adding reverb to singer headphone mix, but not recording the reverb

I'd like to add some reverb to the singer's mix in the cans for the vibe as he sings to instrument tracks, but not record the effect. My interface is a Focusrite 2i4 and I'm running Sonar Producer. I'm new at this so thanks for any help!

Thanks! Where does the bus 'out' get routed to direct that wet signal?

Billy86
Thanks! Where does the bus 'out' get routed to direct that wet signal?

Depends on how you've got your monitoring & headphones set up.
 
My phones are fed from outputs 3/4 on my interface, so I create a headphones bus in Sonar, output routed to H/W outs 3/4.
 
Then, everything I want the singer to hear is fed with a send from the relevant tracks/busses (nearly always busses)

Because the 2i4 does not come with the GUI mixer, you will have to activate the new vocal tracks input echo. This will send the signal to the master output to mix with your playback while recording. But the downside is now you will hear the latency of your system, which varies depending on buffer settings etc. 
This will result in a varying degree of slap back echo, which to some is OK if you mix it in properly. 
Buy turning the tracks output level down you can control the amount in the playback mix. 
Crank up the send to the reverb and so on. 
A tracks level controls have no bearing on the recorded level. The audio interface sets that. 
I use a small mixer with built in reverb to solve the problem.  For $100 they are very handy little things. 

Amazing. That's the same mixer I have. 
Simple; 
My 6i6 and your 2i4 has 3/4 out so I use that to the mixer. 
I have a Joe Meek pre amp which has 2 outputs so one goes to the mixer and one to the interface. 
You could do the same with anything that can split an XLR cable. 
But what you can do is run the headphone output of the 2i4 to a second channel of the mixer. 
So in other words 
2i4  1/2 out goes to studio monitors. 
2i4  3/4 out goes to a stereo input of Mixer- 3/4 or 5/6 using standard patch cables
2i4 Headphone out goes to 7/8 stereo channel of mixer via 1/4TRS Y cable to 2x 1/4 or RCA
This is a standard cable available even in dollar stores. They come with 1/8" TRS but the 1/8" to 1/4" TRS adaptors are also common. 
You use the mixers headphone jack,, this is bonus as it's much louder too. 
Now turn the direct monitor control to "input" 
You will now hear just the vocal input in channel 7/8 you can add the mixers reverb. 
The playback level is now controlled by the other channel 3/ or 5/6
 
I'm not sure with yours what happens when you turn the big knob down. on mine the monitors are off but out 3/4 is still hot. 
 
 

I respectfully disagree with using a pre-fader send except for special effects.  As far as the reverb recording, something is obviously set up in an unusual way.
 
Are you sure the reverb is being recorded?  The playback will have reverb just like the live vocal because the track is still sending to the reverb bus.  To disable the reverb, just click it off or hit E on the keyboard to disable all effects (or just turn the send down).  Maybe it is NOT being recorded.
 
In other words, the SEND will send both live and recorded voice to the reverb bus, but if you turn the reverb off, you sould be able to play the track and validate that the reverb was not recorded.

olemon
Here's a previous thread.  I use the method described by Sacalait.
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com...h-reverb-m3090925.aspx

I also use this method, which specifies a pre fader send. So I guess there is more than one way to set this up successfully.


 
Here's a link to a blog post by Graham Cochrane of the recording revolution. He describes exactly the setup I use.
http://therecordingrevolu...cy-vocals-with-reverb/

konradh
I respectfully disagree with using a pre-fader send except for special effects.  As far as the reverb recording, something is obviously set up in an unusual way.
 
Are you sure the reverb is being recorded?  The playback will have reverb just like the live vocal because the track is still sending to the reverb bus.  To disable the reverb, just click it off or hit E on the keyboard to disable all effects (or just turn the send down).  Maybe it is NOT being recorded.
 
In other words, the SEND will send both live and recorded voice to the reverb bus, but if you turn the reverb off, you sould be able to play the track and validate that the reverb was not recorded.

I'm with you on all of this, Konrad. The effects send on a track is going to send whether you are recording that track or playing it back, thus it (the effect) could seem to have been recorded.

mcstringer413

Larry Jones
 
A prefader send will "work," but then the amount of reverb on the voice will remain the same regardless of the level of the vocal track. It is generally preferable for the level of reverb to follow the level of the voice.

OK, got it. The procedure that I was following had me mute the track I was recording, so when I used the post fader send I got no reverb at all. And I set the direct monitor adjustment on the 2i4 so that I only got as much volume as I needed from the daw's output so as to minimize any latency heard in the headphones. I used the mix control on the reverb plugin or the fader on the reverb bus to control the reverb amount.

Yes, I read the Recording Revolution post linked above, and I see what you're doing. As you can see from my sig, I don't have any kind of monster rig, but I don't experience enough latency that I have to use a "zero latency" workaround with my Scarlett 6i6. I mix everything in Sonar, so post fader is the way to go. Lucky for me, because I'm not smart enough to follow the Focusrite zero latency instructions.


To Billy86 (OP), you might try simply adjusting the buffer settings and/or bitrate on your interface. You ought to be able to get the latency low enough that you can just monitor the main mix in your headphones. I find this conceptually easier.