How to Use MReverbMB for Professional-Sounding Mixes

How to Use MReverbMB for Professional-Sounding MixesMReverbMB is a multiband reverb plugin that brings fine-grained control over how reverb behaves across the frequency spectrum. That control helps you sit elements neatly in a mix, prevent masking, and create depth without turning your mix into a wash of indistinct ambience. This article walks through workflow, practical settings, creative techniques, and problem-solving strategies to get professional-sounding results.

What makes multiband reverb different

Traditional reverb applies the same space and decay characteristics to all frequencies. Multiband reverb splits audio into frequency bands and processes each band independently, so you can have long, shimmering highs while keeping low-end reverb tight and controlled. This reduces muddiness, preserves transient clarity, and lets reverb complement — not compete with — the dry signal.

When to reach for MReverbMB

• Vocals that need depth but must remain intelligible
• Drums where you want a sense of room on snares and cymbals without bloating the kick
• Guitars and synths requiring lush tails without low-frequency build-up
• Bus processing on groups to glue elements while avoiding spectral clutter

Interface and core controls (quick tour)

• Bands: Divide the input into multiple frequency ranges. Typical setups use 3–5 bands.
• Reverb type/size: Controls for room character per band (plate, hall, room, etc.).
• Decay/RT: Tail length per band — key to balancing clarity vs. ambience.
• Pre-delay: Time before reverb starts; helps maintain punch and articulation.
• Damping/EQ: High- and low-frequency attenuation within the reverb to shape tails.
• Dry/Wet and Send/Return: For blending reverb with the dry signal or using MReverbMB as a return effect.
• Position/Width: Stereo placement and diffusion controls to place reverb in the soundstage.

Practical setup — step-by-step workflow

1. Insert MReverbMB on a vocal or send to an aux return for multiple uses.
2. Choose 3 bands as a starting point: Low (below ~250 Hz), Mid (250–3 kHz), High (above ~3 kHz).
3. For each band, set decay times proportionally: short for low (0.3–0.8 s), medium for mid (0.6–1.2 s), longer for high (1.0–2.5 s).
4. Apply damping: reduce very high frequencies in the reverb tail to avoid harshness; attenuate low-end reverb with a high-pass inside the reverb band to prevent muddiness.
5. Use pre-delay (20–60 ms on vocals; shorter on percussion) to keep transients forward.
6. Blend dry/wet — often keep MReverbMB mostly wet on an aux (10–40% send level) and conservative when inserted directly (5–15% wet).
7. Automate decay or wet level for different song sections to add spaciousness during choruses and clarity in verses.

Typical starting presets and tweaks

• Vocal clarity: Low band decay 0.4 s, mid 0.9 s, high 1.6 s; pre-delay 30 ms; high damping +3–6 dB cut above 8 kHz.
• Drum ambience: Low band very short (0.2–0.4 s), mid 0.7–1.0 s, high 1.2–1.8 s; slightly narrower width for low band.
• Ambient pad: Longer decays across all bands, plus more diffusion and wider stereo image.

Advanced techniques

• Sidechain the reverb send from the dry signal (or use a ducking sidechain) so reverb ducks under vocals or lead instruments during key phrases.
• Use different reverb characters per band: a small room for lows, plate for mids, and hall for highs to create a hybrid, realistic-acoustic blend.
• Parallel processing: Duplicate a track, apply heavy reverb on the duplicate and low-pass it, then blend under the original for a thickened bed without muddying clarity.
• Mid/Side processing on reverb outputs: tighten monos in the low band and widen the sides in the high band to enhance mono compatibility and stereo width where it matters.

Common problems and fixes

• Muddy low end: High-pass the reverb or shorten low-band decay; reduce low-band wet level.
• Cluttered mids: Shorten mid-band decay, increase pre-delay, or reduce diffusion for clearer transients.
• Harsh highs: Increase damping/high-frequency roll-off inside the reverb; slightly lower high-band wet level.
• Loss of presence: Increase dry level, shorten pre-delay, or reduce wet mix on the main insert and use aux sends instead.

Mixing tips and final checks

• Always compare with the reverb bypassed to ensure it’s adding value.
• Check in mono to ensure reverb doesn’t collapse the mix or create phase issues.
• Use spectrum metering across reverb bands to visualize energy and avoid overlaps causing masking.
• Trust your ears: small changes in decay, pre-delay, or damping often yield the biggest improvements.

Example vocal chain (practical)

Insert order suggestion on a vocal channel:

1. EQ (remove rumble, tame harshness)
2. Compression (control dynamics)
3. De-esser (if necessary)
4. Send to MReverbMB aux with band settings as suggested above
5. Final bus processing (subtle tilt/EQ, glue compression)

MReverbMB gives you surgical, musical control over ambient space. Use band-specific decay, damping, and stereo placement to preserve clarity while adding depth — and automate or combine techniques to shape ambience dynamically through a song.