- Convolution Reverb Ableton 9
- Convolution Reverb Ableton Pro
- Ableton Convolution Reverb Ir
- Convolution Reverb Ableton
Ableton Live 11 comes with a new reverb effect, Hybrid Reverb. Hybrid Reverb allows you to combine both convolution and algorithm reverbs. It’s a powerful effect, capable of endless reverb varieties.
Convolution Reverb is a creative device for bringing new space to your sounds – a sample-based reverb suite with hundreds of impulse responses from real-world spaces and world-class hardware. Convolution Reverb in Ableton Live 9 Suite. It's a new kind of device for me, in that it's an attempt at adding a new feature to Ableton Live. When it's loaded in the set the Loop Brace will always follow the playhead so you can jump in and out of loops without pausing and setting things up. Particularly fond of the 'Cues' mode which snaps the Loop Brace to start at the location marker. Well, blow me down, but there amongst the Max for Live devices is the `Convolution Reverb Pro.amxd` device, and as well as coming with shedloads of preset spaces, it also allows IR presets in the form of.wav files to be dragged into the device. I swear that there are so many happy surprises to be found in Ableton Live!
Capture the Reverb of Any Real World Space!
Convolution reverbs allow you to add your own samples of room reverbs, known as Impulse Responses or IRs. I’ve made plenty of them by simply recording a hand clap in the places with natural reverbs I enjoy. Once you have those recordings, you can simply drop them onto Hybrid Reverb’s interface.
In the video below, I demonstrate how you can drop your own IRs on to Hybrid Reverb and recreate the sound of any room.
One of the examples I use is a recording of a toilet seat slamming shut in a large tiled public bathroom. It creates a really long and interesting reverb. This is often why people enjoy singing in the shower. By dropping that sample onto Hybrid Reverb, I can now run any sound I like through that bathroom’s natural reverb. In the video, I run one of my VHS DRUMS presets through the bathroom reverb.
I’ve built this reverb into an Ableton Live Audio Effect Rack, and I’m giving it to you for free! Use this huge reverb on any sound in your productions. It’s much better than dragging your recording gear into a local public bathroom!
Don’t Have Live 11 Yet but Still Want Bathroom Reverb?
If you aren’t using the Live 11 Beta yet, you won’t be able to use the Bathroom Reverb Hybrid Reverb preset. But you could download the Free Live Pack, open the Samples folder and drop the bathroom reverb sample on Convolution Reverb. Convolution Reverb is a free Max for Live reverb first appearing in Live 9. It comes with a large collection of Impulse Responses (you can use those IRs in Hybrid Reverb too), emulating a massive range of real world environments.
Diego Stocco’s Rhythmic Convolutions
Now that you know how to recreate the reverb of any room, experiment with dropping all kinds of samples into Hybrid Reverb.
In the video, I use Diego Stocco’s amazing collection of Impulse Response, Rhythmic Convolutions. In Rhythmic Convolutions, Diego has created a ton of interesting samples, using his trademark sound design methods, that can be used to misuse any convolution reverb, including Hybrid Reverb.
Diego was on the Music Production Podcast #81. He discussed his unique way of working and shares practical tips and techniques you can use to take your sound design to the next level.
Have you ever wondered what your sampled piano might sound like inside a cavern? Or, how about playing a drum machine in the middle of an old church? Using convolution reverb, you can apply the characteristics of real-world spaces to any audio material, all without the the cost of travel or having to find a power outlet for your synth inside an ancient stone tower.
The crux of convolution reverb is an impulse response, or “IR” - a sample taken from a space to capture its character. Using a convolution reverb, you can apply the character of any number of real-world spaces, vintage pieces of hardware, and more, to your sound. In fact, any audio file can serve as an IR - want to convolve a guitar with a cat’s meow? Nothing’s stopping you.
In Live 9, the Max for Live Essentials Pack comes with the basic Convolution Reverb and the robust Convolution Reverb Pro, two premium Max for Live effects that use convolution.
A short phrase dry, then run through Live 9’s Convolution Reverb on with the “Large Wood Room” IR.
Convolution Reverb Ableton 9
Live 9’s Convolution Reverb comes with a selection of IRs from natural spaces, classic hardware reverbs, and more. There’s also a treasure trove of free IRs available from a diverse community of sound designers online. Ever wanted to capture the sound of the actual batcave? The EchoThief collection includes an IR from the original location of the batcave from the 1960s TV version of Batman.
Collecting IRs can be tricky business - to learn more about it, we interviewed Ableton sound designers Matt Jackson and Christian Kleine. “For pro work in the field,” says Matt, “it’s best to a) work at night when there is the littlest street noise possible; b) use really good signal path (loud and clean monitors, high quality sound card and measurement mics;) and c) use a long sweep (a sine wave that moves smoothly from a low to a high frequency).” Sampling from plug-ins or hardware reverb is a bit simpler - here, Matt recommends using a DC click - a short, one-sample sound impulse that provides a very “clean” sound source.
If you want to collect your own IRs, you can use the IR Measurement Device (included with the Max for Live Essentials Pack). With adjustable settings for capturing audio and generating either impulses or sweeps, the IR Measurement Device makes it easy to make an IR out of anything in your studio.
Convolution Reverb Ableton Pro
Matt takes an IR at Kraftwerk Berlin.
While a sweep might be ideal for large rooms, it’s also more difficult to set up. Another great tool for taking IRs is a gas starter pistol (the type used to start athletics races) - as used by Matt in the video above. Relating the story of this IR, Matt explains:
Ableton Convolution Reverb Ir
“I used a starter pistol because I can hit record on my laptop and walk around a space firing off at different locations and I don’t need to haul big heavy speakers anywhere (it’s also the most fun). A starter pistol will also color the IR a lot (and limit the bandwidth) but often that’s ok.
“When we were scouting locations for the Convolution Reverb movie we were looking for interesting places in Berlin that were large and quiet. This led us to a bunch of old abandoned hospitals, ice factories and military buildings. It was incredible, you really start to feel the history of berlin when you go to these places. Not only was I shocked by the number of unused spaces in such a popular city, but because of the history of Berlin, and the way these places were somehow left in a state of disrepair but stuck in the time they were abandoned, it was like traveling in time.
“For the video, we got in touch with the owners of Tresor who also own Kraftwerk Berlin, an abandoned power plant. It’s the same place that a month later was used for Atonal festival. It was the best place we could have imagined! Huge. Reverberant. Incredibly interesting. And no outside sounds.”
After traveling to unique spaces and unearthing rare gear, we wanted to know if there were any particular IRs that really stuck out to Christian and Matt. “Very special to me are some of the vintage hardware units, like the Stocktronics RX-4000 Plate reverb, The SwissEcho 2000 or some very old Farfisa Spring reverbs,” says Christian. “The Ursa Major Spacestation and some of the 'real spaces' are also favorites.”
Convolution Reverb Ableton
“Real places are great because they sound so special and they come with this association,” says Matt. “I use Drum Booth Real, St Andrews Church, Amazing Stereo Spring, and the ABCLR M2S ones a lot. People often are drawn to the huge ones, but in practice I often use about 5 tiny short ones for stereo imaging for every big space. Unless it’s pads or dub music (of which I love both) big spaces can cloud up a mix real quickly. The convolution pro has some great tools for making the IR much shorter so sometimes I start big and then pull it down a lot as well as EQ out big chunks on the ends.”