- Reverse echo
Reverse echo or
reverb , also known as backwards echo, is a slightly unusual sound effect created as the result of recording an echo or delayed signal of an audio recording whilst being played backwards. The original recording is then played forwards accompanied by the recording of the echo or delayed signal which is now in reverse.Invention by Jimmy Page
Guitarist and producer
Jimmy Page lays claim to the invention of this effect, stating that he originally developed the method when recording the single "Ten Little Indians" withThe Yardbirds in1967 . [Brad Tolinski and Greg Di Bendetto, "Light and Shade", "Guitar World", January 1998.] He later used it on a number ofLed Zeppelin tracks, such as "You Shook Me ". In an interview he gave to "Guitar World" magazine in 1993, Page explained:cquote|During one session [with The Yardbirds] , we were recording "Ten Little Indians", which was an extremely silly song that featured a truly awful brass arrangement. In fact, the whole track sounded terrible. In a desperate attempt to salvage it, I hit upon an idea. I said, "Look, turn the tape over and employ the echo for the brass on a spare track. Then turn it back over and we'll get the echo preceding the signal." The result was very interesting -- it made the track sound like it was going backwards.
Later, when we recorded "You Shook Me", I told the engineer,
Glyn Johns , that I wanted to use backwards echo on the end. He said, "Jimmy, it can't be done". I said "Yes, it can. I've already done it." Then he began arguing, so I said, "Look, Im the producer. Im going to tell you what to do, and just do it." So he grudgingly did everything I told him to, and when we were finished he started refusing to push the fader up so I could hear the result. Finally, I had to scream, "Push the bloody fader up!" And low and behold, the effect worked perfectly. [http://www.iem.ac.ru/zeppelin/docs/interviews/page_93.gw Interview with Jimmy Page] , "Guitar World " magazine, 1993]Other songs using this effect
*"
Whole Lotta Love " by Led Zeppelin on the album "Led Zeppelin II "
*"When the Levee Breaks " by Led Zeppelin on the album "Led Zeppelin IV "
*"The Wanton Song " and "Sick Again " by Led Zeppelin on the album "Physical Graffiti "
*"Megalomania" byBlack Sabbath on the album "Sabotage"
*"Back Street Kids" by Black Sabbath on the album "Technical Ecstasy "
*"Eternal Idol" by Black Sabbath on the album "The Eternal Idol "
*"Arise" bySepultura on the album "Arise"
*"Even Flow " byPearl Jam on the album "Ten"
*"Hurt" byNine Inch Nails on the album "The Downward Spiral "
*"Let My Love Open the Door " byPete Townshend on the album "Empty Glass "
*"Mutilated Lips" byWeen on the album "The Mollusk "
*"Shout at the Devil" byMotley Crue on the album "Shout at the Devil "
*"Dun Ringill" by Jethro Tull on the album "Stormwatch"
*"In the Air Tonight " byPhil Collins on the album "Face Value"
*"H." by Tool on the album "Ænima "
*"The Pot " by Tool on the album "10,000 Days "
*"Strip My Mind" byRed Hot Chili Peppers on the album "Stadium Arcadium "
*"I Am In Love With You" byImogen Heap on the album "Speak for Yourself "
*"The Happiest Days of Our Lives " byPink Floyd on the album "The Wall "
*"Alucard" byGentle Giant on the album "Gentle Giant"
*"Snowman" byXTC on the album "English Settlement "
*"Feel Flows " byThe Beach Boys on the album "Surf's Up"
*"For The Love of Money" byThe O'Jays on the album "Ship Ahoy"
*"Blood" by Loop on the album "A Gilded Eternity"
*"Who Feels Love? " byOasis on the album "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants "
*"Master's Apprentices" byOpeth on the album "Deliverance"Use in other media
Reverse echo has also been used in film and television for an otherworldly effect on voices, especially in horror movies such as "Poltergeist" where it was used to suggest ghostly communication. The swelling effect has been used on environmental sounds and musical backgrounds to create tension and intensity, but can also be used for more subtle atmospheric effect.
Real-time digital reverse echo
Devices exist which offer an
audio effect called "reverse echo" for use in live musical performances. This form of reverse echo immediately "follows" the initial source sound rather than preceding it as in tape-based or DAW-based reverse echo. Reverse echo devices sample a short section of the decay and sustain of a signal, reproducing it immediately in a way that starts small, quickly grows to a maximum then suddenly stops, making a strikingly unnatural sound. Real-time digital reverse echo became popular as pop,hair metal andNew Wave music snare andcymbal effects in the 1980s; the effect still finds many uses today. Reverse echo was sometimes combined with agated reverb effect for a wildly synthetic sound. Though most commonly heard on snare and cymbals, the effect can be employed on any signal or combinations of signals present in a performance. Digital reverse echo devices are available as guitar stomp boxes, outboard rackmount effects devices and as internal mixer effects on selected analog and digital mixers. Sampled emulations of reverse echo are found on many electronic percussion devices and sample libraries.References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.