M_Glenn_M
This all seems like excellent advice and has given me lots to try.
I have been assuming compression would factor in and have been using it in 4 db increments in a series. (On the original recording, the track before EQ, the buss and the master) this certainly brings up the levels but I wonder if it is actually contributing to the separation?
The extreme panning I am also guilty of and backing off a bit makes good sense in my case.
As said, I have tended to avoid reverb lately due to the tendancy of pushing the sound back where I have worked hard to get an up close and personal sound. (Singer/songwriter style)
But this does make sense too, done subtly of course, and thanks for the suggestions of settings.
Would any of the stock reverbs be good enough or have I arrived at the point where I should consider an outside purchase?
Compression can factor in nicely when it's used correctly and you use the right compressor on the right instrument. But this depends on what YOUR idea of "disconnection" is compared to mine. Compression tightens things up and makes them more consistent. This is the most common way to use it. Then of course we have compression as an effect especially on drums. For example, I might use a compressor that brings out the crack and resonance of my snare drum. This form of compression will not really keep the snare drum consistent. This will literally give me more crack and sustain. I will then compress with another compressor if needed or even put a light limiter on the snare now so it doesn't go too crazy yet remains dynamic. Or, depending on how the snare sounds, I may leave it alone and just automate the hits so that another compressor is NOT used that could literally interfere with the crack I just created. It depends on the snare and how it's snapping back at me.
You mention 4dB in increments. Personally, I don't think you need all those compressors and 4dB in series would make no sense to me unless the instruments called for that type of compression and leveling. You see, you never just put something on compression wise and use a template or a formula. This effect doesn't work like that unfortunately. I'm not saying you're doing that, but if you are, it's not the right way.
You mention "this certainly brings up the levels". This is a definite no no. When you use a compressor, one of the things you need to do is toggle it off and on to see if it is raising or lowering the track. You don't want to add volume nor do you want to lose volume. So if you are boosting your levels with the compressor, you need to ask yourself why. This can introduce noise into your mix if you are doing this to make your tracks louder while sort of capping them off to where they are not clipping.
Remember, the less you can get away with compression wise, the better off you'll be. I'm not saying don't compress. But there should be a reason to compress things a certain way and each instrument will introduce something that will make the compressor behave differently each time. So no "set way" or template will work. I compress just about everything lightly other than extremely dynamic things that sound bad with compression like toms and cymbals. When you mic a tom just right or use a really good sample, the light compression you use on the drum bus usually takes care of them without going nuts compressing. I use it when I need it.
I don't believe compression is contributing to your separation, but if you are guilty of hard pans, the compression level boosting might contribute to certain wide panned instruments sticking out more thus sounding disconnected. Separation comes from panning, effects being wide panned instead of in line with the instruments they are processing or you could even be boosting frequencies within a wide panned mix that make certain things lash out more than they should. This can give you the impression that something is separated when in reality, you may have juiced up an eq a bit too much.
Reverb shouldn't push your sound back. If it's doing that, you're using too much pre-delay, or maybe larger rooms or tails and you are not controlling the spread of the verb nor are you eq'ing it properly? Eq on your effects is just as important as eq'ing your tracks.
Stay away from halls and long decay times or anything with tails. Watch pre-delay as this will definitely set you back further. When you have the right room sound, it will make all the difference in the world. It literally adds room, not reverb....there is a difference between verb and ambience. What you want is that little bit of ambience that allows you to NOT sound so direct yet we don't want it in big room or school auditorium either.
As far as stock verbs and sounds, yeah. Sonitus Verb in Sonar is one of the best and most under-rated verbs out. There's is just about nothing that verb can't do with a little work. Loaded with options, built in filtering, great sound that is very realistic...it's quite a gem that people pass right on by.
That said, it's still a reverb. What might be better for you, is something in Perfect Space because it uses impulses which are REAL rooms, not digital, synthetic reverbs. You can also search for free impulses online and find incredible sounds where people went through the pains of heck to create and mic these rooms using great mic's and mic pre's/front end audio stuff. Some of these guys really go all out. And of course, there are impulses you can purchase that are super professional. It's just a bit different than a reverb because it's a recording of the effects of a real room. It responds and reacts like a room would. Reverb is...well, reverb. Sort of fake when you compare it to a killer impulse. Then again, there are reverbs like the UAD EMT 250 that are just in a class by themselves. Or say, some of the Lexicon high end stuff or Eventide. So you will notice some differences with pieces like that.
But for smaller room sounds like what you want here, anything "small room" or "ambience" in a program is where I would start. Put it on a bus and insert a send to your track. On the bus where you put the verb or impulse if you use Perfect Space, if the verb/impulse loader you select does not have a spread control, put a Sonitus Phase after it to control the spread. If you are using Sonitus Verb or Perfect space, both have a spread control so you won't need anything additional. If the verb or impulse loader doesn't have a filter with high/low control, put an eq on the bus effects bin or use pro channel and tweak it until it compliments your instruments.
Rule of thumb: When using these effects in on a bus that you are sending to a track, use the effect 100% wet with 0 dry signal and use the effects send slider on the track to control how much effect you want on the track. The reason for this is, if you use "dry" in the effect, it will boost the volume of your track when you turn up the "send" on the track. We don't want a volume push, we want to hear effect. So you may notice that a subtle movement of the send control slider will enable quite a bit of effect that will be heard even in a negative number position. This is ok.
On verbs/impulses, watch low end from the verbs/impulses themselves which can make your verb/impulse rumbly and make your tracks muddy...and watch high end from the verb/impulse that can make your tracks appear hissy. You'll know when you find that happy medium. It will make you believe you recorded these instruments with mic's in a room. :) Good luck.
-Danny