Echo Chambers/Real Spaces Reverb IR Collection, Part One

Product Description

NOTE- This product is a collection of standard IRs- reverb impulses that will work with any convolution plug-in that allows you to load your own impulses. Most of my other products on this site are for use with Nebula, so if you don’t own Nebula be sure to stick to the Impulse Response Reverb category.

Six real spaces were sampled extensively, including multiple mic and/or speaker setups, and with alternate ‘bionic’ versions (described later), as well as up to four dynamic steps (different amounts of input drive used during sampling) available for everything. Altogether there are 174 impulses in this collection. 44.1khz, 48khz, 88.2khz, and 96khz sets are available for download to all purchasers. You should use the sample rate that matches your project when possible.

The Spaces

There are two separate but very similar wood-floored, empty rooms in a small house, as well as the concrete basement and tiled bathroom from the same house. There are two purpose-built echo chambers sampled at two recording studios. If you don’t know about echo chambers I recommend you look them up, but the short story is that they were commonly used to produce a reverb effect even before plate reverbs. I’ve given these echo chambers names (The Crypt and Cyclops’ Cave), just to help you remember which IRs you like best.

Concrete Basement- This one offers three different mic/speaker position setups in the basement, and two ‘bionic’ versions. 18 IRs in total.

Cyclops’ Cave- This is the first echo chamber. There are IRs that were sampled with the door going into the chamber both open and closed, which makes a small difference in the decay and sound. The chamber was also sampled separately using two different speakers (each in a different position). These versions are all clearly labeled in the filenames. There are four bionic versions, which also include the combinations of door open/close and both speakers. Total of 60 IRs with a lot of variety in sound, so try them all! The room measures about 10 x 11 feet with a 14 foot high ceiling, with plaster walls and no parallel surfaces. Captured in stereo (AKG 460 mics in ORTF configuration).

The Crypt- The second purpose-built echo chamber in this set. This one was also sampled with combinations of the door being open and closed as well as using two (very different sounding) models of speakers. And again, there are four bionic versions each with the same combinations, for a total of 63 IRs. The space is a basement featuring a vaulted, brick ceiling of around 7ft at the highest point. It’s made of two spaces separated by a doorway, with a combined length around 22ft, and about 12ft wide. Also captured with a stereo mic setup.

Tiled Bathroom- A small bathroom with tiled walls, giving a pretty boomy sound. Two bionic versions and a total of 9 IRs.

Wood-Floored Bedrooms- There were two separate but very similar, empty bedrooms used here. They are offered separately, and in combined IRs with one room on the right side and the other on the left, producing a nice stereo reverb effect. Two different mics were used for these combos, providing further variety, and there are a couple of bionic versions, for a total of 24 IRs.

Bionic Versions

The ‘bionic’ versions are extra options available for all of the spaces, which were sampled using a unique method I came up with. It involves running the sampling tones through the spaces at faster or slower than normal speed. This results in the frequency response being shifted up or down, as well as affecting the decay length. They still retain the main characteristic of the space. These alternate versions are worth checking out and add more variety to the set.

Dynamic Steps

There are the dynamic steps available for each sampled space (and all the bionic versions of them). These are further variations which were sampled at different levels of loudness. The difference in sound between these is usually subtle, but after you find the space IR you want to use you should try the dynamic steps to see if you prefer one over the others.

Be sure to check out the audio demos to hear this stuff in action!