Reverb Effects; Concert Hall; Real Room; Realroom & Room - Alesis 4 Reference Manual

Chapter 3 – Overview of Effects

Reverb Effects

Reverb is made up of a large number of distinct echoes, called reflections. In a
natural acoustic space, each reflection's amplitude and brightness decays over time.
This decaying action is influenced by the room size, the location of the sound source
in the room, the hardness of the walls, and other factors. The MidiVerb 4 offers the
following types of reverberation:

Concert Hall

This is a simulation of a large concert hall. Halls tend to be large rooms with lots of
reflective surfaces, where sounds can swim around, changing timbre over time. This
is a classic reverb which sounds good on just about anything. Try it on vocals, drums,
acoustic, electric, or orchestral instruments.

Real Room

This algorithm gives you the sound of a medium size studio room. This algorithm
uses a lot of processing power for a rich sound and smooth decay. It compares
favorably to high end studio reverbs for its rich sound. The attack is also more
reflective. It sounds good on drums, keyboards and guitars.
Realroom & Room
These are less processor intensive versions of the Real Room effect, used in Multi
Chain and Dual Mono Configurations.

Ambience

This algorithm simulates a very small room. It can be used when just a slight amount
of ambient character is needed to augment a sound. For example, if playing a solid
body guitar, use the Ambience effect to simulate the sound of an acoustic guitar's
hollow body.

Plate Reverb

This is a simulation of a classic echo plate, a 4' by 8' suspended sheet of metal with
transducers at either end used to produce reverb. Popular in the 1970's, it still prized
for its transparent sound, particularly on vocals and guitars. This algorithm uses the
most processing available for a truly realistic reverb plate simulation. It works well
for a lush lead vocal, piano, or guitar, especially when looking for a classic rock and
roll sound.

Nonlinear

This reverb effect's direction can be set either forwards or backwards. Selecting the
forward direction provides a classic "Gated" digital reverb sound. Selecting the
reverse direction gives you a backwards reverb sound. A popular trick in the 80's
was to record the reverb with the tape flipped over, so it would play backwards in
the mix. The reverse reverb is a useful effect for drums and other percussive sounds –
— adding space without washing out the instrument.
30 MidiVerb 4 Reference Manual