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reverberation

J

Jays

New Member
in the search for an equalizer, i came accross various "reverberation" machines.
(like the Sansui RG-710)

although they look intriguing and interesting design wise, i still have one question: why the h* would anyone apply reverb to music???

i don't understand the purpose of these tools.

(sorry, maybe dumb question, but im new at this)
 
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I used to have one back in the 80's. They can add a bit of spacial quality to the music, much like being in a concert hall. That and my DBX range expander eventually went away, since I had too many components sitting on the wall unit.
 
Try listening to Donna Summer's "I feel love" using two leslie units and rear speakers! All I can say is, WHOA! :jawdrop:
 
I bought a non-operational TEAC RTR from a co-worker. After fixing it, I played one of the handful of tapes he provided. He had one of those units and ran the output through it before recording. Boy, it sounds nasty! I'm going to bulk erase those tapes and put them to better use.
 
Reverberaters were fairly common add-ons to car radios in the mid 1960s. When you first heard one, you thought....wow. But in a very stort time, they would get very irritating! :thumbsdn:
 
wizargoz said:
One word: Echoholism :D
Click to expand...

Echoholism... I like it!

Anyhoo... Fellow AKers correct me if mistaken.

Didn't Pioneer market SR-303 as designed to correct for different room environments? If room sounded sounded like shag carpet & marshmallow walls, think reverb idea was to correct for that & magically have room sounding more like wood floors, stucco walls... whatever.

Too good to be true or maybe great marketing. Recall it sounding god awful & was thankful to get $20 for it at garage sale.
 
Jays said:
although they look intriguing and interesting design wise, i still have one question: why the h* would anyone apply reverb to music???
Click to expand...


For the same reason that someone would add rear channel processing..., to add ambience. Just look at the proliferation of DSP and rear channel processing since that time. Those using reverb were the early adopters.
 
I have used for a short time a reverb unit just out of curiosity to see what it would do added to music.
Now my PIONEER reverb units are used soley as added light effects to my setup.
Watching the 'time tunnel' flash is just for show these days no reverb is applied to my output sound.

I think more novelty these days than practical application.
 
it lives on today ...

toddalin said:
For the same reason that someone would add rear channel processing..., to add ambience. Just look at the proliferation of DSP and rear channel processing since that time. Those using reverb were the early adopters.
Click to expand...
Yep. The evolution of audio.

Looking for that gimmick room-filling surround sound to simulate what you would experience in a live performance instead of a flat 2 dimensional sound.

It's why they came out with 4 channel and pseudo simulated 4 channel.
Panasonic included Ambience on boom boxes. Carver had Sonic Holography. Phase Linear incorporated Ambience. Realistic had Quatravox.

from the STA-250 manual:
The built-in Quatravox lets you hear sounds from your stereo records (and other stereo sources) you've never heard before. By just adding a set of stereo speakers to the QUATRAVOX speaker jacks and setting the rear panel switch ON, this special circuit simulates 4-channel sound.

Most stereo recordings contain ambient (reflected) sound which an ordinary stereo system loses. Quatravox plays these sounds through the added rear speakers and actually recreates the acoustics of the studio or concert hall. The degree of 4-channel effect varies with the type of music you listen to and the way it was recorded.

QUATRAVOX

The built-in Quatravox circuit provides simulated 4-channel sound from almost any stereo signal. To utilize Quatravox, you must connect a second pair of stereo speakers to the Quatravox speaker jacks on the rear panel -- and then set Quatravox switch on the rear to the ON position. Now, play your stereo sound source. The Quatravox circuit will recover some of the ambient sound from the original recording and will process it to the speakers connected to the Quatravox jacks: these speakers should be placed to the rear of your listening position.
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Separate add on units became obsolete when CD players, integrated amps, and receivers started to incorporate built-in surround effects. Modes for Dolby Surround, Simultated surround, Hall, Church, Jazz Club, etc.

SACD, DVD-Audio.

It lives on today with Home Theater with music modes.

The descendants of "why" is all around you today ....
 
madpioneer said:
I have used for a short time a reverb unit just out of curiosity to see what it would do added to music.
Now my PIONEER reverb units are used soley as added light effects to my setup.
Watching the 'time tunnel' flash is just for show these days no reverb is applied to my output sound.

I think more novelty these days than practical application.
Click to expand...
The best thing about it was probably the "Time Tunnel" light on the front! :smoke:
 
Live bands still use reverb on their PA systems. It does make the singing sound better, more mellow ,and more full. It is especially a help to the singers that can't sing too good because it provides a little cover for them by coloring the sound...
 
Boto said:
I used to have one back in the 80's. They can add a bit of spacial quality to the music, much like being in a concert hall. That and my DBX range expander eventually went away, since I had too many components sitting on the wall unit.
Click to expand...

Same here---I had one in the 70's -put a very light reverb and it added depth to the music and voices. Still have the unit ---HHHmmm--Just might drag it out again.
I also remember when my Dad put a reverb in his 66 Cadillac...every time he hit a strong bump in the road the spring would rattle blowing your ear drums.
The novelty wore off very quick.
 
AC-1250 said:
Live bands still use reverb on their PA systems. It does make the singing sound better, more mellow ,and more full. It is especially a help to the singers that can't sing too good because it provides a little cover for them by coloring the sound...
Click to expand...
Yes, the best use for these was for home recording/performances, just as a real studio would use reverb. You know, that mic input and tape-rec output on your old receiver?
 
I use an old reverb unit from Sansui sometimes in my home recording, on either vocals or guitar ahead of my recording gear or amplifer (or in an effects loop). I also have a custom built stereo tube reverb that I inherited from The Black Keys through our shared tech. It can be used for stereo but it's basically a performance unit. They are very useful in making your own music these days, and the very specific sound of a spring-reverb is all over any number of music tracks past and present.

As for hi-fi use, it's no different than the surround FX modes that were popular on AV receivers in the '90s (some of which were basically reverb effects). Novel ways of spicing up your music. If you strongly believe in tone controls...then I guess that somebody should also have the freedom to add 'space' to their recording.

In other words, it was probably cool if you were high.
 
I have a Realistic one. I've used it w/STA-2080 receiver. It can be fun especially with AM baseball broadcasts ;)
 
lots of music is jammed packed with reverb when it's performed. Sometimes engineers add even more when it's recorded. I wonder what Hendrix would sound like without effects :scratch2:
I have one but barely ever use it. It's fun on some types of music. To me it makes it sound like the band was playing in an old stone church.
 
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