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Heavy Reverb...who still uses it?

S

searadiofreak

Guest
The use of heavy reverb on music stations was common in the 1960's and 1970's. There seemed to be regional differences. A lot of midwest and east coast stations used it, but it was less common in the west. Anybody know of stations still using heavy reverb today?
And who had the "heaviest" back in the day? WABC, WLS, or someone else?
 
Abberation worth noting:

The original WLKW/990, "The Sound of Beautiful Music", in Providence used moderate reverb in the 1960's. Yup, with Mantovani, Chacksfield, Percy Faith. Why? I dunno; I just worked there. Somebody must have thought it was a good idea.

It went away because of carpentry.

The stand-up control "desks" had tie-block concealing panels very close to the front edge. Tall stools were provided for those who wanted to use them but they were sufficiently tall that some folks feet banged into the wooden panels. The same panels on which were mounted (inside) the spring-type reverb units! "The Sound of (BOING) (BOING) Beautiful (BOING) Music...." Removal of the stools threatened to become a union issue.....
 
The last time I was in Chicago ('06), V-103 (Clear Channel Urban AC) was the only signal that I could find using reverb. Interesting, in that in the 70's there must have been atleast ten Chi-town stations using it.

There is something about this sound that takes me back to a different era...warm, muggy nights in the east and radio stations echoing with reverb as if bouncing off the humidity! Perhaps the low humidity in the west kept those stations from doing the reverb thing!...just a theory.
 
WSEN AM/FM in Syracuse still has reverb. WABC turns it back on for their Saturday Night Oldies Show.
 
Everything I listen to at home goes thru a Pt 15 Am at 1550, with response to 20 khz, and I add 1967 level reverb most of the time, with
a real 17" Hammond reverb that sounds just like a muggy night! I should build something to add lightning QRN and fades...

You have to be careful with reverb. If you add too much, or listen to it too long at a slightly too high level, your brain begins to add the reverb effect where there is none.....it is a strange sort of listening fatigue, not much fun.

But it sure does make plain old records sound incredible. Or CDs or web streams, etc.

It must confuse one or two neighbors, must be 3 dozen households and apts could listen to 1550, at any given time.
I run my old airchecks, others' airchecks, local colleges' FMs, webstreams, and whatever records or tapes I play.

Right now I'm running airchecks of AM new from April 13, 1992, when Chicago had punched a hole in the old tunnel system, first
I've heard these tapes in over 10 years, a lot of the coverage is from WMAQ AM 670. Seems like a million years ago they were
a news station. They used no reverb in 1992.

Since I grew up in Chicago, reverb sure sounds right to me.
 
Anybody want to weigh-in on why, except for some rare exceptions, reverb wasn't used much west of the Rockies?
 
I know local to my area, 99.9 WKSF-FM in Asheville NC back in 1985 had great reverb. It was not too heavy but very noticable with the rock format they had- Just my $.02 worth! Not the same station now- :'(I miss it!
 
Even though western US stations rarely used reverb, it is worth noting that Young Country KYCW in Seattle used a moderately heavy reverb in the 90's. But to the point, I recall there were complaints about it, likely because most Seattle radio listeners had never heard it before!

My guess is the use of reverb today has a lot to do with the station's P.D., where he or she grew up, where he used to work, etc.

I still think it sounds cool, AM or FM, talk or music....but that's just me.
 
WKSC (Kiss FM) Chicago used heavy reverb until they got IBOC and took a crap on the processing. It disappeared for awhile but is slowly coming back.

WILV Chicago has a faint but noticable reverb going at the moment

WGCI Chicago still uses reverb.

As stated above, WVAZ Chicago.

WSOY (Y103) Decatur, IL has a nice thick reverb.

On a faint and barely noticable side of reverb, WTMJ Milwaukee (News/Talk) uses some reverb.

Also on the News/Talk side of things, New Jersey 101.5 has had a very thick reverb.
 
What a surprise? All in either Chicago, or nearby, or East Coast. I'm still wondering why western stations shyed away from it.
 
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