Digital Effects; Reverb; Delay; Level-Setting Procedure In Detail - PRESONUS StudioLive 24.4.2 Owner's Manual

8 Tutorials
8.6

Digital Effects

8.6
Digital Effects
The StudioLive includes two stereo effects processors that feature the two
most common type of effects is use for live sound: reverb and delay.

8.6.1 Reverb

Reverberation —or reverb, as it is more commonly known—is perhaps the
most widely used effect. Natural reverb is created by sound waves reflecting
off of a surface or many surfaces. For example, when you walk across the
wooden stage in a large hall, thousands of reflections are generated almost
instantaneously as the sound waves bounce off the floor, walls, and ceilings.
These are known as early reflections, and their pattern provides psycho-
acoustic indications as to the nature of the space that you are in, even if
you can't see it. As each reflection is then reflected off of more surfaces,
the complexity of the sound increases, while the reverb slowly decays.
The reason for the widespread use of reverb in audio recording is fairly self-evident:
human beings don't live in a vacuum. Because our brains receive cues about the
nature of the space around us based partially on audio reflections, a sense of space
makes an audio recording sound more natural and, therefore, more pleasing.
The following parameters can usually be adjusted in a reverb effect:
Decay. Decay is the time required for the reflections (reverberation) to die away.
In most modern music production, reverb decay times of between one and
three seconds are prevalent. A reverb setting with strong early reflections and
a quick decay are a great way to create a stereo effect from a mono source.
Predelay. Predelay is the time between the end of the initial sound and the
moment when the first reflections become audible. Imagine you're back on
that stage in a large music hall. This time you stand on the very edge of the
stage and shout "Hello world!" toward the center of the hall. There will be a brief
pause before you hear the first noticeable reflections of your voice, because
the sound waves can travel much further before encountering a surface and
bouncing back. (There are closer surfaces, of course—notably the floor and the
ceiling just in front of the stage—but only a small part of the direct sound will go
there, so those reflections will be much less noticeable.) Adjusting the predelay
parameter on a reverb allows you to change the apparent size of the room without
having to change the overall decay time. This will give your mix a little more
transparency by leaving some space between the original sound and its reverb.
HF and LF decay. The types of surfaces in a space also affect the sound. Carpet
and soft furnishings will absorb more high-frequency waves, thereby reducing the
high-frequency decay time, while hard surfaces such as tile or stone reflect sound
extremely well, resulting in a "brighter" ambience. Similarly, the high-frequency (HF)
and low-frequency (LF) decay time allow you to adjust the "brightness" or "darkness"
of the reverb, enabling you to better emulate these environmental factors.
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8.6.2 Delay

A delay essentially creates an echo, although you can often use
delays to create more complex time-based effects. The source signal
is delayed so that it is heard later than it actually occurred.
Delay Time. Delay time is the time between the source signal and its
echo. The simplest delay effect is a single repeat. A short delay between
30 and 100 ms can be used to create slap-back echo, while longer delay
times produce a more distant echo. Delay times that are too short to
hear as distinct echoes can be used to create thickening effects. Whether
these echoes are timed with the tempo is a matter of stylistic choice.
Variable Feedback. Variable feedback, or regeneration , produces multiple
decaying repeats. Increasing the feedback value increases the number of echoes
as well as the resonance that is created as one echo disappears into another.
Note: Using the Tap button on the StudioLive, you can speed
up or slow down these repeats or, more commonly, time
the repeats to occur with the tempo of the music.
8.7
Level Setting Procedure in Detail
Setting the proper levels is an important part of getting the right sound.
The following steps will assist you in quickly setting your levels.
3. In the Solo bus section, select PFL and turn the Cue level to 12 o'clock.
4. Select the Solo button in the Monitor section and adjust the volume for your
headphones or control-room monitors.
Tutorials 8
Level Setting Procedure in Detail 8.7
1. Turn each of the 24 trims to 0/-20.
2. Press the Input button in the Meter section.
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