I wanted to see how difficult it would be to tell real plate reverb from a plugin. I decided to record a few samples from our plates at Sabella Studios and make a quiz out of it.
Each reverb sample was set to a 2.0 second decay time, no pre-delay and uploaded as an Mp3 at 320kbps.
Here is the vocal sample I will be using dry without any reverb,
Is this real or fake plate reverb?
Sample 1: Correct! This sample uses the stock Pro Tools plug in, D-Verb. Wrong!
Sample 2:
Sample 3: Correct! This samples uses the Waves IR1. This plug in uses a recorded sample called an Impulse Response or IR to simulate the reverb. Wrong!
Sample 4: Correct! This sample uses Waves H-Verb. Wrong!
Sample 5: Correct! This sample uses Waves TrueVerb. Wrong!
Sample 6: Correct! This sample uses the EMT 140 plate at Sabella Studios. Introduced in 1957, the EMT 140 was the first true artificial reverb. This was considered a more convenient and portable option than an echo chamber which required an entire room, yet the 140 weighs over 600lbs and is about 7.5 feet long (2.2 meters). Wrong!
Sample 7: Correct! This sample uses the UAD 140 plug in. Wrong!
Sample 8: Correct! This sample uses the Waves plug in Abbey Road Reverb Plates. Wrong!