Reverb - Send vs Output vs Instrument FX vs ???

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Tripecac
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2011/08/01 01:02:46 (permalink)

Reverb - Send vs Output vs Instrument FX vs ???

I'm trying to simplify my use of reverb, with the goal of getting my songs to sound more cohesive (while hopefully making it easier to adjust reverb levels on individual tracks). 

There are several ways to apply reverb to a soft synth (and some of these apply to audio tracks as well):

1) Use the instrument's built-in reverb

Often soft synths have instrument-specific reverb enabled by default.  For example, if I load a piano preset in Kontakt or Dimension, it usually has a room or hall reverb already assigned and enabled.

PRO: can adjust reverb level for each instrument
CON: can't adjust reverb level directly in track view (have to open instrument)
CON: instruments don't share reverb, so no cohesiveness

2) Set output of each instrument to a reverb bus (after disabling instrument-specific  reverbs)

PRO: instruments share reverb, so cohesive
CON: can't adjust reverb level for each instrument

3) Create a send to a reverb bus for each instrument (after disabling instrument-specific reverbs)

PRO: instruments share reverb, so cohesive
PRO: can adjust reverb level for each instrument
PRO: can adjust reverb level in track view

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If I look at the above info, it seems that the third approach (send to a reverb bus) is ideal.  Are there other considerations that would cause you to choose a different approach?  Are there approaches other than the ones I listed?

What approach do you use?

And how can we make the Sonar X1 sends less clunky looking (I don't need a pre/post toggle, and I don't need to specify send pan)?  I'd love a single "reverb" control like we had in Sonar 8.5.3; is there a way to get something like that in X1?
Thanks!

tripecac.com
Sonar Platinum + Komplete 9
Win7 SP1 64bit, Intel i7 950 3.07GHz, 12 GB RAM, M-Audio Delta44 (for Sonar), ASUS Xonar DX (for everything else), Nvidia GTX970, 2xSSD, 3xSATA

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    rbowser
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    Re:Reverb - Send vs Output vs Instrument FX vs ??? 2011/08/01 01:09:11 (permalink)
    #3 is the tried-and-true way to do it, and for exactly the reasons you listed.  The only viable alternative I've ever seen is when people use Altiverb in a way that necessitates the instruments going through the unit - But Altiverb is an expensive convolution reverb programmed in a different way from most reverbs.

    So - I think it's impossible to argue with the wisdom of method #3.  It's what I do. - I'll add that I won't necessarily use just one reverb on a whole project - I may have 2, 3 or more reverbs set up on buses with tracks set up with sends to the reverb I think is most appropriate.  But it's the same basic concept.

    Randy B.

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    Tripecac
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    Re:Reverb - Send vs Output vs Instrument FX vs ??? 2011/08/01 03:49:08 (permalink)
    Is there a way to reduce the size of the send control?  I would love if it could be as small as the volume or pan control.

    tripecac.com
    Sonar Platinum + Komplete 9
    Win7 SP1 64bit, Intel i7 950 3.07GHz, 12 GB RAM, M-Audio Delta44 (for Sonar), ASUS Xonar DX (for everything else), Nvidia GTX970, 2xSSD, 3xSATA

    #3
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