Adding overdrive to reverb

[thornshadow99]

Hello,

I play in a band that could be called an “art-rock trio”—electric guitar, electric bass, vocal. My love of reverb turned out to be very handy since the effect fills out everything I do, including percussive attacks (thumb-pluck would take over the band’s sound). So my question is: I would like to add gentle overdrive to add some extra weight. How would you do it? What pedal fits the job?

thanks,

Rob T.

 

[NerdyOcean]

I have been through quite a few.

Some favorites have been:
Dr Scientist The Elements
Fuzzrocious Lil Fella
Damnation Audio MBD-2

Lately I have been digging a TC Spark (4 knob) with the gain cranked in mid mode. I add a bump in the bass and leave treble flat. Level to taste. This gives a good amount of grit without overwhelming my reverb. It also helps that the Neunaber Wet V5 takes dirt like a champ.

 

[thornshadow99]

Thanks a lot for the info.

 

[NerdyOcean]

Thanks a lot for the info.

No problem. I hate when I hear overdrive described as "transparent" but those are really the best IMO when using time based effects like delay and reverb.

 

[monsterthompson]

Are you thinking of doing OD/distortion before or after there reverb?

Something like a When The Sun Explodes could be a single pedal solution, if you like the sound of it.
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On the fuzzier side of things, there is the Collision Devices Black Hole Symmetry, which adds delay to the mix. Obviously a pricey way to go, but sharing it as an example of what sounds are out there.

 

[thornshadow99]

Since I just bought a Neunaber Immerse Reverberator Mk II and am really happy with it, I’m just looking for an overdrive. But that Beautiful Noise Effects pedal is unreal! Maybe I’ll get it somewhere down the line.

 

[monsterthompson]

Cool. I figured the sound examples would at least give you some ideas, and help aim things in a sonic direction.

What type of reverb algorithm are you primarily running? Is it room, hall, tank, or maybe something more pad-like, even a shimmer? Are you running it in stereo? If so, there aren't a ton of stereo drive options to place after it, so I'll assume you are probably looking for a drive to run before the reverb. Is that right?

 

[thornshadow99]

I’m running the W3T setting right now and I was planning to run the overdrive before the reverb, given that most people seem to put reverb at the end of the chain.

 

[monsterthompson]

I haven't used that verb, but I'd suspect something like an Electrofoods Germ Warfare would work. It gets a bit gritty, and it has plenty of top end and a mid range boost. Those mid and treble frequencies tend to help reverbs do their thing. That pedal also has a bass cut option, which might be useful to tighten up the sound going into the reverb.

Empress just sent this "using your reverb" email out. It includes a spectrogram of what is going on with wet vs dry signal frequencies. You should be able to see the extra low end content in the example.
There Is No Such Thing as Too Much Reverb

For this reason, I'd lean toward bright, lean drives. Maybe a low gain Rat sound. Possibly a Tube Screamer design.

 

[thornshadow99]

Nice. Thanks for the advice! Since I am planning to get a Rocket Bass, I’ll probably mess with the built-in SGT overdrive first.