Recording April 2022 - 45

The width range can be set from mono
to ultra-wide. A new Mic Distance feature
moves a virtual mic closer to or farther
from the source audio-effectively,
an early/late reflection control; the perceived
distance from the source can be
altered without altering the fundamental
characteristic of the space.
Pre-delay can now be set either freehand
in milliseconds or in tempo-synced
subdivisions. You can tweak the pre-delay
of each channel separately in the I/O
panel. Paragon now has a built-in modulator
with an X/Y grid for adjusting depth
and time, as well as controls for rate and
mix. As with pre-delay, the modulation
time can be synced to project tempo.
Move over and step back
The new stereo width adjustment helps
create more space in a mix. At its simplest,
it is handy for narrowing a really
wide source or widening a narrow one.
More creatively, using multiple instances
of Paragon ST with the same IR loaded
allows you to control various elements'
positions in the soundstage more precisely
by applying different width values.
I recently tried this technique on a mix
with two acoustic guitars, an electric
guitar, and a Wurlitzer electric piano
vying for space. I was having a bit of
a struggle getting them all distinctly
situated and balanced panoramically.
I assigned each instrument to an
instance of Paragon ST loaded with
the same tweaked chamber IR. I varied
the reverb width for each track. That
helped with the perceived spread of the
elements. By altering the Mic Distance
parameter on each, I achieved even
more
dimension,
separation
and
sensation of being in the same space.
All together
I do a lot of mixes that were tracked in
multiple environments. I find creating a
base ambience for these kinds of mixes
helpful
for
coherence. Paragon ST is
proving to be an excellent tool for this
task-not just for creating the space (the
small spaces are fantastic), but for more
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precisely situating elements in said space.
The results can be quite three-dimensional.
Paragon ST is no slouch at longer, more
immersive reverbs. The larger spaces are
natural-sounding and beautiful. As a bonus,
with a bit of modulation, they can be
pushed into the lush algorithmic reverb
territory of the classic digital reverbs. The
new tempo sync pre-delay is a nice workflow
enhancement; I usually patch a delay
in my FX chain for that function.
Conclusion
All these new features do speak to music
production workflows. Paragon ST is
a unique, great-sounding, versatile, and
musical reverb. Strike up the band!
Bill Stunt (stunt@recordingmag.com) is
a recording engineer, producer, recording
musician, preset designer and now
apparently a luthier living in Ottawa.
Mic-Pre 4T
4 High Quality Preamps & DI's In 1RU
- Variable High-Pass Filter On Every Channel -
- 75dB of Gain, 72dB Headroom -
- Jensen Input/Output Transformers -
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Recording April 2022

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