Vocal Reverb - George Michael - Older

Question

Vocal Reverb - George Michael - Older

Hi. I am listening to the George Michael album Older and i love the really high frequencies that show up in the reverb when george sings an 's'. Listen to it and youll know what i mean.

Does anyone know what reverb this is?

Thanks, Ben

PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8GHz, Mac OS X (10.4.7), 3GB Ram

Posted on Dec 27, 2006 1:59 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 27, 2006 4:12 AM in response to benjamingordon

Chances are, it's a Lexicon. That's the trademark sound of one (if there's such a thing).

Go to Noisevault.com . There's some excellent Lexicon 480L verbs that you can load the impulses into Space Designer. I use those a lot for that type of sound.

Also, IK Multimedia makes the CST (Classic Studio Reverb), that does this type of sound (as well as others) very well.

You could also try loading up some reverbs in Space Designer, than put a channel EQ after it, and slightly boost the high end, while attenuating the low end. Depending on the IR you've loaded, that can work very well also..

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Answer 2

Dec 27, 2006 5:20 AM in response to benjamingordon

The special thing about George Michael's "s" sounds is that he opened a gate to the reverb only on those sounds. I have explained this technique in Episode #6, chapter 3 of my podcast "Sounds Good":

http://soundsgoodpodcast.com

Hens Zimmerman

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Answer 3

Dec 27, 2006 5:17 PM in response to Jim Frazier

Hi. Its really wierd. I go to this website and download the rar files but it says decompression failed..... v strange. Doesnt happen on other rar's. How do you load IR's into SD? Im new to this....

website looks great though.....

Thanks

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Answer 4

Bee Jay

Level 6

10,900 points

Dec 27, 2006 5:32 PM in response to benjamingordon

How do you load IR's into SD?

Logic Plugin Reference Manual, Chapter 10, Page 120 gives you the procedure, together with screenshots etc.

You basically click on "Load IR & Init" and browse to your IR file.

As for your rar files, what are you using to decompress them? Try UnrarX or MacPar - don't bother using Stuffit, it ***** bigtime...

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Answer 5

Dec 27, 2006 6:25 PM in response to Jim Frazier

if that is true the mx200 is only 200 dollars US and is very good.
I have one, and i love the way it sounds.

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Answer 6

Bee Jay

Level 6

10,900 points

Dec 27, 2006 6:47 PM in response to frequent popsicle

Yeah, but there's a heckuva difference between that and a PCM91, let alone a 480L or 960...

The low end units, although OK for what they are, don't really give "the Lexicon sound".

Impulses are ok, but they still sound a little "dead" to me, they don't have the modulated life that the real things have, although it's been a long time since I had my hands on a real one...

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Answer 7

Dec 27, 2006 6:55 PM in response to Bee Jay

i have never heard the models that you mentioned, but i doubt you could tell the difference of those models if we did a a/b. honestly.

i am learning as time goes by, that some of the most expensive devices are no better than the hands that turn the knobs. so a lower grade device in the right hands could totally pull off some of the best mixes.

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Answer 8

iSchwartz

Level 5

4,321 points

Dec 28, 2006 2:52 AM in response to frequent popsicle

FP, trust me, if you a/b'd those models you'd immediately hear the difference. In some cases it's not about the hands that tweak; instead, it's the immediate quality of the unit itself. This isn't to say that inexpensive always = bad and expensive always = good. No way. I mean, look at Logic Pro! (just kidding). But once you hear a 480L or similar, it's hard to forget how much better they sound than the norm.

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Answer 9

tbirdparis

Level 5

5,518 points

Dec 28, 2006 3:54 AM in response to iSchwartz

ah the lovely old 480L that I used to drool over in school.. then when I was first allowed in the doors of a real studio and got to sit in the big fancy leather chair in front of the SSL, I was so tempted poke buttons on the LARC controller to pretend I was launching photon torpedos.. I miss that about real studios in the old days, it always felt like you were on a spaceship. or maybe I'm just missing being 19... hmm.. nope, it's the studios I miss.

actually I'd love to a/b a 480L or a 481 (did I just make that up?) with some top class impulses. sometimes I wonder if a large part of what makes my memory of how great they sounded wasn't due to the impressiveness of the place I was listening to it in. and the ATC monitors.. anyway I'd be surprised if good IRs sounded awful in comparison, but I would expect to be able to hear at least a subtle difference.

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Answer 10

iSchwartz

Level 5

4,321 points

Dec 28, 2006 4:10 AM in response to tbirdparis

sometimes I wonder if a large part of what makes my memory of how great they sounded wasn't due to the impressiveness of the place I was listening to it in.<<</div>

Mmmmm... maybe not... in 1999 I spent 3 days at SARM West, and the studio I worked didn't have the "dripping with money" appearance as did the rooms at the old Hit Factory and similar. But the control room sounded incredible and everything sounded better than I could have imagined. The reason turned out to be about £100,000 worth of custom made soffit-mounted speakers (I forget the maker). They were so accurate that when you played back CD's you could hear the errors -- digital artifacts that you'd simply never hear on a pair of Genelecs or lesser speakers.

I too miss working in the big studios. So many of them have closed down in NYC. Hit Factory, Quad, Unique (well, that place always looked like a dump but it had a vibe), so many others. There was something about being in a professional facility, working with other professionals, being able to play loud, listen to a big sound, work with ENGINEERS! (that's what I really miss), oh yes, and having interns to make you fresh coffee and order Chinese food for you...

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Answer 11

tbirdparis

Level 5

5,518 points

Dec 28, 2006 4:19 AM in response to iSchwartz

totally... except that I was the intern serving the coffee and picking up the chinese.. 😟

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Answer 12

Dec 28, 2006 5:59 AM in response to tbirdparis

...hmmm... I don´t have a 480 in my studio but I use to work with those. What I do have is a Lexicon core32 wich has 2 Lexichips equal to those used in the PCM90. It blows away ANY sampled Lexicon I´ve tried (Waves and Space designer). In fact they're far better than ANY plugging I´ve heard. I used the same presets in both units to compare (sampled one vs real one). That said, the impulse reverbs are pretty good, but I also fell them dead.

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Answer 13

"Dee"

Level 2

180 points

Dec 28, 2006 6:18 AM in response to frequent popsicle

Don't kid yourself Frequent Popsicle.
I wish that were true and we could all save money ... Ha.
I used a Lexicon w/ LARC yesterday at CBC studios (I can't afford one here). And I've used them many times. There's nothing quite like them ... for that sound.
Certainly one with better ears and more experience is always going to make the most of any gear ... but how much more would he/she (see RLC) do with better gear.
I agree that more money does not always equal more quality. And sometimes using sh*&&y gear sounds cool for effect. But some high end gear is just better.
My opninion anyway.
Cheers
Darrell, Ottawa

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Answer 14

"Dee"

Level 2

180 points

Dec 28, 2006 6:23 AM in response to iSchwartz

Ha! That's too funny.
I remember waiting for the bands and producers to leave to I could eat the left overs. That's how I paid my rent for a year or more.
Thanks iSchwartz for putting the smile on my face this morning.
Darrell
Ottawa

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Answer 15

Dec 28, 2006 7:25 AM in response to tbirdparis

we have the 480 and the 960 - Latter is used less than the 480. I have A/B'd 480 impulses made by various samplers out there, on altiverb, TL SPace, and Space Designer... I have even sampled the 480 my self and made an impulse out of it. You cannot compare at all. It's not that the Impulse sound bad - it just has nothing to do with the lexicon even though the same preset is used and comparing directly A>B... The Impulse IMO is way too Static and does not really adapt. I dont know how to put words on it all I know is that it dont compare at all. I do use alot of Impulse though, but I have never used an impulse that came with any reverb. What I totally love about Folding reverbs though, is that I can sample the sound of e.g. out elevator and apply that on my vocal etc.. and that - A 480 cannot do... So - IMO both technologies complement each other without being comparable:-)

As to Georgey's SSS vocal - I belive what Hens Zimmermen or what his name was posted with his pod cast was pretty close to getting what you want...

Keep those pod casts coming hens... They are real good....

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