Alesis 3 User Manual page 7

APPLICATIONS
About Reverb...
Reverb can be thought of as a great number of distinct echoes (called reflections) that occur so fast
and in such large number that our ear hears them and interprets them as one sound - the distinct
sound we know as reverb. Different size spaces give distinctly different sounding reverbs, depending
on the size and shape of the space, and the texture of the surfaces that the reflections bounce off of.
MICROVERB III has six different general reverb types, all of which simulate a different space or
produce a different effect. They are:
ROOMS
The room programs (Small, Medium, and Large) not only simulate rooms of various
sizes, but rooms with different surface material as well. A room with soft surfaces such
as carpet will produce a reverberant sound with much less high end (warm) than a room
with hard surfaces (bright). See your program chart for details about specific programs.
Rooms can be used for drums, backing vocals, or just about anything that you wish to
give a feeling of space in your mix.
HALLS
Much larger than rooms, halls are characterized by their high ceilings, irregular shapes,
and general density of reflections. Due to their size and density, they work well for long,
sustaining sounds like keyboard string pads, vocals, horns, etc.
PLATES
The plate programs simulate an artificial reverb device known as a plate reverb. Large
and heavy, a plate was a 6 foot by 4 foot piece of steel plate (hence the name) with a
small speaker strategically placed on one end and either 1 or 2 transducers placed on
the other end to pick up the sounds reverberating through the steel. Because it is an
electro-mechanical device, a plate must be isolated from outside vibration and noise and
constantly tuned to maintain the integrity of the reverb sound. In the early days of
recording, plates were extremely popular because they were one of the only ways to add
any sort of artificial ambience to a recording. Plates have become quite popular over
the years, especially on vocals and snare drums.
CHAMBERS
The chamber programs simulate another way that studios produce artificial
reverberation, utilizing a device known as an acoustic chamber. The chamber is a
sealed, tiled room with a speaker at one end and a microphone at the other. Chambers
are not seen much these days since they are difficult to build and take up a great deal
of expensive real estate. Chambers are useful on all sorts of instruments, from drums
to guitars to vocals to horns.