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I'm mid production and have to make elements of light wind in a large design-composition by vocalizing and using various props. Works great, but the version of Altiverb I had and that usually did the job for me doesn't work with my current version of Nuendo, and all my other reverbs are too "roomy" or characteristic. There is absolutely no way I could afford to upgrade Altiverb or buyinh a VSS3 until this gig is over and I can make new investments, I've already spent an insane amount of cash upgrading virtually everything else in my studio, and didn't prioritize this at the time as I didn't need it for this very game otherwise. Question is: What free or cheap reverbs are out there what could do a serviceable job of widening, spacializing, and smearing the original sources without adding any form of "room" to it?

Outdoor- or pretty neutral stereo-Impulses working with Nuendo Reverance - although not my first choice - could do the trick as well I suppose. In this gig I don't have to worry about surround in any form, just plain ol' stereo.

Cheers in advance!

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    Valhalla Shimmer can do huge spaces very well - though I've never tried to use it for any type of 'outdoor' setup. Might be worth a quick look at the demo?
    – Tetsujin
    Aug 24, 2017 at 6:11
  • Cheers! I was actually circling around Valhalla's Plate and Shimmer just before writing this post, it was among the first hits I got when searching for "neutral reverb". Sounds like I should give it a go after all!
    – Christian van Caine
    Aug 24, 2017 at 18:02
  • Welcome :) Maybe also worth a look at - I tried it once but got bogged down in all the presets before I'd really properly evaluated it - Aether It felt a bit processor-intensive but did have a feel somewhere between Valhalla & Altiverb; 'real' spaces without convolution. It's not as cheap as Valhalla, but half Altiverb.
    – Tetsujin
    Aug 24, 2017 at 18:16

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Have you tried worldizing your samples? It won't cost you anything but your time and you'll undoubtably learn a lot in the process.

Also, try reaching for complex delays in lieu of reverbs. Soundtoys EchoBoy is a great choice if you have it, otherwise nearly any delay plug will help get you started.

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    Oh yes, I do a lot of worldizing, that is actually the main reason why I didn't prioritize Altiverb for this project, but these components are surreal parts of an otherwise hyper-real composition, and worldizing simply didn't work for these parts, regretfully. An absolutely wonderful technique, otherwise! And thanks for the tips about EchoBoy! I do have PrimalTap, which actually is in use in this game for making space in ambiances, but I've come to understand that EchoBoy might be even better at this? Cheers!
    – Christian van Caine
    Aug 24, 2017 at 17:52
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    Delays, in general, are wonderful tools for adding space and dimension without clouding the track with unwanted density. Echoboy is great, as is Slapper.
    – Jay Jennings
    Aug 24, 2017 at 17:55
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    I hear you! Almost ashamed to admit this, but I only recently realized how great shorter delays can be in designs and mixes to give space without cluttering things up. Sure, they need to be a wee bit on the dirty side so it doesn't just sound delay, but with the right one - jackpot! Actually, my trusty ol' Boss SE-50 through a Prism Titan AD/DA sounds amazing for things like this! Dirty but with a tasty bite.
    – Christian van Caine
    Aug 24, 2017 at 18:01
  • I feel a chorus-type effect would be better than reverb, a feeling of space but without muddying the sound.
    – n00dles ♦
    Sep 6, 2017 at 3:08

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