User manual

82 Enhance
www.magix.com
• The diffusion. Simple reverb machines do not take into account that
reflections become more and more complex as they develop. They
blur the first echoes at the beginning, which sounds artificial and
"two-dimensional" for many signals. Our reverb effect works like a
real room instead where individual echoes can still be heard at the
beginning of the reverb but then reflect amongst each other more
and more until they disappear in the signal sustain as a so-called
"diffused hiss".
The presets include many rooms that were designed for certain
instruments and applications and whose internal parameters have
been optimized for these applications. However, you can influence
most of the characteristics of the room using the provided sliders.
In addition to the rooms we have modeled two device types in the
reverb effect that allow you to create an artificial reverb for a longer
time: Plate Reverb and Spring Reverb.
Plate reverb
A plate reverb consists of a large metal plate (often 0.5 to 1m² thick,
or more) that is put into motion by a magnet and coil system (similar
to a loudspeaker). On the reverb plate, so-called "taps" are
positioned at different locations. These are pick-ups comparable to
those on a guitar. Reverb plates have a very dense sound (high
diffusion); no direct echo can be heard. They are therefore ideal for
percussive metal. A plate reverb generates a smooth "pleasant effect"
with vocals.
Spring reverb
You probably remember spring reverb from guitar and keyboard
amps, particularly the older ones. At the bottom of these amps, a unit
consisting of two to four spirals is mounted on a vibration-free
carriage. As with the reverb plate, it uses systems for transforming
the electric signal into a mechanical one. There are different designs
and sizes of spring reverb; however, they all have the same quite
peculiar sound: the typical "bloing" sound when the springs are
moved, similar to splashing. When the reverb dies away the basic
pitch of the spring(s) can usually be heard quite clearly. Furthermore,
the frequency range is considerably limited due to the losses in the
spirals and in the used pick-up/transmitter. Despite this, the sound is
special and some of the latest music styles (e.g. dub & reggae) would
hardly be possible without spring reverb.