Sonnox Oxford Reverb User Manual
Page 9
5.1 Early Reflection Setup
5 REALISTIC ROOM SIMULATION
correct when 100% wet, frequency combing effects may occur when it eventually gets
combined with the dry signal in a mix. Generally speaking, simulations with the source
and destination at the back wall (minimum setting) will always survive the addition of the
dry signal, but under some circumstances, forward settings may not. Therefore it is safest
to start with the POSITION at minimum initially, and make any adjustments while using the
reverb in a mix situation.
Finally, it’s a good idea to run through all the settings, making final adjustments by
offsetting one parameter against another in order to get precisely the result that sounds
best with the programme material. Bear in mind that very often very small changes can
make the difference between something stunningly good or just average!
At this point you should have an early reflection sound that produces a realistic perception
of space, but may lack long-term reverberation and complexity.
5.1.1 Additional Important Points on Early Reflections Processing
It is sometimes useful to use an early reflection model on its own (without any Reverb Tail)
where significant environmental reverberation already exists on the recorded track to be
treated. In this case, the recorded reverb can often be included within the simulated space
without conflict, giving the perception that the track was actually recorded in stereo.
The perception of large spaces can be alternatively constructed with relatively small SIZE
settings, by the application of large amounts of FEED ALONG and FEEDBACK. While
such sounds may produce less faithful emulations of real spaces, great sound effects and
very dense general ambiences may be generated this way.
Moderate duration early reflections built using fairly small SIZE settings and large amounts
of FEED ALONG with no FEEDBACK can be very useful for percussion ambiences, since
they end abruptly and thus avoid creating intrusive ‘hubbub’ from reverb run on.
The effect of very large spaces with long Reverb Tails can be constructed with the Early
Reflection processing alone, by using large SIZE settings, moderate FEED ALONG and
large amounts of FEEDBACK. Although such spaces will be less diffuse than Reverb Tail
models (because they always contain cyclic reflections), they are still very useful for
creating the impression of extremely large spaces and generating rich sound effects.
The STEREO SEPARATION fader mixes left and right signals together at the input of the
processing. This is useful where the virtual space is required to be fixed regardless of
input programme panning. But when the programme is a viable stereo source (either