Need some Reverb help & recommendations to get KPA verbs to sound like this...

Hi folks,

I need your help.

I really love the incredible reverb and 3-D sense of space Yngwie is getting in these two tracks ("Amberdawn" and "Brothers").

I was hoping you all might give them a listen, and offer some sample settings to for me to try to capture the very lush reverb that Malmsteen has captured on these two instrumentals. Yes, I understand that the reverb was most likely added in post-production. However, be that as it may, I haven't been able to dial in a reverb that is even close to what I am hearing, in these two tracks.

Also, would I be correct in my understanding that there is no "ducking" parameter for the KPA's Reverb effects. I realize that "Ducking" typically applies to delays...but it would be great if something similar could be implemented with reverb. What I notice, here, is that all of Yngwie's single-note runs are clear and articulate, and nothing get's buried by the reverb. The reverb only becomes "present" and "front-and-center" after the completion of a phrase, during the sustain and decay of a note. Which, to me, implies a kind of "Ducking" technique applied (somehow) in post-production.

In any event, I would love to hear anyone's advice. Specifically, if you could give these two tracks a good listen, and recommend levels for the Reverb parameters, e.g., reverb type, reverb mix, delay/reverb balance, time, predelay, damping, bandwidth & frequency, etc. Also, can any adjustments to these settings mimic a "ducking" algorithm, in which the reverb is attenuated during playing, and only becomes pronounced after the notes/signal has peaked and has begun to decay.

Thanks in advance, my friends!
@meambobbo -- this sounds like it would be right up your alley, mate.

Yngwie Malmsteen -- Amberdawn:

Yngwie Malmsteen -- Brothers:

Quote from Monkey_Man

Hey John. Hope you're well mate.

I couldn't get "Amberdawn" to play; the window says, "This video is not available".

I had a listen to Brothers, the first bit as my bandwidth wasn't sufficient to load the 2nd half of the track, and I only heard it through my pathetic Mac speaker, but here's what I reckon:

What you're hearing is a combination of delay and 'verb. The delay gets lost in the 'verb as they become intertwined. It may be that its (the delay's) output is being fed to the 'verb bus (during mixing) or indeed a different 'verb that was then mixed back in with the existing one. This helps create what you might call a "blooming" effect, not unlike the much-discussed "shimmer" delay we're all looking forward to for the Kemper so much.

My guess is that automation of the reverb / delay returns or combined bus (more likely - it's simpler) is responsible for the "ducking" you refer to. In a situation like this engineers, at least I, would prefer to have full control of the effect level - you never know exactly where you might want to ride its level for an even-more dynamic, "lively" response, and the plain-vanilla ducking procedure locks you into the same behaviour time and again.

So you could try popping a delay before the 'verb block, and fiddling with its mix level as this would in effect(!) determine how much of the dry guitar goes directly to the 'verb, and how much goes through the delay first. You want, I'm guessing, 300ms or more delays with a fairly-long decay setting so that the tail dies out after 2.5 to 4 seconds.

As for the 'verb, you'll likely want a lot of pre-delay so that the tail doesn't kick in too soon; that'll only serve to bury the guitar further back into the stereo field. You might want to dial the early reflections right out, if indeed this can be done on the Kemper, or at least to a very-low level. This will ensure that the listener isn't forced into believing that the guitar's in a room or hall 'cause these ERs are practically the sole psychoacoustic cues for space (size, shape, surface materials and so on) localisation and recognition by the brain. These two measures will help separate the 'verb from the guitar signal, allowing you to crank it up much further than you'd otherwise have been able, without, as I suggested, losing the guitar in the mix.

The 'verb's tail will need to be diffuse and smooth if possible. I'm not familiar with the Kemper's parameters, but typically one would turn up the diffusion amount and if it sounded too harsh or "ringy", dial back the brightness. An engineer might raise the diffusion level until the algorithm / DSP started to reach the limit for which it's capable of producing so very many tiny, closely-spaced reflections (mini-delays, really), and then back it off a little. The brightness / damping parameter might then be visited in order to further smooth the result. The length of the tail should be matched roughly to that of the delay's decay time. Again, in this case, 2.5 to 4 seconds IMHO.

Lastly, I'd consider high-pass filtering both the delay signal as well as the 'verb. You could experiment with doing this to the 'verb's combined delay / verb output (which is what it'll be in the 'verb slot 'cause the delay's going there anyway), as well as to the delay's output, if the parameter is available for the delay you're using (again, I don't use effects on the Kemper so I'm not aware of what's available). My guess would be that you'd want to high-pass the delay's output at, say, 200-400Hz, with a similar figure for the 'verb, the purpose being to further ensure that your guitar doesn't get swamped in digital goo!

Hope this helps, John. I wish I was there right now as I'm kinda excited for you! Please keep me posted as to your progress or lack thereof, mate.

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Hey, thanks a lot Nicky! I will give those excellent suggestions a try.

Cheers mate.

P.S. -- I assume the "Amberdawn" track might be content blocked depending on the YouTube user's location. Not sure why it isn't available in the wonderful Land of Oz, however. Keep an eye out for those evil Drop Bears, Nicky.

Sir Robin meets the Aussie Drop Bear: