Backwards Sound

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konradh
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2012/06/16 14:02:51 (permalink)

Backwards Sound

 Anyone familiar with the 60s song "I Dig Rock and Roll Music" by Peter, Paul, and Mary? During their Beatles reference, they use a Beatlesque backwards sound that I really like. I can get close, but not the same. I have a few ideas, but anyone have thoughts?
#1

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    konradh
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 14:22:02 (permalink)
    I may have the sound. How do you reverse an audio clip?
    #2
    miguelito
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 15:05:53 (permalink)
    Grab the audio then: Process : Apply Effect : Reverse (IIRC)

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    Beepster
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 15:19:05 (permalink)
    In one of the Anderton vids ("The Next Level" IIRC) he messes around with this type of stuff. His main goal in the segment is to apply reverse reverb/delay on a clip but to do that he actually reverses the clip first, applies the effects and then reverses it again so it plays forward with the effect. It looks pretty easy but the steps are fairly specific. You might want to check that out. I've actually been revisiting an old favorite album of mine from when I was a kid. Metallica's "And Justice For All". The intro track that builds up to "Blackened" is all that wacky reversed guitar stuff. I'd like to play around with things like that. It sounds really creepy and cool.
    #4
    Bub
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 20:59:27 (permalink)
    I've done a lot of backwards stuff. Here's one I just posted in the Songs forum. Most of the instruments are backwards during the first half of the song.

    One thing that I do is play the part forward. Then, I reverse it and play along with it, then reverse that. It was actually a lot easier to do on a tape machine because all the tracks were backwards simultaneously and you were able to keep your place better.

    As for reversing the reverb, I've done it, but it's too much in my opinion. It's much more believable so to speak if the reverb is the right way off the backward track.

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    Jeff Evans
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 21:06:59 (permalink)
    A great thing to do is to reverse all your tracks and do a complete mix with everything in reverse. And then reverse the final result of course to put it all back to normal.

    You end up with a more percussive mix and also all your compressors will work much better because they are dealing with the ends of sounds rather than the beginning of them. 

    You do need to print any time based effects such as reverb and delays if you want them to come out normal I am sure that would be obvious. Unless you want some more interesting effects such as reverse reverb and delays etc.

    It does work!

    post edited by Jeff Evans - 2012/06/16 21:17:19

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    #6
    konradh
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 21:12:05 (permalink)
    Interesting stuff, guys, thanks. I may stick "daed si luap" and "natas" in there somewhere.
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    Beepster
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 21:21:13 (permalink)
    Jeff just kind of blew my mind a little.
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    konradh
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/16 22:06:23 (permalink)
    OK, Here's what I did. Used EastWest Fab Four. Played MIDI notes using Something guitar solo sound. Played notes the way I wanted them to end up. Then bounced track and reversed audio clip. Note that you have to think of the cut-offs as the note starts, so it is important to release the notes at different times. Or you can do what the Beatles did: hire the Abbey Road staff to listen to hundreds of hours of backwards tapes until they find something that fits...
    #9
    Guitarhacker
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/18 08:38:56 (permalink)
    One thing I heard sometime back on the Doctor Demento show.....  A band had taken a song recorded in normal mode.... reversed it and then learned it BACKWARDS... including vocals.  Then after it was recorded, they reversed that essentially making it a "forwards song" again..... it was...shall we say... Interesting. 

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    #10
    konradh
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    Re:Backwards Sound 2012/06/18 09:48:28 (permalink)
    @Gutiarhacker, Sounds like that band used its time wisely—like the guy I met who devoted five years to translating the Bible into Klingon.

    enin rebmun enin rebmun enin rebmun
    #11
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