In this week’s video, our Curriculum Manager at pointblank, Chris Martin, provides a comprehensive tutorial on creating a shimmer reverb effect within Ableton Live. Chris begins with a simple piano arpeggio and then proceeds to build the shimmering reverb effect using an audio effects rack.
The first effect Chris introduces is an EQ. He uses it to roll off a lot of the bottom and top end, leaving the piano sound fairly muffled. This is because the high end will come from the shimmering reverb effect. To compensate for the reduction in overall sound level caused by the EQ, Chris then uses a utility plugin to boost the gain slightly.
Next, Chris adds an echo using Live’s Echo device. He uses filtering to scoop out the lows and highs, sets the feedback at around 50, and the dry/wet just below 50. This echo adds an important spatial element to the sound, a technique you can learn more about in our Music Production and Sound Engineering degree course at pointblank Music School.
The star of the show, as Chris demonstrates, is Ableton’s hybrid reverb plugin. He uses the ‘shimmer’ mode within the algorithm section of the plugin, which allows the reverberant signal to be pitched up, creating the desired shimmer effect. Chris then makes a few adjustments to the decay value and the dry/wet mix to fine-tune the sound.
Finally, Chris demonstrates the use of macros within the audio effect rack to control various parameters of the shimmer sound, such as the dry/wet mix and the feedback of the echo. This allows for a high degree of customisation and control over the sound. Chris also suggests experimenting with different types of sounds, such as guitars, and adding more effects to the rack, such as chorus, to add a bit of modulation to the sound.
Are you struggling to get your head around the fundamentals of music production? At pointblank Music School, we offer comprehensive courses like our Music Production and DJ Performance degree, where you can learn techniques like the one Chris demonstrated.
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