Suggestions for Vocal Reverb on Studiolive

[mikekars]

I am looking for suggestions for good settings for a vocal reverb from theSL16.4.2 on board EFX engines.  This would be primarily for live sound outdoors.  I seldom use reverb indoors.

In the past I have used the Big Club Plate preset that has these parameters:

                 decay   1.39s

                 pre-delay 10ms

This efect is routed to subgroup 1 which is then routed to main out so that I can control the FOH reverb on the subgroup 1 fader.  I also use shelving EQ on  sub-group 1 to roll off all the efx output below about 90Hz and above about 6kHz.

 I have used this as a very subtle effect (along with a 50ms delay for "thickening") and have generally been satisfied with the result. However,  I have noted that this reverb effect is a little thin sounding and it is noticable and not that pleasant when you bump it up too high.  I have not really found any of the other presets I liked more but have not spent that much time on them.

The reason I am looking for something different is I just got done with a 4 day Kirtan festival (www.pranafest.org ) where virtually all the performers wanted really wet vocals and guitars.  This music is sort of devotional chanting in sanscrit but some of the groups have a very modern interpretation with full on drum kits, electric guitars, electric bass, tablas, etc., and up to 10 musos.  They also wanted a lot of reverb in their monitors and I gave it to them.  I suppose it is that sort of spacey new age sound they like.  They all seemed to be satisfied with what I gave them as was the audience, but I was not.

I am looking for a lush full sort of reverb, not thin and airy.  Any suggestions on a Studiolive preset starting point with or without tweeks that might deliver that?  

The available tweeks on a reverb effect are the decay time and the pre-delay.  Plus you can EQ the effect bus and/or the sub-group output.  Actually I am not sure when you pick a different reverb preset if there are other internal paramters that also change. So, for example, is the "big club plate" really a whole different algorithm from the "tile floor" preset?

Alternatively should I be looking at a "delay" type preset instead.  These do have parameters for time, timeX, and feedback.  

 I want to try and get it from the on board efx so no external units or computer plug-in suggestions please.

[witesol]

I think i'm using "log cabin" and i adjust the decay per song. I will EQ it per song, depending on the voice as needed but typical to use that for a whole show. The decay doesn't seem as long as the readout suggests. 2s feels like 1.3 ish. The AI boards have 4 effects!!

 You don't want to consider using one of the 10 sends into an effects unit into the aux input stereo? any effects unit, microverb, midiverb, SPX, LXP, etc...

 

also something to consider is whether you are collapsing the stereo field by assigning to a submaster. I've done this and notice some effects are not as happy. 

[mikekars]

Thank you for the suggestion.  I just had enough time to look at that "Log Cabin" on the board but not to listen to it.  I see that it turns into "Warm Hall".  It has a delay of .83 seconds, pre-delay of 15ms, and an additional parameter called Early Refl(dB) of -37.8.  So I guess the different presets do have some different algorithms and I will need to play with them.

Your comment about collapsing the stereo field might point towards my problem.  I typically run the entire PA in mono due to lack of input channels in the DR260 (due to using an aux sub configuration).

Is it not possible to get a good reverb with a mono system?