Go a little Deeper - Posted on 2015-06-23 by John Nelson

Just as every person has many layers that he/she will accentuate in different ways, so does a song have many layers that can also be augmented through reverbs and delays.  When a song is recorded, there will be some inherent depth picked up based on the room that the instruments were recorded in, the types of microphones that were used, and the placement of those microphones.  A good engineer, however, will strive to listen and find these various layers and help to accentuate and blend them in the mix.  One of the ways that the engineer will do this is by using reverbs and delays.  True depth begins to appear in an otherwise flat arrangement.  The listener is suddenly, whether they realize it or not, hearing space in the mix.  A small mix becomes big.  A listless song becomes vibrant, and so on.  Tact, and taste come into play here as well, as "a little goes a long way".  Knowing when and where to apply delays and reverb not only takes time to learn, but it will change with every song that you record - or at least it should!  Reverb and delays are just another set of tools to be used to create an awesome mix, out of a basic recording.