Special effects

> Step by step 3. How to make special effects with JMG Sound Hyperspace CM

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In our final reverb walkthrough we’re looking at how to use reverbs to create special effects. Our tool for this task is Hyperspace CM from JMG Sound. This is a perfect situation for placing the reverb on an insert, so load up an instance of the plugin as an insert. 4

We like the effect but it’s too long. Changing Time to around 3000ms resolves this. The reverb has lots of editable parameters, but for quick changes it also has an XY Character pad, for the overall tone of the effect. We’ve moved ours bottom left for a darker tone. 7

Reverbs can be great for creating spaced-out pads and drone-like effects from all manner of sounds. It’s often possible to use them in such a way that you won’t really recognise the source audio at all. To see if this is possible we’ve loaded up our Bass - Solid demo audio with Hyperspace CM inserted over it. 2

Impact effects are used extensively in many genres of music, and these are often derived from very simple sounds that are then bathed in a suitable reverb or delay effect. The first source sound we’re going to try is a kick, and we’re using sounds from Thenatan Trax CM drum machine instrument. 5

Now try using a clap sound. We’re using E2 from Kit 5. Once again load up a large reverb preset – this time we’re using Football Stadium from the Real Spaces – Large folder. We’ve also set Wet to 100% and Dry to 40%. 8

Choose a large reverb – we’ve picked Dreamscape – and then set the Wet to 100% and Dry to 0%. You should now have a dark spaced-out effect. In order to tailor the frequency content, head to the Tilt control. Shift up to +100% to thin out the sound or shift down to -100% to make it deeper and richer. 3

Here’s a kick we like (C#2 in Kit 35). Nevertheless, with Hyperspace CM loaded in its default setting, it looks like we’ve got a bit of work to do. From the Creative - Supermassive folder we’ve loaded the preset Interstella. This creates a big sound but the balance isn’t right. We’ve set Wet to 100% and Dry to 16%. 6

The effect works OK but doesn’t sustain enough. Adjust the Damping to about 10% to open up the sound, and then head over to the four macro controls on the right-hand side. Adjust the Inertia setting to about 30%. The overall effect is big, bright and sustained. 9

There are clearly loads more parameters here that we can tweak, but the ones that work for us include the Filter (+84%), Modulate (+92%), and the Resonate control on the right (76%). Also if you like to create subtle pitch bends, why not try moving the Character matrix as the track plays.