Journeys Unknown - R&D - Impulse Responses part 2, Convolution Reverbs

Convolution Reverbs

Following on from part one, the exploration into Impulse Responses continues with making Convolution Reverbs.

A Convolution Reverb is a recording of a physical space, typically a room, or outdoor space such as a forest, which is then turned into an Impulse Response and used to give recordings the feeling of being recorded in the space the IR was taken. Making your own reverbs is a great way to add a personal and familiar touch to your own recordings. 

See my Bandcamp for examples of my experiments. 

This process is almost identical to the one used to make hardware IRs and uses all the same software detailed in part one, but instead of passing a sine wave through some hardware, you play the sound into a space and record the reflections. To capture big spaces it is a good idea to use multiple mics and speakers to spread the sound over a wide area, Logic's IR Utility has a variety of options for stereo and surround sound setups. 

To make these IRs, I used a Roland Street Cube to play the sine wave sweep into the space, and a pair of Austrian Audio OC818 condenser microphones into a Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 to capture the reflections from around the room. This set up is portable and can all be battery powered, allowing me to take this equipment outdoors and make some wilder recordings.

At present, I have taken several Impulse Responses from the stairwell and bathroom at home, and the bell tower at a local church. 

My first attempts were a little rough and it took a while to get the levels right. Some of my early recordings were too loud and clipped a little and in others, the sine wave sweep remains audible in the tail of the IR, however I have not noticed any problems or quality issues caused by these factors. I took recordings from different positions around the room and varied the lengths of the reverbs ranging from 3 to 15 seconds to get as many sounds as possible. 

 


 


 





 

 


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