As an independent artist, songwriter or singer, there are some terms that it will be good for you to know so that you can better communicate with your music producer.
And it’s essential that you know how to explain your vision of the song to him/her so that he/she can help you translate it and achieve the result you want.
These are 5 of the effects that are most used in the mix, both on voices and other instruments:
Reverb
Reverberation is an acoustic phenomenon that occurs when sound reflects off a surface and returns to the listener’s ear. It is essential for creating a spatial and realistic sound in music production.
Some types of reverb
- Room / Chambers: Simulates the sound of a high-quality recording room.
- Plates: This is a technique in which sound is sent through a suspended metal plate that vibrates and produces a reverberation.
- Hall: Simulates the sound of a concert hall or similar-sized space.
My favorite plugins
- Room / Chambers: Waves Manny Marroquin Reverb, Waves Abbey Road Chambers, Cubase RoomWorks
- Plates: UAD Pure Plate Reverb, Waves Abbey Road Plates
- Hall: FabFilter Pro-R
Delay
Delay is one of the most popular effects in the world of music and sound production. It is used to create repetitions of an audio signal, which produces an echo effect and serves to give depth and texture to an audio track.
My favorite plugins
- Delay: Soundtoys EchoBoy, Waves Manny Marroquin Delay
Distortion/Saturation
In its basic definition, distortion is an alteration of the waveform of an audio signal.
Distortion comes in many forms, although one of the most popular is called clipping. Clipping occurs when an audio signal exceeds the maximum signal that a system is capable of handling. Saturation, overdrive and fuzz are all forms of distortion.
My favorite plugins
- Distortion/Saturation: Soundtoys Decapitator, FabFilter Saturn
Chorus
The Chorus effect is basically an effect that doubles the instrument signal and adds a pitch shift and a small delay to one of the divisions. The result you will get is a “chorus” effect, as if several musicians were playing exactly the same thing as you.
My favorite plugins
- Chorus: Arturia Chorus JUN-6, Blue Cat’s Chorus
Tremolo
Tremolo is the effect that allows you to obtain a cyclic variation in the volume of a signal.
My favorite plugins
- Tremolo: Soundtoys Tremolator
I hope this information helps you improve when creating your music… If it helps you, leave a comment and tell me!
