Ableton Live: Creative Reverb Rack

Icon Instructor Jerry “BigJerr” DiPhillippo takes you into Ableton Live to create a custom Reverb Audio Effect Rack that injects rich, epic vibe to your mix. Free Reverb Rack download included!

Reverb is an essential part of every mix used to create dimension and separation between elements. It is a vital ingredient that simply makes individual elements in the mix sound better!

However, bathing your sounds in lush reverb also has drawbacks. Reverberation can quickly build up and cause several clarity issues that muddy the mix. There are a few ways to apply reverb in Ableton Live to reduce clarity issues, but they are limited. For example, you could place a reverb on a track’s device chain and adjust the Dry/Wet control. This method is limited because it only allows part of the original signal to pass through unaffected. Another approach is to send the signal through a Return track loaded with a reverb. This method is great if you want to send multiple sounds to the same effects chain. However, this approach does not give you the flexibility to control the reverb on individual tracks.

One great way to get a cleaner mix and have more control over the reverb signal on individual elements is to use parallel processing.

Download “BigJerr Reverb Rack”

In this video, BigJerr introduces you to parallel processing and demonstrates how to create an epic sounding Reverb Audio Effect Rack. Following up on his Wavetable Supersaw tutorial, BigJerr shows you how to enhance your music with that ‘big reverb’ sound.

Learn how to inject rich reverb swells to your sounds without washing away the punch, clarity, and detail of the original sound source. BigJerr also shows you how to process the reverb signal with additional effects to achieve a fatter and more controlled sound. These techniques allow you to treat sounds with heavy amounts of reverb while also keeping them forward and present in the mix.

Furthermore, this Rack works great on a variety of sounds including drums, pads, vocals, and anything else you wish to run through it. Also, the Rack is not limited to only applying reverb. Try swapping out the reverb with a delay or any other spatial effect. Also, try creating additional chains loaded up with other effects such as a saturator, stereo imager or compressor to create a fuller sound. The creative direction is up to you!