Reverberators

Reverberator parameters:

reverb time	initial delay	early reflection level	diffusion	eq
simulates the amount of reflectivity of an acoustic space	the delay between the direct sound and early reflections preceding the reverberation	a cue to the amount of reflectivity of the room surfaces	controls the density of reverberations	simulates the absorptive/ reflective characteristics of the room surfaces low pass high pass band pass

Reverberator types:

natural

spring

echo chamber or room acoustics

disadvantages

expensive dedication of space
inflexible one room - one reverb

advantages

natural sound
unique reverberation characteristics

transducer converts electrical signal to mechanical vibration in a metal spring which propogates back and forth along the length of the spring between its anchor points

multiple springs or complex spring thickness result in more complex reflection patterns

reverb time is adjusted by damping the spring's motion or adjusting its tension

disadvantages

lacking in high frequency response

prone to overdriving with peak levels and transients which result in an unpleasant and unnatural glitch, compression of the input can lessen this problem

prone to mechanical disturbance by nearby loudspeakers or floor movements, (dancers, actors, etc.)

plate

digital algorithms

use a metal plate suspended, under tension, in a frame

disadvantages

better transient and high frequency response than spring

advantages

typically large and heavy

reverb type (simulations)
       plate
       physical space
       liveness (reflectivity)
       size (time between reflections)
frequency processing eq
initial delay
early reflections
       delay
       type
       number
       density
       level
reverb time
high frequency damping
diffusion
Automation (MIDI control)

If good anti-aliasing filters, high resolution (more bits per sample) and high sampling rate are used, the sound quality of digital reverberation can be very good with wide dynamic range, low noise and distortion

Optimum quality can be achieved with any reverberation device by taking care that the input signal level is as high as possible without risking overdrive distortion. This will allow the output of the effect to be used at a lower level and reduce the audibility of any inherent low-level noise.