TW #119 — Reverb and Audio Gear (Rimbo)
A short supplement to the two #118 articles — Airon's "Reverb and Compression" (s-tw118-reverb-and-compression) and Dilvish's "The Power of Headphones" (not ingested) — "well-written and right on target".
Key claims#
- The best use of a reverb is not imitating a room or getting the music "out of a vacuum": "the right reverb at the right mix can really coax the best frequencies out of a sample". When graphic and parametric EQ fail to make the frequencies he hears in his head "sing", a good room-sized reverb makes them "pop up" — "So that's why it sounded better in the shower".
- Headphones are the cheapest accurate reproduction, but a song mixed on headphones must be mixed again on speakers, because that is how most people will hear it: speakers have better bass and worse treble, panning "doesn't sound as extreme", and "things just sound different".
- Given the choice, buy speakers: a good set of studio monitors cost $400–500 in 1998 (less used). Go to a professional audio store (Dilvish's advice): home audio is designed to sound good, pro audio for accurate reproduction — "which doesn't necessarily make your old Beatles LP's sound their best".
Practical takeaways#
- Try a room reverb before more EQ when a sample will not sit right.
- Check every mix on headphones and speakers; expect panning to feel narrower and bass fuller on speakers.
- Monitors over headphones when buying; pro audio over hi-fi.
Relevance#
Monitoring advice for reverb-and-compression and a note for stereo-panning (pan width differs between headphones and speakers).
Pages touched#
reverb-and-compression, stereo-panning, recording-samples, levels-and-headroom.