Keep It Dry*
Here’s a processing tip that I’ve been turning to lately. As mix trends cycle around to more dry and upfront treatment, particularly with vocals and drums - mirroring the shift in a raw aesthetic that peaked in the wake of 90s grunge. I’m having to find smart ways of creating covert ambiences while steering away from traditional reverb devices.
Working on a mix this week, I was tasked with giving a snare some extra length and presence without compromising its natural appeal. A standard reverb might fall short in this example. However, by layering the reverb with further processing using Aberrant DSP’s LoFi Oddity, which offers distinctive ambience, cassette effects, and compression all in one quick jab. Now, the otherwise basic touch of reverb comes alive with distinct purpose and texture.
In this example, I opted for my usual “natural space” reverb using Valhalla Room, set with a short and moderately dark half-second decay. This worked fine but sounded a little cheap and out of place, failing to compliment the other production choices. I turned to LoFi Oddity, a versatile, FREE plugin that has become indispensable to me. Alternatively, other multi-effects units are great in this role, so pick your poison; XLN RC-20, Soundtoys Effect Rack, or NI Guitar Rig are also excellent options.
Using LoFi Oddity, I layered small amounts of its distinct ambience, cassette tape effect, and compression. Inserted after the reverb plugin, which is on a send, so it only affects the tail of the reverb, not the dry signal. The contrast of a short, natural reverb with Oddity's unique ambience and cassette tape qualities gives a sort of glow and texture to an otherwise quite ordinary reverb. I also used this process on a synth lead line but with a longer reverb in front of it.
So, the next time you find yourself grappling with the concept of providing a dry-sounding mix but not wanting it to sound too raw, remember: the solution might lie in the layering of natural ambience with more unusual effects that don’t ask the ear to fully locate the space it should be in.
Some other (sort of obvious) ideas:
Modulations. Try adding a bit of chorus in place of reverbs to acoustic guitars or percussion elements. This will give the tracks a bit of interest and shimmer and also push them back in the mix.
The same can be done with synths using short, pitched delays, giving them a halo’d presentation. I use Eventide H910 for this.
Employ short slap-back delays on vocals, as well as chorus doublers such as Soundtoys Microshift - your DAW likely comes with a close equivalent
Using small amounts of intense parallel compression can also really magnify the ambience and sustain in the recorded or sampled sounds you’re working with.
Filtering the top end to push elements further back in the mix will result in a deeper overall presentation. Darkening backing vocals, for example, will push them further from a bright lead vocal. This is something to consider before reaching for a reverb to set them back.
Thanks for reading. Hit reply to share your favourite multi-effects plugins. I love the versatile one-stop-shop boxes mentioned earlier for tasks like this. The weirder, the better.