G1&G2 - Improving your reverbs!

Effects can really make your synths sound much better!
And if you like to add some ambience to your synth sounds, a good reverb is definitely a must!


If you have seen my previous posts, you have likely noticed that I have been using the Clavia Nord Modular G2 a lot as a mixer and effects processor to my synths.

I really enjoy using it that was as I can patch a mixer with very flexible routings and nice effects to enhance the overall sound of my performance!


I discussed the use of the Clavia Nord Modular G2 as a mixer before - Part.1 and Part.2 - but haven't yet really made a post about the Clavia Nord Modular G2 as an effects unit, despite I have made some patches aimed as an effects unit for my "Synth-ing NºX" performances, which I have discussed briefly in the posts dedicated to those performances, along with newer mixing patches!


This time, I want to talk about how you can get nicer reverb patches in your Clavia Nord Modular G2 by using more complex structures rather than sticking only to the reverb module featured in this amazing synth!


As you can see, the reverb module available in the Clavia Nord Modular G2 is a pretty simple module, with not many parameters to tweak...

You can choose between 4 different algorithms, that have different time ranges for your reverb, and edit the decay time and brightness.
To make it easier to fit in your mix, they also gave you a dry / wet setting.

Still,  I think this module sounds pretty nice, and I have used chains of effects in previous performances that use this module with simple feedback lines, like the "Mix2-10" patch used in Synth-ing Nº10!

So it is definitely a good base for a good reverb patch ;)


What I did yesterday, was to go back to the basics and create a more traditional reverb patch, to which I called "TraditionalVerb":

"TraditionalVerb", going beyond the standard reverb module in the Clavia Nord Modular G2!

As you can see, I started the patch by including some processing to the incoming signal, including an amplifier, noise gate and even an envelope follower that will be useful to apply some dynamic modulations later on!

Afterwards, I started processing the signal with a 2 band EQ, before I applied a 4 tap delay with filtered feedback!

The signal is then sent to the reverb module, being then processed by a pitch-shifter.
To keep things interesting, there are two mixers for the reverb and pitch-shifter signal, one for the sound that is going to go to the outputs, while the other goes to a feedback line.
By using two mixers, you can have two different amounts of pitch-shifted signal going into the feedback line or into the outputs.
And since the signal is pitch-shifted every time it goes into the reverb, you can achieve really nice textures thanks to the feedback line!

To give a more old-school sound, I added a low pass filter before the final dry / wet mixer!

And to make it sound a bit more spectacular, I allowed the envelope follower to modulate the pitch shifter and the final low pass filter.


This is just an idea for a complex structure that makes use of the reverb module to create a more complex reverb patch.

Fortunately, there is no right way to do it and I'm sure there are multiple structures that can give really amazing results, but I really enjoy the sound of this one!

I'm currently working on variations for this patch, and hope to demonstrate how it sounds with a nice youtube video that I intend to make available very soon!


To finish this post, I just have to say that the reverb module is very demanding when it comes to processing power, as I had previously found when I creating the "Mix2-10" patch I talked about before.

This patch makes use of almost all of the available processing power, which is a true shame as I planned to add more elements to this structure!
Still, it is possible to come up with a very interesting architecture in a single patch!

Another idea is to actually split the patch in 2, making use of the bus channels!
I bet it would be very interesting to split the pre-delay and reverb sections and allow each of them to feature more complex feedback lines (and even allow the reverb patch to actually be sent to the pre-delay thanks to the bus channels available).

But that is work for another day, as today the idea was to show how interesting can things get when you can patch your effects in true modular fashion! ;)


If you have some nice reverb patches for the Clavia Nord Modular G2, be sure to share your building techniques ;)