Hall reverb settings

#AudiotentTip 148. Hall Reverbs.
There are many types of reverberation algorithms available in todays plugin market. One of the main choices for medium/large spaces is a hall reverb. There is a common misconception that to replicate a sound being played in a huge hall you need lots of reverb. In practice, opposite is usually the best option.
You want just enough wet signal to make an impression of the sound being played in a hall. Keeping the dry signal clear in the mix, so it doesn't get muddy. As too much reverb can easily smear the transients.
Here is a good technique to ensure clean transients on your sound. Place your hall reverb on a send. Set the wet signal to 100%. Next, after the reverb add a compressor that has the ability to use a sidechain trigger. Now, set the original sound source as the trigger for the compressor. Adjust the attack, release, threshold and ratio to taste. This will duck you reverb out of the way of the sound source, leaving you with nice, clear transients.