This is a very fast way to test different tonal/textural reverb colors within your track.
Have you created some great reverb tails? Sample them from various sources in your projects and mix and match for interesting textures and great separation. Have a dense mix with a dark snare, but want a reverb that immediately cuts through in its own space and adds a desired sense of air? Trigger the bright reverb of a snap. Voila!
An easy way to initially test this technique, as illustrated in the photo, is to simply duplicate a track, insert Slate Trigger on the duplicate, search your library for a snare with a great reverb tail, and adjust Trigger’s attack to play back only the desired tail along with your original snare track.
Another benefit of creating your own library of percussion-based reverb tails is easy pitch-shifting up or down of the reverb itself in your sampler or DAW. This is a very fast way to test different tonal/textural reverb colors within your track.
Of course, this is a technique for styles that welcome the sonically avant garde (perhaps not the greatest choice for country), but if that’s your thing, this can be a quick, fun, and inspiring way to liven up a song.
-Alex Niedt
