SUMMERY:

A backwards reverb added to a vocal track can sounds really cool. I always wanted to know how to do this listening to some of my favorite records produced by John Feldmann. This is what it sounds like:

The first thing you want to do when creating a backwards reverb is to pick a right selection. For example, the beginning phrase of a verse or something like that. If you have it running all the time it will just sound stupid.

For this tutorial we are going to use the first phrase of a song. The first step is to duplicate the track we are going to apply the backwards reverb on. We are only duplicating it just in case we mess something up.

Okay, now mute the original track and also mute any sends on the duplicate. If you have any other plug-ins on this track you can feel free to bypass them as well.

The next step is to create a aux send on the duplicate vocal track. Label that send to something like "reverb send" or "backwards send". Raise the level to somewhere around -5db. Now let's reverse the vocal track.

It usally works best to perform this task in grid mode so we can select a specific number of bars. This way we can maintain that the effect stays in time with the tempo of the song. Make sure you select plenty of audio before the vocal track actually comes in. We do this because this is where the reverb we are going to apply will decay. It should look like this:




Once you have done that go to the Audiosuite Menu and select Reverse from the Other Sub Menu. Now hit Process to reverse the track.




Solo the track and take a listen to hear how it sounds backwards. Pretty strange huh?

The next step is to create an Aux Input track. This can be either a mono or stereo Aux track. Whichever you prefer. Now label the track to something like "Backward Vrb Plug". Solo that track and select the input to be "reverse send" or whatever you named it earlier. On that Aux Track you need to select a reverb for the job. I tend to just use D-Verb. From here you need to select a setting that has a fairly long reverb time. I like to use a Hall setting. Something like this:




Play the backward reverb track through the reverb plugin and adjust the reverb time or decay so that it matches what you want to hear. The longer the reverb time the more obvious the effect will be but for best results try to match it with the tempo of your song.

Once your happy with it we need to create a Stereo Audio Track. Now solo this track just like we have done with the two previous tracks. Next we need to go back to the Aux track that has the reverb plugin and set the output to something that has a pair of unused busses. Name it to be something like "Backward Reverb Record".

Now we go back to the Audio track we just made and select it's Input to be "Backward Reverb Record" or whatever you chose to call it. Name your Audio track to be something like "Backwards Reverb".

Finally we are ready to record the Reverb. Put this track into Record Mode. The next step is IMPORTANT for timing. Select the Backwards Audio in the edit window. Double click it so you have the exact region selected:




Now record the entire duration of the selection. Once you have done this we need to select both the printed reverb track and the already reversed vocal track. Double

Click on inside one of the regions and then shift click on the other to have them both selected. Now go back to the Audiosuite Menu and go to Other - Reverse like before. Hit Process again. Congrats. You have created your first backwards reverb. Now take your backwards reverb track out of record and then optionally delete the Aux track that has the reverb plugin on it. I tend to just disable the track for now in case I want to use it again later. Next you can reactivate any sends or plugins you previously had on your original vocal track. Now have some fun and blend in your reverse vocal track with the original vocals.




Was this Tutorial helpful? Search more on Google!