Tone or Sound adding Reverb to a live performance

Colin the Bear · Jan 23, 2021

I'd be disappointed to turn up to a live gig and sit in front of a laptop.
Live my pa has a reverb knob. 😉

PigSquealer · Jan 24, 2021

h4yn0nnym0u5e said:
Find a reverb / effects processor*. Plug FX send from mixer into processor input. Plug processor output into mixer aux return. Adjust levels.

* this is likely to be the hardest part! Lots of choice..,

Lots of choices. pfff, crazy .

Guenne · Jan 24, 2021

MandyH said:
Um ... live as in what I perform in my room is broadcast live.

I like to have a little reverb and leveller on the sax when I teach via Zoom (I have a mic for teaching and one for playing).
Technically it should be the same what you need.
In my case, the reverb is calculated inside my interface (Universal Audio Apollo).
So there is no latency. Of course I can only use the effects (compressor, reverb, you name it) that come with the UA software - or you buy it with extra cost.
There are many interfaces capable of doing that (Motu, Apogee, RME).

Cheers, Guenne

h4yn0nnym0u5e · Jan 24, 2021

Guenne said:
I like to have a little reverb and leveller on the sax

Good point - for @MandyH ’s use case a “multi FX” unit might be the best option, to add both compression and reverb. The mixer isn’t best suited for using compression but it might work OK with the right FX unit.

Dave E · Jan 24, 2021

There's a reverb dial on the Roland Street Cube "busking" amp if you can get hold of one of these.

Colin the Bear · Jan 24, 2021

Dave E said:
There's a reverb dial on the Roland Street Cube "busking" amp if you can get hold of one of these.

But is there an out put?

Wade Cornell · Jan 24, 2021

It hasn't really been discussed: what sort of space are you talking about gigging? This makes a huge difference. If it's a large outdoor crowd or even a large indoor venue then you'll sound great with any of the appropriate FX boxes through the PA. If you're talking about a small venue then you've got to remember that you're playing a rather loud acoustic instrument. If you want the sax sound with reverb to be what people primarily hear then you've got to have the volume up enough to drown out your acoustic sound. That will likely be too loud for many small venue situations. Likewise if you're talking about busking you'd be obnoxiously loud if trying to overcome your natural sound with a stronger reverb sound. Playing softer only works if you're playing music that's suited to that style, otherwise you're not going to deliver the appropriate tone or feel.

As sax players we tend to like our sound better with reverb. If we're honest it covers our tonal flaws and smooths out what otherwise could be a bit rough. It's just a reality that a PA in some situations will be much more obnoxious as it will be too loud for you to be taking advantage of the effect. The answer for those situations is to work on your tone so that it doesn't need altering to sound good.

6441 · Jan 25, 2021

If I understand @MandyH, the situation is playing live over the internet. If that's it, then there are two solutions, involving different costs.

1. Replace the mixer with one that has reverb built in. Probably not desirable, cost-wise.

2. Use your current mixer with an outboard reverb. It will range from about 30£ to 60£, depending on the effects unit you purchase. If anyone near you sells used musical instruments and accessories, a reverb would not be expensive. It either works or it doesn't, so once tested, it's probably fine.

Because most recordings use reverb to some extent, the average listener kind of subconsciously "expects" it. Most of the greats use it on recordings. As @Guenne said, some teachers use it for the same reason. What @Wade Cornell said about loudness is true, it's a problem I've had to contend with. In fact, it's one of the reasons an electronic instrument is attractive. There's no acoustic sound, so only the amplified sound with reverb is heard. Unfortunately, there is no EWI that is independent of cable and really sounds like a saxophone.

The situation you describe though, is absolutely perfect:
A microphone picks up the saxophone sound, it goes to the mixer, which adds any effects you like and maybe has a limiter built in, like some of the big brother models of your current one. The mixer output then goes into the computer to be sent out to the Internet and the world, through YouTube Live, Zoom, Twitch, and the other platforms. The live part is on the other side of the Internet, so no one is present to hear the un-reverbed sound of your saxophone.

By the way, in this context, I agree reverb is desirable.

Guenne · Jan 25, 2021

Wade Cornell said:
As sax players we tend to like our sound better with reverb. If we're honest it covers our tonal flaws and smooths out what otherwise could be a bit rough.

It's a bit OT here, but listening to a sax played through a mic without reverb is like putting one's ear close to the horn and listen. You never would do that. Well played is well played, and flaws are flaws - with our without tons of reverb or something. Next thing is that reverb does not equal reverb. What I think would be useful is some kind of room (not a church 🙂) that would give the sound some space. So what I want to say is that reverb shouldn't make the sound better, but more natural.