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GATED REVERB Gated reverbs usually include adjustable thresholds to set the point at
which the reverberations will be gated (cut off). The Valve FX’s RV
DECAY TIME control behaves in somewhat the same way, except that
instead of setting the length by level (threshold), the length is set by
time (in milliseconds). In the left side of the diagram that follows, you
can see that reverberations occurring after RVB GATE TIME are
muted. This causes the reverb to cut off abruptly.
Gated reverbs are most commonly used on percussion, but there are
other ways to employ the unique sound they produce. For instance,
using a REVERSE envelope shape, a reverse gate can be accom-
plished. Rather than decaying out to be cut off by the gate, a reverse
gate builds for a specific amount of time, and is cut off by the gate.
Reverse envelopes are similar in sound to playing a record back-
wards. The right diagram below shows how a Reverse envelope
works.
The accent point shown in the diagram allows placement of the actual
sound, either before or after the gate has cut off the reverberation.
The Valve FX offers three different envelope shapes in the Gated
Reverb Algorithm: DECAYING, FLAT, and REVERSE. DECAYING is a
standard gated reverb envelope, with a linear decay to the cutoff
point. In most applications, the DECAYING envelope doesn’t need an
accent point, although it can produce some interesting unnatural
sounds. In instances where an accent point is not needed, simply
turn down the left and right REVERB ACCENT DLY Parameters.
Using a FLAT envelope shape, the reverberation neither decays nor
builds, but remains at a constant level for a specified amount of time
(determined by the setting of RVB DECAY TIME). This shape is par-
ticularly useful for short, percussive sounds.
A REVERSE envelope allows creation of dramatic reverse gate reverb
effects, with placement of the accent point ±50 milliseconds either
before or after the end of RVB DECAY TIME.
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