WAVES H-REVERB Algorithmic Fir Hybrid Reverb Plugin User Manual

WAVES H-REVERB Algorithmic Fir Hybrid Reverb Plugin

INTRODUCTION

Welcome
Thank you for choosing Waves! Waves H-Reverb is a plugin designed to provide lush, spacious, warm reverberation effects. To install software and manage your licenses, you need to have a free Waves account. Sign up at www.waves.com. With a Waves account, you can keep track of your products, renew your Waves Update Plan, participate in bonus programs, and keep up to date with important information.

We suggest that you become familiar with the Waves Support pages: www.waves.com/support. There are technical articles about  installation, troubleshooting, specifications, and more. Plus,you’ll find company contact information and Waves Support news.

Product Overview
Waves H-Reverb is a pioneering algorithmic FIR reverb based on Finite Impulse Response technology. It fuses classic reverb concepts together with innovative features never before seen in digital reverb effects. The plugin features a collapsible interface  with advanced controls for complete control over every aspect ofthe effect’s sound and character.
H-Reverb’s preset library provides a vast collection of halls, rooms, plates, and nonlinear reverb presets created by top-tier sound engineers. The special engine combines the best of both worlds of reverb–that of synthetic feedback- based reverbs and thatof IR convolution-based reverbs.
H-Reverb’s features a collapsible interface. The collapsed view features the most important reverb controls, while the expanded view features advanced controls for complete control over every aspect of the effect’s sound and character.H-Reverb’s preset library provides a vast collection of halls, rooms, plates and nonlinear reverb presets created by top-tier sound engineers.H-Reverb’s special engine combines the best of both worlds of reverb—that of synthetic feedback-based reverbs, and that of IR convolution- based reverbs (more about this in the Concepts and Terminology section).

In addition to the basic reverb controls common to many reverb effects, H-Reverb features extra features that offer enhanced control and further depth and dimension:

• In addition to the basic reverb controls common to many reverb effects, H-Reverb features extra features that offer enhanced control and further depth and dimension:
• Input echoes replicate the input signal and mix either discretely to the output or into the reverb for diffused sound. Output echoes generate more replicas of the actual reverb and provide some enhancement to depth and dimension.
• An Internal Dynamics section allows selecting between three dynamics modes: Compression, Ducking, and DeEssing. Ducking lowers the reverb loudness while the direct signal is apparent and blooms the reverb loudness to a higher level when the direct signal is gone. The DeEssing mode lets you create bright reverb sounds by controlling the hissing spray effect of sibilance in the reverb.
• Modulation options include AM Depth and Rate, which are applied to the input of the reverb and create a more airy and stereo-spread reverb; and FM Mix, which creates a chorusing and flanging effect at the reverb output.
• H-Reverb also features an input drive control to overdrive the input signal and get richerharmonics in the reverb tail. H-Reverb applies analog modeling on the reverb output,modeling the A-to-D components of a hardware unit.
• Input echoes replicate the input signal and mix either discretely to the output or into the reverb for diffused sound.
• Output echoes generate more replicas of the actual reverb and provide some enhancement to depth and dimension.
• An Internal Dynamics section allows selecting between three dynamics modes: Compression, Ducking, and DeEssing.
• Modulation options include AM Depth and Rate, which are applied to the input of the reverb and create a more airy and stereo-spread reverb, and FM Mix, which creates a chorusing and flanging effect at the reverb output.
• H-Reverb also features an input drive control to overdrive the input signal and get richer harmonics in the reverb tail. H-Reverb applies analog modeling on the reverb output, modeling the A-to-D components of a hardware unit.

Concepts and Terminology
FIR vs. IIR Reverb: Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters are fixed in length, whereas Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filters are based on a feedback loop and decay through a recurring attenuation factor inside the feedback loop.

• The IIR approach takes the same amount of calculation resources for short reverb times as it does for long ones. The feedback loop creates a comb filter that requires the use of further dispersion filters designed to break regularities, but some signature coloration remains. Another limitation is that the decay of an IIR filter is linear, preventing the creation of real-gated, reversed, and similar types of reverb.
• FIR reverbs consume more resources the longer the reverb time, but are free of any inherent coloration and allow much more control over the time response.
• Nearly all commercial synthetic parametric reverbs use IIR, i.e., feedback-looped reverb tail generators. FIR is used in IR Convolution reverbs. In this case, a sampled impulse response is the finite length filter convolving the direct signal. H-Reverb uses synthetic parametric controls to shape and color the reverb as desired, providing superior quality and flexibility unavailable in IIR/feedback-based reverbs.

Components

• WaveShell technology enables us to split Waves processors into smaller plugins, which we call components. Having a choice of components for a particular processor gives you the flexibility to choose the configuration best suited to your material.
• H-Reverb has two sets of time components: regular H-Reverb components that allow upto six seconds of reverb time, and “long” H-Reverb components that allow up to 12seconds of reverb time.
• The main reason for having two components is to give you somecontrol over the amount of CPU consumption: the long components take upapproximately 30% more CPU, but we believe it’s only rarely that you will need morethan six seconds of reverb time.
• Each set of time components includes several channel configuration components, including mono, mono-to-stereo, and stereo. For those of you engaged in surround sound production, we also offer mono and stereo to 5.0 or 5.1 multichannel formats, as well as 5-to-5 and 5.1-to-5.1 to insert across full surround auxiliaries

WaveSystem Toolbar
Use the bar at the top of the plugin to save and load presets, compare settings, undo and redo steps, and resize the plugin. To learn more, click the icon at the upper-right corner of the window and open the WaveSystem Guide.

Usage Instructions

To use Waves H-Reverb:

1. Install the software and manage your licenses by signing up for a free Waves account at www.waves.com.
2. Open your digital audio workstation (DAW) and create a new track or open an existing one.
3. Add Waves H-Reverb to the track as a plugin.
4. In the collapsed view, use the basic reverb controls to adjust the reverb effect to your liking.
5. If you want more control, expand the interface to access advanced controls such as input echoes, output echoes, internal dynamics, and modulation options.
6. To create customized reverb effects, experiment with different settings and presets from the preset library.
7. Use the input drive control to overdrive the input signal and get richer harmonics in the reverb tail.
8. Apply analog modeling on the reverb output by enabling the A-to-D components of a hardware unit.

Quick Start Guide

H-Reverb will launch showing its collapsed GUI, allowing quick access to the essentialreverb time, pre-delay, ER selection, and mix controls.

• Launch the Waves H-Reverb plugin on your reverb aux buss or track insert.
• Send a signal to the reverb aux and listen to it through the default preset.
• Cycle through presets using the next/previous preset arrow control at the top ofthe toolbar.
• You can also click the load menu, where you will find a library of presetscategorized by application (Hall, Plate, Room, etc.), as well as presets by aprestigious list of world-renowned sound engineers and producers.
• Once you find a nice preset, allow yourself to get a little creative and experimentwith the controls. Even when the GUI is collapsed, you can turn sections of theadvanced controls on and off using the toggle at the bottom of the GUI.
• This may be a good time to expand the GUI and see if some of the moreadvanced controls might be working for you.
• There are quite a few advanced controls, so we’ve tried to lay them out in a waythat will help you use them without too much trouble. The more you use theplugin, the more you will understand what each of the sections can do for you.

Interface and Controls

Interface

Controls

Main Controls

• Pre-Delay Mode
  Free/Sync; Default: Free
  The pre-delay precedes the reverb time with a pure delay. The pre-delay control has two options: Free (which is the default) and Sync.

  • Pre-Delay Free sets the pre-delay time in milliseconds and therefore does notchange with the tempo.
    Range: 0–500 ms; Default: 24 ms; Reset: 0 ms

  • Pre-Delay Sync sets the pre-delay time in note-length values and therefore changeswith the tempo.
    Range: 1/2, 3/8, 1/3, 1/4, 3/16, 1/6, 1/8, 3/32, 1/12, 1/16, 3/64, 1/24, 1/32, 3/128,1/48, 1/64, 3/256, 1/96, 1/128; Default: 3/256.

• Buildup Time Range: 0–2 seconds; Default: 0.025ms Buildup time determines how long it takes the reverb to reach its peak level. In natural rooms, it takes some time until the reflections build into a tail. The larger the room and the further the walls are from the listener, the longer the buildup time. H-Reverb enables you to go way beyond natural reverb, however, and well into the realm of special effects such as ghostly 0.5-second to 2-second buildups, creating reverse-like verbs that sound magical and haunting.

• Reverb Size Range: 0.5–2; Default: 1. Reverb Size controls the density of the early reflections as well as the slope of the buildup. The normal factor of 1 distributes the ERs evenly. Higher values space them out with wider gaps and show a more gradual/concave buildup typical to larger spaces, whereas lower values condense them and make them overlap, creating faster buildup and conveying the sense of a smaller space.

• Reverb Time Range: 0.1 to 6 (regular H-Reverb) or 12 (Long H-Reverb) seconds; Default: 4.21 seconds. The Reverb Time control sets the duration of the reverb decay envelope, i.e., the time it takes the reverb to decay by 120 dB. The decay is linear until the reverb envelope is changed by the related advanced controls X-Time and X-Gain.

• ER Select Range: 1–10; Default: 5 Selects an ER model from among ten options. The control has a display showing the ER number and a schematic representation of the ER reflections time and gain. Use the drop-down menu to select an ER model or click on the box to move through the models.

• ER/Tail Balance
  Range: 0–100; Default: 73.2
  ER/Tail Balance provides control over the mix between ER gain and tail gain. The midpoint is 50 = unity (i.e., 0 gain for both ER and tail). Turning to the left (counterclockwise) reduces the tail gain, leaving ER gain at unity. Turning to the right (clockwise) leaves the tail gain at unity and reduces ER gain.

• Dry/Wet:
  Range: 0–100; Default: 100
  Controls the mix and balance between the direct path and the effect. The fully wet default is used to output the reverb effect only. This is suitable for use in an auxiliary send setup where you “send” sources to reverb but the direct sound of the sources is mixed from their related tracks. If you are using H-Reverb as an insert on the channel you are affecting, you can use the Dry/Wet control to create the right balance between the dry signal (your direct source) and the wet signal (the reverb effect).

• Output
  Range: -24 to +18 dB; Default: 0 dB
  Controls the output level, allowing you to level the output as needed.

• Reverse
  On/Off; Default: Off
  Reverses the direction of the reverb time envelope to achieve breathy, upward- swelling, reverse-type reverb.

Advanced Controls

Decay Envelope

• X-Time
  The percentage of the reverb time during which the transition between decay andrelease occurs.

• X-Gain
  Range: -120 to +12 dB; Default: -60 dB.
  The X level defines the gain at the cross-point between the first and second decayslopes.

• Density
  Range: 0–100%; Default: 100%
  Full density will sound very uniform and smooth, while low density will sound like sparse individual echoes.

Input Echoes

• Type
  Seven echo types are offered as internal presets that set the series of taps.

  • Discrete: Range: -inf to 0 dBFS; Default: -18.4
  • Diffused: Range: -inf to 0 dBFS; Default: -29

Output Echoes

• Amount
  Range: 0–10; Default: 5.81
  Controls the gain of the output echoes.

• Size
  Range: 0–100%; Default: 65%
  Controls the timing and interval between the output echoes.

• Tone
  Range: 0–10; Default: 7.2
  0 is the darkest setting, 10 the brightest.

Dynamics Section
This section allows you to apply compression to the wet path, that is, to compress the reverb tail using a detector on the wet path itself or on the dry path, effectively ducking the wet path to make way for the dry signal. Alternatively, you can use the DeEss mode, which enables you to create bright reverbs that have less of a high-frequency spray on sibilants.

• Dynamics Section On/Off
  An On/Off button is provided for fast A/B of the Dynamics Section’s contribution.

• Mode
  A 3-state toggle lets you select between three modes: Duck, Comp and DeEss.

  • Duck keys dynamics from the dry signal, ducking the wet signal when the dry signalis present.
  • Comp keys dynamics from the wet signal, compressing the dynamics of the wetsignal to make it less linear.
  • DeEss keys a de-essing filter on the input (dry signal not affected!) When DeEssmode is selected, the Recovery control is replaced by a Range control.

• Threshold
  Range: 0 to -50; Default: -18
  Controls the compressor threshold, where 0 = +10 dBFS and -50 = -40 dB.

• Recovery (available in Comp and Duck modes)
  Range: 30–3000 ms; Default: 300 ms
  Controls the compressor’s release time.

• Range (available in DeEss mode)
  Range: 0 to -24 dBFS; Default: -18
  Specifies the de-esser’s maximal reduction.

EQ Controls
H-Reverb’s EQ controls are located near the EQgraph on the left-hand side of the expanded GUI.These include special shelf filters that cut down to -80 dB, effectively behaving like a cut filter. Such ashelf is there for filtering the early reflections, whilethe reverb tail can be filtered using high and lowshelves as well as two bell filters.

ER Filter
The ER filter controls are located atop the EQ graph. ER filters can be used to provide a sense of the material of the walls in terms of how much high- frequency content gets absorbed before sound is reflected back. Higher cutoffs and higher filter gains will simulate more reflective materials like glass and marble, whereas lower cutoffs and lower gains will simulate softer wall materials or draped walls absorbing the high frequencies.

• ER Filter Frequency: Range: 1000–14000; Default: 2958
• ER Filter Gain: Range: -80 to +12; Default: -22.5

Reverb EQ
Reverb EQ bands are sorted below the EQ graph in vertical columns from left to right in relation to the frequency ranges they are designed to process.

• LoShelf: On/Off
• LoShelf Freq: Range: 20–1000Hz; Default: 240 Hz
• LoShelf Gain: Range: -80 to +12 dB; Default: 0
• LoBell: On/Off
• LoBell Freq: Range: 60–4000 Hz; Default: 604 Hz
• LoBell Gain: Range: -24 to +12 dB; Default: -1.0 dB
• LoBell Q: Range: 0.26–6.5; Default: 0.7
• HiBell: On/Off
• HiBell Freq: Range: 1000 Hz to 15 kHz; Default: 2398 Hz
• HiBell Gain: Range: -24 to +12 dB; Default: 0 dB
• HiBell Q: Range: 0.26–6.5; Default: 0.7
• HiShelf: On/Off; Default: On
• HiShelf Freq: Range: 2000–16000 Hz; Default: 2192 Hz
• HiShelf Gain: Range: -80 to +12 dB; Default: -30.9 dB; Reset: 0

Time Filters
The Time filter section offers control over one of three modes: Damping, Envelope, and LFO (with Damping as the default). The graph dynamically changes according to the selected mode. The mode selector is a radio button.

Damping Mode is classic and is similar to what’s available in many other reverbs. The graph shows the frequency response on the X axis and the reverb time ratio on the Y axis. The damping ratio relates to the reverb time, so if you have a reverb time of 4 seconds and you set the low damping to 400 Hz with a ratio of 1.5, the reverb’s mids and highs will decay in four seconds, while the low frequencies of 400 Hz and below will continue two more seconds, taking six seconds to decay fully.

Damping Controls:

• LF Cutoff: Range: 50–1600 Hz; Default: 721 Hz
• LF Ratio: Range: x0.1–x2; Default: x1.20
• HF Cutoff: Range: 1000–15000 Hz; Default: 3699 Hz
• HF Ratio Range: x0.1–x2; Default: x0.89; Reset: x1

Resonant Filter Modes – Envelope and LFO: The LFO and Envelope modes have a set of common controls—two (F1 and F2) located within the graph frame on the left-hand side (F1 just below the graph, F2 just above it), and four (Type, Q, Mix, Flip) located below the graph frame. F1 and F2 set the sweep range by determining the Start and Stop cutoff frequencies, respectively. Type determines the filter type (high-pass vs. low-pass); Q determines the filter slope and resonance, Mix determines the mix between the filtered and non- filtered reverb response; and Flip determines the direction of the sweep, from F1 to F2 or from F2 to F1.

Envelope/LFO Controls:

• F1: Start frequency for filter travel. Range: 100–15000; Default: 100
• F2: Stop frequency for filter travel. Range: 100–15000; Default: 6695
• Filter Type: HiPass/LoPass; Default: LoPass
• Q: Range: 0.5–10; Default: 1.2
• Filter Mix: Range: 0–100 Default: 100
• Flip: F1>F2, F2>F1; Default: F1>F2

Envelope sets the sweep speed as a percentage of the reverb time. LFO sets the sweep speed using a rate control, either an absolute rate in Hz, or a relative sync rate where the speed is determined by a note duration value, where one cycle is equal to a 1/32nd note at the set BPM.

Envelope Res Filter:

• Attack Time: Range: 0–100%; Default: 0%
• Decay Time: Range: 0–100%; Default: 34.4%

LFO Res Filter

• LFO Rate Mode: Free/Sync
• LFO Free Rate: Range: 0.1–20 Hz; Default: 2 Hz.
• LFO Sync Rate: 4/1, 3/1, 2/1, 1/1,1/2, 3/8, 1/3, 1/4, 3/16, 1/6, 1/8, 3/32, 1/12, 1/16,3/64, 1/24, 1/32; Default ¼.

Modulation
To add even more fun to the game, we’ve included some modulations. You can add some stereo sensation by applying amplitude modulation on the input to the reverb effect. You can also add some magic by mixing subtle frequency- modulated (pitch-modulated) replica at the output. To hear the effect most pronouncedly, you can play a continuous sustained note and play with the controls.

• AM Depth
  Range: 0–100; Default: 20
  Controls the AM depth imposed on the reverb effect input. In stereo output components, it also creates some stereo movement.

• AM Rate
  Range: 0–100; Default: 20
  Lower is slower, higher is faster. The AM is a little chaotic, but at full depth on a sustained sound you will hear very well what it’s doing.

• FM Mix
  Range: 0–100%; Default: 100%
  This is essentially a mix value, where anywhere between 0% to 100% will introduce a little flanging, while 100% will leave a slight modulating detune.

Global Section

• Drive
  Range: 0–100; Default: 0
  Pushes the input against a clipper (like a vintage hardware reverb getting a hot input), making the wet signal harmonically richer.

• Tempo Source
  Internal/Host; Default: Host
  Selects whether the tempo is set by the host tempo or manually by adjusting the internal tempo control.

• Tempo
  Sets reference tempo to the input echoes and the other tempo-synched controls.

• Analog
  On/Off; Default: Off
  Turns on analog modeling in the style of the Waves NLS plugin.

• Digital
  Off/12 bit/8 bit
  H-Reverb can be quantized to lower bit rates to create lo-fi sounds reminiscent ofvintage digital reverbs.

Surround Section
H-Reverb’s Surround components include anothersection of controls right in the middle of the GUI.These give you further control over the balance andthe hi/lo EQ of the surround (rear) channel outputs.The Surround components also let you determine whether to introduce reverb to the Center channel and by how much. The trick with the Center gain is that too much can make the front image narrower, which is usually an unwanted artifact.

• Surround EQ

  • Surround LoShelf Freq: Range: 20–1000 Hz; Default: 240 Hz
  • Surround LoShelf Gain: Range: -80 to +12 dB; Default: 0
  • Surround HiShelf Freq: Range: 2000–16000 Hz; Default: 4604 Hz
  • Surround HiShelf Gain: Range: -80 to +12 dB; Default: -6

• Center Gain
  Range: -60 to 0 dB; Default: -6 dB
  Controls the level of the Center speaker reverb.

• Front/Rear Balance
  Range: -100 to 100; Default: 50
  -100 = Surrounds only, 100 = Front Stage only.

References

• Waves Audio - Mixing, Mastering & Music Production Tools
• Waves Audio - Mixing, Mastering & Music Production Tools

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