Hi brovanz,
Which Audacity version do you use?
I share Steve’s lack of enthusiasm regarding GVerb. But from Audacity 2.05 upwards, a really good Stereo Reverb has been included.
Let’s assume that 2.05 is indeed being employed and that you’ll require reverb to a four-track score. This is how it works.
- Highlight your first track (with Edit>Select>Cursor to track end) so as to make a copy.
- To be sure that this copy track lands exactly where it is in your original score, first create silence(Generate>Silence>OK) from 0.0 to just one or two seconds before your waveform starts. Leave open 2 seconds of silence after track end as well.
- Hit Copy (icon in the tool bar).
- Now open a fresh Audacity score (File>New). Subsequently, create a new track (Tracks>Add New>Audio).
- Paste the audio previously copied into your new track (with Paste, also on the tool bar). Make sure that this, too, starts from the exact 0.0 point (if you’re not certain, go to Transport>Skip to start).
- Duplicate your new track (Edit>Duplicate). An exact copy of your first new track will be added instantly.
- Before resorting to Stereo Reverb, you might want to reduce waveform strength a little. Standard Stereo Reverb settings are not always kind to your tracks - about which a little more later on. With this in mind, work on your source track first.
- Go to Effects>Amplify and reduce/enhance waveform output as required. If it shows much clipping, you’re strongly advised to reduce. Change the ‘Amplify’ value shown to -1.0 and take it in steps so as to decrease waveform volume to a level you’re satisfied with.
- Repeat 8. with the duplicate track, but make sure waveform here is reduced to 2.0/3.0 below your source track’s Amplification value. You’ll probably have to experiment a bit here.
- Make sure that volume and L/R, in source as well as duplicate tracks, are on 0/Centre respectively. Next, go to Effects once more (if your duplicate track is still highlighted) and scroll down to Plugins. Under Plug-ins 106-120, you’ll find Stereo Reverb.
- Stereo Reverb settings will now appear. Every value shown can be changed - and may have to be, since the standard application might result in solid blue where fuzzy wave should be seen. But usually a thin, elongated reverb track emerges that runs parallel to your source track.
- If you play the source track now, your instrument or vocal will sound as if in an immense hall. By pulling back the volume control button on what is now your reverb track, levels can easily be regulated.
- Save your ‘twin tracks’ (as.aup!). Repeat same procedure with tracks 2-4.
- Open a new score and paste all four sets of ‘twin tracks’ in there (in the same way as explained in 5.) Adjust L/R balance (reverb track’s should correspond with source track’s) and, if necessary, reverb levels. As to the latter: to much reverb started with in track 1 - and the same repeated in 2-4 - often leads to a messy result. Better to start with a modest level and increase to requirement.
- If balancing & reverb have been done to satisfaction, you might want to create a .wav audio file. Simply go to File>Export. A menu will appear with lots of stuff to choose from, but this all optional. Just hit OK - and after a minute or two, a freshly minted WAV audio file will be added.
- A variation on this is to begin with altering your source tracks to .wav, in the manner explained, and then to follow procedure as explained above.
- Finally, some help with changing Stereo Reverb settings, when required, may come in handy, too:
Here are some settings that may work nicely:
“The Quick Fix”
These settings add a slight sense of depth to any sound clip that is flat. While it won’t give you any sort of echo, it will give you the sense that you actually recorded it in a room where sound sort of bounces off.
Roomsize: 40 m²
Reverb time: 4 s
Damping: 0.9
Input bandwidth: 0.75
Dry signal level: 0 dB
Early reflection level: -22 dB
Tail level: -28 dB
“Bright, small hall”
This is excellent if you want to create an effect which sounds like you are singing in a small, empty little poetry club.
Roomsize: 50 m²
Reverb time:1.5 s
Damping: 0.1
Input bandwidth: 0.75
Dry signal level: -1.5 dB
Early reflection level: -10 dB
Tail level: -20 dB
"Nice hall effect "
This effect makes the audio clip sound like it was recorded in an empty music hall; not too big yet somewhat larger than a little room.
Roomsize: 40 m²
Reverb time: 20 s
Damping: 0.50
Input bandwidth: 0.75
Dry signal level: 0 dB
Early reflection level: -10 dB
Tail level: -30 dB
"Singing in the Sewer "
This sounds exactly what its name suggests…
Roomsize: 6 m²
Reverb time: 15 s
Damping: 0.9
Input bandwidth: 0.1
Dry signal level: -10 dB
Early reflection level: -10 dB
Tail level: -10 dB
“Last row of the church”
This is most likely the one you are looking for. The reverberation you can achieve with this effect will make vocals sound very rich and ethereal, even smoothing out some of the slight mess-ups you may have had in your voice.
Roomsize: 200 m²
Reverb time: 9 s
Damping: 0.7
Input bandwidth: 0.8
Dry signal level: -20 dB
Early reflection level: -15 dB
Tail level: -8 dB
Good luck!
tnob
