Reverb Dial: Classic or Dud?

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Stereos have means of controlling bass / treble, left / right etc. Well, I think they should also have Reverb Dials, so you could make the records sound as wet as you wanted.

― the pinefox, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like this idea. Classic.

― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wow I agree. This slots in VERY nice with my idea to make all stereos into 8-tracks, giving you control over specific instruments or backup vocals instead of just EQ ranges.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My stereo doesn't have bass or treble controls.

― Sean, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mine neither. Major false note in 'Ghost World' - geeky audiophile scoffing at another geek for only having 20 channels on his equaliser, implying that this renders his views on analogue sound irrelevant.

― Nick, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Didn't see "Ghost World", but good call, Nick. All us hifi geeks know hi-end preamps don't have tone controls!

― Sean, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sean -- You used to smoke mucho bud & you have a high-end stereo, I would say get Loveless this afternoon (to tie 3 threads into this one.)

― Mark, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What do wet records smell like?

― youn, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Phil Spector.

― Mark, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This sort of thing was popular in the 80s, all those equalizers and receivers that had some kind of "Stereo X-Pander" setting. Dud.

― Mark, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ok, I probably will... it better be good!

― Sean, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You have to promise to post your thoughts on the 10-year anniversery thread. But don't worry, you'll like it.

― Mark, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Synaesthesia Corner: Oh, you know - like lush lawns late at night or first thing in the morning. I imagine.

I certainly don't know what a 'high-end stereo' is.

― the pinefox, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

expensive, up-market/upscale, top of the range

― David, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My new stereo doesn't have bass or treble controls. It has sound files you have to adjust using a complex menu system or buttons labelled "Groove-Ex" or somesuch whilst referring to a 100 page manual. The resultant headache & frustration at being able to decide which sort of sound I like means that I have to poke myself to remember to actually listen to the music.

Increasing consumer choice & control over the experrience does not increase satisfaction!

Joe, couldn't you just play your music through your guitar amp?

And what does "wet" mean in this specialised sound engineer-type context?

― Mooro, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The easiest way to do this would be to buy a rack mounting reverb/multi effect processor, and insert it between your preamp and CD player. Use the balance control to add more reverb. Remember - denser arrangements generally sound shit w/lots ov long reverb. You can get this thing used (no longer manufactured) called a ZOOM 1210 which would do this very well. It has good-sounding reverbs, as well as echo, and a bunch of weird effects which would be fun to play w/ and is very cheap (IE abour 70 quid or less)

― Norman Phay, Friday, 2 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Just put the stereo in the bathroom. Come on, that's obvious!

― dave q, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My friend has reverb settings on his stereo.

― sundar subramanian, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I made sure my birthday hi-fi had at least bass and treble knobs I could fiddle with (oo-er etc), none of that pre-set shite. Pinefox's idea is a good one, despite him calling my bro a twat last night.

― DG, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Reverb is dud except when used sparingly, in contrast to 'dry' sounds. Only a few producers can be trusted to 'do' reverb right, including Martin Hannett, and even he went off the map at times.

― Dr. C, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

if you plugged a line 6 DL4 into your system between source & amplifier you could get spacey delays / echos - a "reverse" function so everything would sound like a jimi hendrix guitar solo, & you could even make little sample loops out of whatever is playing & overdub them at 1/2 or x2 speed. i'm sure you could probably do this w/ a laptop & some swanky software too but i'm sure that would be unreasonably spensive.

― bob snoom, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Stereos also need a dial labelled "good"

― Tracer Hand, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

or wicked

― mark s, Saturday, 3 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dr C, you're bonkers this time.

I still don't understand this idea of stereos without bass / treble control. How is that meant to be superior to ones with them?

― the pinefox, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Bonkers? I'm just not keen on masses of reverb on everything to make it sound 'big', especially snare drums and guitars. I'm also not fond of excess flange. On the whole you shouldn't 'notice' effects - they should just happen as part of the overall sound....I guess I'm still recovering from some of the production crimes of the eighties.

Exception to the rool = dub, course.

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"I still don't understand this idea of stereos without bass / treble control. How is that meant to be superior to ones with them?"

Idea being that amps are supposed to aspire to an ideal of transparency - nothing added, nothing taken away. Straight wire with gain and so forth. By mucking with EQ, not only are you shifting the tonal balance away from how it was 'intended to be heard' (yes, I know, this is getting dodgy now), but you're putting various bits of electronics in the signal path, colouring the sound.

My pre-amp doesn't have tone controls, and I actually think, as a trend (tone controls still common on high-end gear until early 80s), it's a bit daft. No-one has a perfect room, and everyone has to make compromises concerning speaker placement and the like, so why not give the user at least a little control over tonal balance on playback? I guess the assumption in mid-fi and above is that you'll have invested a great deal of time and energy getting your listening environment right, and so won't ever need to tweak the bass, or roll- off the treble. But what if you, y'know, *want to*?

I suspect there's a fair bit of music out there which was produced in the expectation that folks listening at home would whack up the bass (and not just in compensation for weedy speakers).

― Michael Jones, Thursday, 8 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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