Resonant reverb that becomes a note
Tonight’s session gets a secret weapon: resonant reverb that turns a kick into a note. The Épica Audio Resonant Reverb plugin, built around Joe Chiccarelli’s technique, places filters before and after the reverb to shape the tail into a musical element. Plus, we’ve got a breakdown of Rival Consoles’ synth textures, a Logic MIDI batch-processing trick, and a chance to grab a sought-after compressor for $19.
published today
TDR Kotelnikov GE on Sale($19)
The stealthy mastering compressor is transparent enough for the bus but can clamp down hard with independent peak and RMS release controls. A rare deep sale on a plugin that’s been a secret weapon for years.
◢ learn
▶ Logic’s MIDI Transform: Batch-Fix Velocities, Randomize Pitch, and More
Turn a robotic MIDI part into something alive in seconds. The MIDI Transform window lets you fix all velocities to 100, randomize within a range, drop an octave, or combine conditions — all without opening the piano roll. Part 22 of a series, but it stands alone.
Recreating Rival Consoles’ Synth Textures in Serum and OP-Xa V
Rival Consoles’ sound is all about movement and organic imperfection. This breakdown shows how to build plucks with LFO vibrato, velocity-modulated filter envelope depth, and pan spread via NoteOn random. The reverb chain — Valhalla VintageVerb 80s mode with Decapitator before it — adds grit and space. Use Serum or Arturia OP-Xa V.
Resonant Reverb as an Instrument — the Épica Audio Way
Place resonant filters before and after the reverb, and you can isolate the low body of a snare or turn a kick’s midrange knock into a pitched tail. Short decay times make a drum larger without an obvious wash, and feeding the result into a ping-pong delay creates evolving textures. This plugin streamlines the chain, but the approach is the real takeaway.
Reference Tracks: Stop Matching Graphs, Start Matching Balance
Use a spectrum analyzer to spot where your low end is missing compared to a reference. The video shows a quick fix: cut a shelf at 70 Hz and boost at 100 Hz on a bass group to match the energy. The goal isn’t to make the curve identical — it’s to listen and adjust.
◢ the word
▶ Benn Jordan’s UVI Rumble Multiband Bass Patches
Rumble splits bass into low/mid/high bands with independent oscillators. Jordan shows how to load a sample, detune saws to create beating in the midband, and use ring mod and amplitude modulation for gritty textures. If you’ve got Rumble or Falcon, it’s a fresh way to design bass.
🔮 Producer Horoscope (for fun) — Your kick and bass will fight; let the resonant reverb mediate.
Now go twist some reverb into a bassline.
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