Effects

Right, so, where were we? Oh yes. This part was to include fx and part transitions, but I think we'll leave the latter for another article. There's alot to get through! We've got our software sorted, and we're already headed down the path of layered righteousness! We're missing something though. What could possibly make our layered tracks more exciting? Well my lovelies. We need effects. Big time. Your sonic tool box is about to go into overdrive...........

F what?

So what are effects? This may seem like a fairly silly question. But in reality it addresses the first thing we need to know. You may have heard the terms 'effects processors' and 'dynamics processors'. The first refers to a piece of equipment (hardware or software) that processes an incoming sound, adds an audio effect to it, and outputs a mix of the original and effected audio. The second refers to equipment that processes the dynamic content of an audio signal, eg, it's frequency content (done with an equalizer) or dynamic range (using compressors or limiters). If you want to find out more about compression, read the compression article.

How do I use fx effect-ively?

Again, this is a very poigniant question which may not necessarily spring to mind. The point is, even though we have many varied fx tools at our disposal, the real art is knowing when too much is too much.

Reverb: Reverb (or reverberation to use it's full name) is the effect of making audio sound like it's in a 'space', be it a concrete stairwell, or the Taj Mahal. The reason a room etc. has reverb is because sound bounces off surfaces. If you go into a squash court and shout, you'll hear it bounce around the space. It keeps going because there isn't just a single bounce. The sound will keep bouncing off opposite surfaces until it's dies away. Novice Jedi at the beginning of their audio lives tend to add far too much reverb to their vocals etc. which washes all of the definiton out of the original sound.

Reason's RV 7000 reverb and delay unit - Click for larger image

The reason reverb is such a useful tool is that it gives your audio some body, which brings it too life. However, another rookie mistake is to use different reverbs on lots of different elements of their track. This sounds horrible to us because the brain can't decipher what size space the track is in. Very messy and best avoided! However, if you have one or two different reverbs, you can put all of the different audio parts into the same 'space', making it more coherent, whilst saving the second reverb for special things like making splash cymbals sound huge and shimmering. For a more detailed article on what exactly reverb units are doing, click here.

Delay/echo: Delays are basically the same thing as reverbs. The difference is the amount of time between each 'bounce'. For example, it sounds close and quick if you're in your bedroom and shout ECHO! But if you stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon and shout ECHO, you have to wait for the sound to reach the other side, bounce, and come all the way back to your ears and you hear "echo...echo...echo...". The time it takes to repeat is called the delay time and is a fundamental part of using your delay fx properly. Most delay units now allow you to sync the delay time to the tempo of your track in musical increments (1/8th, 1/16th etc.). This is very useful because if your delays don't work with your tempo, then the track will sound very cluttered and not at all tight. For a more detailed article on what exactly delay units are doing, click here.