How to Choose Reverb Settings

As with delays, reverbs work very much the same. The main differences are in the density and complexity of the rooms they emulate. Different construction materials and room dimensions all contribute to the sonic imprint imparted from these reverbs.

I will offer insight into how to apply these reverbs for a variety of instruments using ProTools HD and software plug-in reverbs as an example.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• DAW
• Reverb (digital or analog)

1. Reverbs come in a variety of flavors. Many analog devices generate the sounds with tubes, springs, plates, room emulations and reverb chambers. They all impart noticeable differences.
2. When applying reverb to a vocal I first try to get an idea of how the vocal functions in the song. I can then determine what "size" reverb will be required. If the song is a rock song with a fast tempo and you choose a reverb too large it will dull the mix. What happens is the density of the reverb will continue beyond the tempo of the music and remain as the music "passes by." An example of this would be taking a boombox and playing it loudly in a small closet. The impulse of the music will excite the room to the point at which it will get boomy and quite possibly create nasty feedback.
3. Use large, dense reverbs for things like string pads and background vocals when you want to push them back behind the primary components of the mix. You can use big, washy plate reverbs to create this effect.