Creating Otherworldly Spaces for Sound Design

Introduction

Reverb isn't just for making things sound natural - it's a powerful creative tool for designing impossible spaces and otherworldly environments. In this tutorial, we'll push reverb beyond its traditional uses.

What You'll Learn

• Creating impossibly large spaces
• Designing reversed and modulated reverbs
• Building evolving atmospheric textures
• Using reverb as a sound source

Technique 1: The Infinite Hall

Create spaces that seem to stretch forever:

• Decay Time: 10-30 seconds (or infinite/freeze mode if available)
• Pre-delay: 100-200ms (creates disconnection from source)
• Size: Maximum
• Modulation: High (adds movement and evolution)

Use this sparingly - even a short burst of source material will create long, evolving tails.

Technique 2: Reversed Reverb

Classic technique for creating swells and transitions:

1. Reverse your audio clip
2. Apply a long reverb (3-5 seconds)
3. Print/bounce the result
4. Reverse the bounced file

The result: a swelling reverb that builds into your original sound.

Technique 3: Granular + Reverb

Feed a granular processor into reverb for textural landscapes:

1. Process source through a granular synth/plugin
2. Set grain size small (10-50ms) with high density
3. Apply long reverb to the output
4. Automate grain parameters for movement

Technique 4: Reverb as an Instrument

Use reverb to create sounds from nothing:

1. Send a very short impulse (click, snap) to a long reverb
2. Set decay to 15+ seconds
3. Record/freeze the output
4. Use this as a pad or drone layer

The reverb algorithm's character becomes the entire sound.

Technique 5: Modulated Space

Create living, breathing environments:

• Enable all modulation parameters
• Set LFO rate slow (0.1-0.5 Hz)
• Modulate size, diffusion, and damping
• The space itself will seem to move and evolve

Conclusion

Sound design is about breaking rules. Don't be afraid to push reverb plugins far beyond their intended parameters. The most interesting sounds often come from extreme settings and unexpected combinations.