Tags: posts polarity-music Bitwig Bitwig-5.2b13 FX-Grid Reverb Tutorial Audio-Effects

Reverbs - Building from Scratch in Bitwig

Tutorial | Jul 24, 2024

In this video, I demonstrate a unique reverb technique using an FX grid instead of a traditional reverb effect. By utilizing voice stacking, modulation, and various parameters, I create a custom reverb sound with subtle variations on each stack. This technique allows for endless experimentation and creativity in crafting unique and dynamic reverbs.

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Here's a small reverb idea that I sometimes use. It’s a flexible technique that doesn't need to be applied every time. I'll walk you through how to create it using a polymer patch, some modulation, and the FX grid.

Try out these steps and experiment with different effects to see what works best for your sound!

Questions & Answers

Maybe you dont watch the video, here are some important takeaways:

What is the main concept demonstrated in this video?

The main concept demonstrated in this video is how to create a reverb effect using a mod delay in a polymer patch. The video walks through the steps of setting up the patch and adjusting parameters to achieve the desired reverb sound.

Is using a reverb necessary in every situation?

No, using a reverb is not necessary in every situation. It depends on the desired sound and the specific needs of the production. Reverb can add depth and space to a sound, but it may not be appropriate or desired in every context.

Can the reverb effect be customized and modified?

Yes, the reverb effect demonstrated in the video can be customized and modified. The parameters of the mod delay, such as delay timing, feedback amount, and low pass filtering, can be adjusted to create different reverb sounds. Additional effects, such as chorus or filtering, can also be added to further modify the reverb effect.

Are there any alternative techniques or ideas for creating reverb effects?

There are many alternative techniques and ideas for creating reverb effects. Experimenting with different delay types, using different modulation sources, and combining multiple effects can all lead to unique and interesting reverb sounds. It's also important to explore different synthesizer patches and settings to achieve the desired reverb effect.

Transcription

This is what im talking about in this video. The text is transcribed by AI, so it might not be perfect. If you find any mistakes, please let me know.
You can also click on the timestamps to jump to the right part of the video, which should be helpful.

[00:00:00] So there's a small reverb idea I want to show you and that's something I do sometimes.
[00:00:07] It's not something you need to do every time, right?
[00:00:09] So here I have a small little polymer patch.
[00:00:12] It's actually just a saw wave and instead of adding a reverb, I'm using an FX grid.
[00:00:22] And in here, I'm just using the long, not the long delay, a mod delay.
[00:00:27] Go in here, switch this here to milliseconds as a timing.
[00:00:34] And then I'm using, yeah, voice stacking basically.
[00:00:38] So 16 voices.
[00:00:39] Maybe use an amplifier here to bring the volume down.
[00:00:45] Then I'm using a value and this value modifies here the pitch amount or delay modulation amount.
[00:00:53] Full range, 99%.
[00:00:57] And then I also use here a pen knob.
[00:01:00] And this pen knob basically changes the value on the left side differently than on the right
[00:01:06] side, on the right channel.
[00:01:10] So then I'm going to add here a stack spread modulator, 0 to 1.
[00:01:18] And maybe bring this down here, this all the way up and then modulate this.
[00:01:23] So on each stack, we have a different value for this here.
[00:01:27] We have also a different setting on the left channel than on the right channel.
[00:01:32] And I probably want to modulate here the delay timing too.
[00:01:35] I can tweak this then a bit.
[00:01:38] And we also want to change here the feedback amount and maybe a bit of low pass filtering.
[00:01:58] And you get basically a reverb out of the Mod-delay.
[00:02:01] You can barely hear the delay tabs because every delay tab or every delay you use is a
[00:02:07] small little amount different than the other one.
[00:02:11] And you can scale this pretty nicely here with this stack spread.
[00:02:21] Then you can hear it here with some...
[00:02:24] We can mask this a bit here maybe with filtering.
[00:02:31] Or let's use what's the name on our pass delay in front.
[00:02:37] Scale this also a bit here.
[00:02:41] And maybe let's use in front here what the phase of it can use chorus.
[00:02:50] Eight voices maybe mix with all the way up.
[00:02:54] Speed setting down, depth is okay.
[00:02:57] And then we can scale the speed setting a bit on each stack differently.
[00:03:13] We can also add to the signal here an LFO.
[00:03:23] No synchronization or no re-triggering and also no sync to the BPM here.
[00:03:29] Then add this to it and maybe add an attenuate here so we don't modulate too much.
[00:03:45] And then also a different frequency on each stack.
[00:03:50] Maybe that's too much.
[00:04:17] You can see it can create nice reverbs with this.
[00:04:38] Maybe a chorus at the end.
[00:04:41] Let's duplicate this in here.
[00:04:58] You can also add here a filter.
[00:05:00] Let's use an SVF maybe in front.
[00:05:04] No key track, band pass.
[00:05:07] Bring this down.
[00:05:09] And then open this up so each stack has a different band pass in front.
[00:05:17] From 50 Hz maybe 50 Hz is too low.
[00:05:20] Maybe start here at 140 Hz.
[00:05:36] You can increase the resonance here.
[00:05:40] What you also can do is you can use a value maybe.
[00:05:45] Instead of modulating this frequency directly you modulate the value.
[00:05:48] Then you go into a quantizer and say I only want to have notes in the scale and then go
[00:05:57] in here.
[00:05:58] Pull this all the way up and go to C note.
[00:06:01] Let's say C1 or maybe let's go to C2 or C3.
[00:06:10] I don't know.
[00:06:11] Doesn't matter.
[00:06:12] And then you have all the frequencies in here basically on a note in the scale.
[00:06:19] Then when you bring up the resonance you get this type of effect.
[00:06:29] It's like a shimmer reverb.
[00:06:32] Maybe go to C4.
[00:06:41] Let's replace this here for Sallen-Key band pass 6 so it's a bit steeper.
[00:06:51] And it's maybe too steep.
[00:06:55] You can add all kinds of effects inside of this chain or this reverb idea.
[00:07:05] So it's not limited to just what I showed you here.
[00:07:08] You can put all kinds of different things in there and you get always a different effect
[00:07:13] and you can always use this voice tag and make some changes on each stack differently
[00:07:19] and it has a nice effect on it.
[00:07:21] So this is sometimes what I do and I want to show you this here how I do it and maybe
[00:07:27] you have some more ideas than myself and yeah.
[00:07:30] Try it out.
[00:07:31] Give it a try.
[00:07:32] It's a nice idea and that's it for this video.
[00:07:35] Thanks for watching.
[00:07:36] Leave a like.
[00:07:37] Leave a subscribe.
[00:07:38] See you next time.
[00:07:39] Bye.