A reverb tip from the playbook of legendary engineer Al Schmitt.
Hi everyone, and welcome to another Dojo. This time, I want to focus on the creative possibilities of using multiple reverb buses to spice up your tracks and mixes.
The first time I heard of this concept (many years ago) was through the legendary engineer Al Schmitt, who recorded Duke Ellington, Elvis Presley, Jefferson Airplane, George Benson, Toto, Steely Dan, Vince Gill, and Michael Jackson, to name a few. He also mixed well over 150 gold and platinum records. When he talked, people listened. Especially me. A couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to spend four days filming him while he engineered and mixed an album from start to finish at Blackbird. Whenever he was waiting for some gear to get set up, or the band to arrive, I would express my deep appreciation for the records he engineered/produced and ask him questions. This article is based on part of one of those conversations. So, tighten up your belts. The Dojo is now open.
You may be asking yourself what benefits using multiple reverbs can bring, and wouldn’t everything just get washed out? Let me first describe how to set up multiple ’verbs in your DAW and then we will look at how to use them. Let’s start with my emulation of how Al would have used the five reverb chambers at RCA Hollywood studios when he was recording.
"I like doing this with instruments that may have a fair amount of delay on them, but still need to feel like they are affecting the reverb space within the mix."
In your DAW, create five different aux buses. You can make them mono or stereo buses, depending on your computer’s processing power. Instantiate one reverb on each bus. I recommend UAD’s Capitol Chambers, Waves’ Abbey Road Reverb Plates, FabFilter’s Pro-R, Valhalla DSP’s Plate, or similar choices. There are many great, quality reverbs out there. Regardless of what you have, I’d encourage you to experiment with different types of reverbs and settings. This can give each bus a different character and lead to some creative mixing decisions. Have a look at Fig. 1.
Next, pan them as follows: ’verb 1–hard left, ’verb 2–half-left, ’verb 3–center, ’verb 4–half-right, and ’verb 5–hard right [Fig.2]. You can also vary the reverb time if you wish, but I suggest that if it’s based on a real space (like the Abbey Road or Capitol chambers), leave the reverb time alone to maximize the sonic footprint of each of those spaces. Also, keep the dimension (the shape of the room) the same. If it’s a pure digital ’verb, I will tweak to taste depending on what I want the reverb’s role to be in the mix. Usually this is the center ’verb for me.
Fig. 2
Now take a listen to your mix and locate where your instruments/vocals are panned in the stereo field. For those instruments and tracks that lie on the left side, route a send to reverbs 1 and/or 2. For those that are on the right, send them to reverbs 4 and 5, and route and assign everything else that you may want reverb on to reverb 3.
Adjust your send levels for each track and listen to how transparent the reverb starts to become. What I find is that the placement of the tracks in the stereo field remains consistent and focused instead of getting smeared into both channels with brute force from the same reverb.
If you want an A/B comparison, set up another reverb aux bus (reverb 6) and change all your reverb-assigned tracks’ outputs to this new reverb and listen to the difference. What do you notice?
Finally, by having different reverbs panned through the stereo field you can easily do things like have a hard-left instrument’s reverb come back hard right by assigning it to ’verb 5. I like doing this with instruments that may have a fair amount of delay on them, but still need to feel like they are affecting the reverb space within the mix.I hope this gives you some inspiration and deepens your understanding of reverb.
Until next month, keep experimenting! Namaste.
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Whether you’re tired of slinging combos and bigger into your car’s trunk or looking for reliable backup and backline power, these pedal-sized options have plenty to offer.
Here’s a rundown of six amps in a stompbox format. Carry soft, play loud!
Blackstar Amplification AMPED 2
A portable 100-watt pedal amp with onboard effects that’s perfect for the guitar player that wants an all-in-one watt-cranker and an effects processor
blackstaramps.com
NUX Amp Academy (NGS-6)
This compact workhorse offers 18 amp models, seven signal blocks, independent outputs, and a robust IR loader—plus, it functions as a USB audio interface.
nuxaudio.com
MayFly Audio Sunrise Amp Simulator
The MayFly emulates the classic sound of black-panel amps, including their preamp, power amp, speaker cabinet, and spring reverb. It's intended to plug directly into a PA or DAW, and includes a stereo headphone output jack.
mayflyaudio.com
Friedman IR-D
The IR-D dual-channel tube preamp is an entire Friedman rig, inspired by the JTM45, in a compact pedalboard-friendly package.
friedmanamplification.com
Strymon Iridium Amp and IR Cab Pedal
The Iridium offers three iconic tube amplifier models and nine super-high-resolution, 500 ms impulse response speaker cabinets, along with size-adjustable IR-based room ambience.
strymon.net
Revv Anniversary Series G3
The new Anniversary Edition Revv G series pedals feature new aesthetics and even more amp-like feel and tone—modeled after Revv amps’ purple channel.
revvamps.com
Vernon Reid's signature Reverend is equipped with Korina, ebony, Railhammer Pickups, and Floyd Rose for punchy tones.
From the vivid imagination of Vernon Reid comes the Totem Series of Reverend Vernon Reid guitars. A sleek body features graphics inspired by Carl Jung's Collective Unconscious Theory, Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey, and artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Romare Beardon. West African Adinkra symbols adorn the pickups and headstock, while American Hobo symbols grace the fretboard. Africana and Americana symbolism meld with profound graphics, conjuring vivid images that speak to humankind's perilous, yet necessary journeys in three different graphic designs: The Talisman, The Mystery Tramp, and The Shaman.
While visually stunning, these instruments are also refined tools of the trade. The recipe of Korina, ebony, and Railhammer Pickups, coupled with the sheer metallic mass of the Floyd Rose, serves up a tone best described as punchy. Harmonics pop, single notes sing, and chords ring with tasty overtones - delivering that knockout punch whether you're playing clean funk or heavy rock. The Reverend Vernon Reid Signature Totem Series guitars are genuinely collectible art pieces that sound and play as amazing as they look.
The Reverend Vernon Reid Signature Totem Series Guitars are now available through any Reverend Authorized Dealer.
For more information, please visit reverendguitars.com.
Premium acoustic guitar cases with heritage design, quilted dry-waxed canvas, and soft felt interior. Available in dreadnought and parlor sizes, with khaki and olive color options.
Guitar Satchel, a new company specializing in premium-quality cases and accessories for working/traveling musicians, has introduced its line of deluxe acoustic guitar cases.
"The Guitar Satchel is the type of case that so many guitarists have yearned for: a soft-sided backpack-style case that matches the craftsmanship of their most treasured acoustic. It’s heritage designed, made of quilted dry-waxed canvas and soft felt interior, and comes with a lifetime guarantee."
The Guitar Satchel is available in two color options – khaki and olive– and two sizes. The dreadnought-style case will fit standard-size acoustic guitars, including OM, concert, and small jumbo instruments. The parlor-size case is designed for travel, classical, and other smaller guitars.
Combining retro-Americana styling with thoroughly modern features, the Guitar Satchel case is made using the best materials and quality craftsmanship of a 120-year-old manufacturer based in Iowa. Its heavy-duty outer material is naturally water-repellent and durable. It has a sumptuous, quilted cotton felt interior and features high-quality leather and brass zippers. (This manufacturer originally supplied the zippers to the US Army during World War I.)
This special-edition guitar case is created to carry your favorite guitars on all your adventures and to meet the level of craftsmanship of your instruments. Built to last a lifetime, the GuitarSatchel is the case you will want to use when passing your beloved guitars down to future generations.
The Guitar Satchel carries a $499 price and is available for purchase at guitarsatchel.com.
For more information, please visit guitarsatchel.com.
Creative Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
It’s a common misconception that Nashville, my adopted hometown, got its Music City nickname because of the country music industry. It was actually inspired by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the Grammy-winning gospel-vocal powerhouse from Fisk University that was formed in 1871 and toured the U.S. and Britain over the next two years. As the story goes, Queen Victoria declared that Nashville must be a “city of music” to spawn such a glorious ensemble.
But there’s more to the tale. From 1935 to 1965, Nashville was arguably the epicenter of Black American music. Along the 30 blocks straddling Jefferson Street—Nashville’s own “Black Wall Street”—were a host of clubs, including Club Baron, Club Stealaway, the Del Morocco, and the Black Diamond, that showcased live music from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. every weekend. And the roster of talent included a who’s who of national acts—Count Basie, Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, B.B. King, Otis Redding, Etta James, Little Richard, Hank Crawford, James Brown—and formidable locals like Johnny “Blues Boy” Terrell, Gene Allison, Jimmy Church, Marion James, Charles “Wigg” Walker, Frank Howard, and two highly notable guitarists: Johnny Jones, the big dog of Nashville rhythm & blues guitar, and young upstart Jimi Hendrix.
Lorenzo Washington is the founder, guide, and curator of the Jefferson Street Sound Museum, where he provides a living introduction to the Black-music culture that first defined Music City.
But there’s stillmore to the story. In 1946, Nashville’s WLAC became the first major radio station to play R&B records, defying the city fathers and Jim Crow. Its signal reached 28 states and three Canadian provinces, making WLAC the platform by which Black music was introduced to the mainstream. WLAC’s impact on the sales of the indie labels recording Black artists at the time was tremendous.
Not only that. In 1964, Night Train, filmed at WLAC-TV, became the first syndicated R&B television show. Hosted and programmed by Noble Blackwell (who would eventually have an influential career in radio), and with an all-Black cast, Night Train featured local and national acts, and was the template for Soul Train.
“A host of clubs, including Club Baron, Club Stealaway, the Del Morocco, and the Black Diamond, showcased live music from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. every weekend.”
After two years, pressure from the owners of the Grand Ole Opry caused WLAC’s owners to cancel Night Train, which the Opry perceived as a threat to ticket sales, according to Blackwell’s widow, Katie, and performers Church and Howard. And the radio station’s new management also pulled the plug on its R&B programming. At the same time, Nashville’s establishment—which had long waged a cultural war against the Black community along Jefferson Street—managed the coup de grâce they’d sought for decades by redlining and constructing Interstate 40 through the heart of Jefferson, where bridge abutments now mark the location of some of these historic clubs.
Today, most of the entertainers, DJs, and entrepreneurs responsible for Nashville’s—and therefore, in part, the nation’s—R&B revolution are dead, although on a lucky night you can still hear Walker, Church, or Howard turn back time onstage. But all of those memories and as much history as you can fit into the ground floor of a small house can be found at the Jefferson Street Sound Museum. For the past 23 years, the Museum at 2004 Jefferson has been the passion project of Lorenzo Washington. He secured the building in 2011 for a studio, but a year later felt a calling to create a temple dedicated to preserving Jefferson Street’s musical legacy—an urgency amplified as the local players who were there expired.
When you go to the Jefferson Street Sound Museum, you’ll find plenty of artifacts, from period-correct guitars to the old WLAC broadcast board, and handbills, posters, autographed photos, and ephemera. But the most important exhibit is Lorenzo. Beginning in the late 1950s, he was on the scene, as a fan and friend to the musicians, and even as a driver for songwriter and producer Ted Jarrett.
At 81, Lorenzo’s memory and storytelling skills are exquisite. Warm-hearted and welcoming, he can talk about Hendrix’s days as a maverick in the world of straight R&B, of the menus served while the musicians entertained, of B.B. King driving dancers to a frenzy, and even about the Nashville Stars, the city’s beloved Negro League baseball team that was bankrolled by Sou Bridgeforth, a numbers operator and the owner of the New Era Club, where Etta James recorded her blazing Rocks the House album in 1963. For his work preserving Music City’s foundational music culture, Lorenzo has been honored by the city with Lorenzo Washington Day and is the subject of a living legends exhibit at the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in downtown Nashville.
So, if you’re coming to Nashville, you’ll want to visit Broadway, and the big attractions like the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and NMAMM. But if you really want to learn about the roots of Music City, go to 2004 Jefferson Street, and have a conversation with history.