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Gated Reverb

PostPosted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:57 am
by drakula63
This is fairly interesting. Another great British invention! Had no idea this was how it came about. Brian used a fair bit of Gated Reverb on albums like XXV and Guardian Angel. There's a shot of the echo chamber in Abbey Road and of a reverb plate, possibly also Abbey Road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxz6jShW-3E

Re: Gated Reverb

PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 12:54 pm
by Uncle Fiesta
I caught this video the other day, and while I found it interesting, I could never call gated reverb a 'great' invention. It's always sounded absolutely horrible to me. And of course, totally artificial.

It seems to me typical of the attitude in modern (so-called) music; 'we've discovered this sound, what can we do with it?' Then using it for the sake of it whether it adds anything to the 'music' or not.

Re: Gated Reverb

PostPosted: Sat Dec 23, 2017 3:18 pm
by drakula63
Yeah, I probably should have put quotation marks around the 'Great' bit. I think I was just trying to make the point that this little country of ours has punched above its weight in almost every sphere of existence.

The gated reverb sound was, I'll admit, a bit annoying, but it ruled the world of 'pop' music for most of the 80s and for that the world, I'm sure, is 'grateful'. :D


By the way, a similar effect - but obviously completely different to the same degree - was invented by the sound editor on the TV series 'The Man from UNCLE' in the mid 1960s. Listen to the sound that the gun shots of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuraykin's 'UNCLE Specials' make... a compressed sort of 'phht' sound with the end cut off. But, as far as music goes, the credit can go to Collins/Gabriel/Padgham.

Re: Gated Reverb

PostPosted: Sun Dec 24, 2017 8:37 am
by Moderne
The late Radio 2 DJ Ray Moore used to describe it as sounding like a man trying to kick his way out of a wardrobe! BTW, I know the talking heads on this clip are all American, but is it soon going to be illegal to pronounce the word 'the' with a long vowel sound...along with sounding the letter 't' in the middle and at 'thee' end of words... Merry Christmas!!

Re: Gated Reverb

PostPosted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 9:30 pm
by Derek Mowbray
Just veering off the topic a little the late Ray Moore described Duane Eddy`s guitar playing as someone trying to play a rubber band with his big toe, I did miss Ray`s witty comments after he died I enjoyed his early morning radio show on early in the morning while I was driving at work.

Re: Gated Reverb

PostPosted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 10:28 pm
by Tigerdaisy
Derek Mowbray wrote:Just veering off the topic a little the late Ray Moore described Duane Eddy`s guitar playing as someone trying to play a rubber band with his big toe, I did miss Ray`s witty comments after he died I enjoyed his early morning radio show on early in the morning while I was driving at work.


Yes, Ray Moore was a great DJ- I used to listen to his early show when doing our very early shifts when in the exhibition printing industry years ago. He wrote a book that's worth reading.