Pro Tools tutorial - Lesson 7 - FXs

    In this video we will routing signal to our FXs plugins using Aux Tracks. By the end of this video, you will have basic understanding on how to rout multiple signals to one Auxiliary Track containing a Plugin.

Basic FXs 

Reverb

    What is reverb? Reverb is the accumulation of frequencies coming from a direct signal resonating inside a space. Thousands of copies of the same sound bouncing back and forward everywhere inside the space. Imagine that you are inside the a cathedral, and for some reason, you decide to clap. The sound of your clap will travel around the building and bouncing around continuously until the sound pressure becomes weak enough to fade away. That sound is what some call echo. 

    Depending on the construction of the building the reverb could be stronger or weaker. Hard surfaces tend be ideal for longer reverb times while soft surfaces tend to absorb sound making the room sound dry. 

Reverb basic controls

Type: This determines the type of room you are trying to emulate; from a room to a cathedral type. Also, there are artificial reverbs like Plate Reverbs.

Size: This control allows you to choose the size of the room. Small, Medium, or Large.

Pre Delay: This control introduces a gap to separate the dry sound from the reverb that follows it. With no pre-delay, source and reverb merge together creating a dense wet sound. With a long pre-delay, the source sound retains its dry character and sits in front of the reverb creating a more clear sound.

Decay: This control is also called Reverb Time or Tail. This determines the amount of time that it takes for the sound pressure (SPL) to become weak enough that falls below 60dB. A large room will have a longer decay time when a small room will have a shorter decay.

Diffusion: This is the amount of reflections happening inside a room. The more diffusion the more complex the room becomes making your sound more washy and dense.

Mix: How much dry signal will be present beside the wet signal.

Delay

    Now that you have a basic understanding of what reverb is, Delay will be a simpler concept. Delay refers to a individual signal interacting with a space. This signal is clearer almost sounding like an exact repeat of the original sound. 

    When someone shouts on top of a hill, the person hears himself back after sometime with a reduced volume. This phenomenon is known as ‘echo’. The same phenomenon when recreated artificially in the studio is known as ‘Delay’. A delay can be created by an audio effects unit where it records an input signal into an audio storage medium and then plays it back after sometime.

Delay basic controls

Delay Time: Determines how long the delay will last. This is set by milliseconds to seconds. 

Feedback: How many repeats you will hear before the delay dies out.

Mix: The blend between dry and wet signal. More dry signal will make your delay subtle and almost echo sounding. While a wetter signal will make the delay sound stronger and clear.

In conclusion

    A reverb is thousands of reflections bouncing around a space creating a big God like sound while a delay is a single reflection of a sound signal interacting with the room making the sound sound like repeats or echo. 

I hope you learned something,

Angel De Luna.