Specifications

Chapter 30: Reverb One 163
Time
Controls the rate at which the reverberation de-
cays after the original direct signal stops. The
value of the Time setting is affected by the Size
setting. You should adjust the reverb Size set-
ting before adjusting the Time setting. If you set
Time to its maximum value, infinite reverbera-
tion is produced. The HF Damping and Reverb
Color controls also affect reverb Time.
Attack
Attack determines the contour of the reverbera-
tion envelope. At low Attack settings, reverber-
ation builds explosively, and decays quickly. As
Attack value is increased, reverberation builds
up more slowly and sustains for the length of
time determined by the Spread setting.
When Attack is set to 50%, the reverberation en-
velope emulates a large concert hall (provided
the Spread and Size controls are set high
enough).
Spread
Controls the rate at which reverberation builds
up. Spread works in conjunctions with the At-
tack control to determine the initial contour and
overall ambience of the reverberation envelope.
Low Spread settings result in a rapid onset of re-
verberation at the beginning of the envelope.
Higher settings lengthen both the attack and
buildup stages of the initial reverb contour.
Size Determines the rate of diffusion buildup
and acts as a master control for Time and Spread
within the reverberant space.
Size values are given in meters and can be used
to approximate the size of the acoustic space you
want to simulate. When considering size, keep
in mind that the size of a reverberant space in
meters is roughly equal to its longest dimension.
Diffusion Controls the degree to which initial
echo density increases over time. High Diffusion
settings result in high initial buildup of echo
density. Low Diffusion settings cause low initial
buildup.
After the initial echo buildup, Diffusion contin-
ues to change by interacting with the Size con-
trol and affecting the overall reverb density. Use
high Diffusion settings to enhance percussion.
Use low or moderate settings for clearer, more
natural-sounding vocals and mixes.
Pre-Delay Determines the amount of time that
elapses between the original audio event and the
onset of reverberation. Under natural condi-
tions, the amount of Pre-delay depends on the
size and construction of the acoustic space, and
the relative position of the sound source and the
listener. Pre-delay attempts to duplicate this
phenomenon and is used to create a sense of dis-
tance and volume within an acoustic space. Long
Pre-Delay settings place the reverberant field
behind rather than on top of the original audio
signal.
Reverb One Early Reflection
Controls
The Early Reflections section has controls for
the various early reflection elements, including
ER setting, level, spread, and delay.
Calculating Early Reflections
A particular reflection within a reverberant field
is usually categorized as an early reflection.
Early reflections are usually calculated by mea-
suring the reflection paths from source to lis-
For an interesting musical effect, set the
Pre-Delay time to a beat interval such as
1/8, 1/16, or 1/32 notes.