step 1. Ignite VST Areena & LiquidSonics Reverberate CM

1

Here we’re going to help you navigate a simple reverb, and our chosen tool is Areena from Ignite VST. As mentioned we often use reverbs on auxiliary sends, so the first step is to load up an instance.

Here we’ve added Areena onto an auxiliary return channel in our DAW. 4

With the Room algorithm selected let’s see the other parameters. Firstly, the Size influences the sound a lot and although there are no units, at 100% the reverb decay goes on for well over 10 seconds. Next, the Pre-delay influences when the reverb starts, and becomes quite audible from about 80ms. 7

Although algorithmic and convolution reverbs use different techniques to deliver reverb, the user interfaces do have plenty of similarities. Although we’ve used Areena to show you the reverb basics, let’s have a quick look at a convolution reverb, LiquidSonics Reverberate CM. 2

This is a straightforward reverb. Load up some demo audio from FileSilo – we’re using the Beats - Snare file. Next, make sure that the Mix control is set to 100%. This is important because the reverb is on an auxiliary and we don’t want the dry signal to come from both the track and via the auxiliary bus. 5

The Bandwidth control applies a lowpass filter to the input audio. At 0% it is effectively bypassed, while at 100% it filters out the whole signal. Damping meanwhile reduces the high frequencies in the reverb tail. Using these controls, you‘ll see their power and ability to tailor the reverb to your specific sounds. 8

We’ve loaded this on a new auxiliary and once again set the Mix to 100% wet. One big advantage of convolution reverbs is the choice available and a quick look at Reverberate CM’s preset list reveals a broad selection of reverbs and spaces drawn from almost 50 impulses. 3

You’ll see at the top Areena has two options – Room and Plate. These are its core algorithms, and some reverbs will have multiple ones to choose from. Try sending some audio to the reverb and listening to the difference. Each of them imparts its own tone, with the Plate much thicker in sound. 6

The Modulation control applies a fixed rate pitch modulation to the reverb tail, and used sparingly it’s great for adding unpredictability to the reverb tail. Finally, there’s a Stereo Width control. While this is simple, Areena’s controls represent what you find on most algorithmic reverbs. 9

Convolution reverbs typically have controls to adjust how the impulse is used, and on Reverberate CM you have an extensive EQ section and can also adjust the shape of the reverb via an ADSHR envelope. Tweaking these provides a lot of control over the sound of your reverb.