Best Reverb Plugins for Mixing and Sound Design

With an intuitive control layout and a gorgeous GUI, ValhallaVintageVerb is quickly becoming a top choice among producers and mix engineers. Its whopping 18 modes improve upon the early hardware reverbs of the 1970s and 1980s, adjusting bandwidth and the sample rate to simulate their artifacts. This can be tweaked to taste with the Color control and three selectable voices. Every mode comes with 70 seconds of decay time, a very generous amount.

Most of ValhallaVintageVerb’s parameters are just two knobs each, expediting workflow. Decay is the one exception: the main knob handles the mids, with all else handled by damping and shape. The “BassMult” parameter sets the lower frequencies’ decay proportional to the mids for an even, complimentary fadeout. This approach keeps ValhallaVintageVerb from sounding boomy, preparing it for the mix ahead of time.

True to Fabilter’s model of highly tweakable plugins, Pro-R’s aim is maximum customizability. Standout features are a parametric decay and EQ for surgical fine tuning, tempo-syncable pre-delay, a “character” control for added tail echoes and pitch modulation, and a distinct “distance” control. A real-time spectral analyzer is the cherry on top.

Pro-R’s “Space” control is wonderfully unorthodox, combining the parameters for decay time and room size for intelligent acoustic modelling. The “Distance” control goes a step further, simulating how far an echo must travel to the listener in a physical space. This shifts emphasis onto the early echoes, the tail or in between depending on the setting. Both “Space” and “Distance” are independent of the decay rate and the pre-delay, so the timing of this reverb is quite fluid.

Roboverb is a standard Schroeder reverb with an inventive twist: you can turn on and off each of the eight comb filters and four all-pass filters. This produces a metallic, resonant echo that ranges from stuttery delays to rippling buzzes. It’s great for sound design, since the filter variation can make your instrument sound like it’s in a PVC pipe or a basketball. That’s a whole other level of acoustic simulation that few reverbs possess.

Not all sounds from this reverb are out of left field, however. Roboverb functions just fine as a regular reverb that doesn’t get too in-your-face. This works best for light ambience that sits neatly in mixes, especially considering the independent controls for wet and dry levels. The eye-like display in the middle measures gain, going from green to red when the signal approaches clipping.

Little Plate is deceptively simple; with only four controls and a compact UI, you’ll be surprised by the lush atmospheres that come pouring out of it. The plugin is based on painstaking analysis of five EMT 140s, updated with an infinite decay and intensity modulation for the tail. The former is unusually smooth for such a feature, lacking artifacts and the robotic feeling of a loop.

Little Plate’s massive decay range is fantastic for automated reverbs, giving you extended control over how long a phrase rings out at any given time. Since there is a continuous tail at infinite decay, combining it with the modulation is also great for generating pulsating pads.

Neoverb utilizes iZotope’s intelligent EQ engine to tailor your reverb to the mix. All it takes is two steps; configure what you’re going for, then let the plugin listen to your tracks. Neoverb will proceed to pre-EQ the input to tame harsh frequencies, before equalizing the reverb itself.

What sets Neoverb further apart from the rest is that you can blend three algorithms at once, each with their own parameters. This mix and match functionality works via a three-way grid, across which one can manually adjust intensity and ratio with a slider. It’s much faster and more hands-on than flipping through presets.

GrainSpace is an instant gateway to cavernous, cinematic soundscapes. The flexibility of this granular reverb is incredible, with controls for how long in milliseconds each sample lasts and a pitch shifter ranging two octaves in either direction. Duration can be dually shaped with decay and a freeze control.

Users can get very creative with GrainSpace’s automation. Parameters can be assigned to two LFOs with 11 waveforms and two randomizers, while the freeze control can be synced to tempo. Filters are also in abundance, starting with the grain controls and ending at the “Smear” control, a chain of all-pass filters. The “Chord Resonator” harmonizes the output or functions as a comb filter.

The first in AudioThing’s compact “Thing” series, Texture is an impressively efficient granular reverb. Pre-delay, volume and duration controls are exchanged for a wet/dry, a granule/reverb balance and a granule octave, stripping the plugin down to its bare essentials.

The mid/side button is an invaluable mixing tool. Activating it relegates the granular effects to the left and right channels, attenuating the center for quick stereo separation. Diffusion increases stereo width and reverb feedback, effectively functioning as a two-mode decay/damping switch. The simplicity of these controls make Texture an ideal entry point for getting to learn reverb, but even experienced producers will appreciate them as one-click fixes.

NOTE: Requires an iLok dongle. This convolution reverb, beloved by audio engineers for its astounding IR collection, is not for the faint of heart or wallet. Everything from Wendy Carlos’ personal EMT 140 to the Great Pyramid of Giza’s King’s Chamber has been sampled, with new IRs added every month. You can even create or import your own using one of three generation engines. The XL edition is compatible with Avid’s TDM technology and 5.1 surround sound.

Every parameter in Altiverb can be automated, including the IR, such that you can switch between reverbs in real time. Each can be reversed, gated in sync with the tempo at different note divisions, or given more treble with an additional algorithmic reverb. Room distance can be simulated independently in the left and right channels for custom spread.

Complete with a compressor, a de-esser, resonant filters and an analog-modeled input drive, H-Reverb is a hybrid reverb built for mix engineers. The reverb comes in two stages for thickening: the main “Input Echoes” signal can itself be reverberated with the “Output Echoes” control. Each IR can be auditioned with the “Test” button before you settle on it.

The IRs in H-Reverb are highly malleable. Even the side processing has its own EQ! Nonlinear decays are achieved easily with crossover gain, an ADSR envelope and the reverse button. Modulate the input amplitude and frequency to spice things up.

NOTE: Requires a full Reaktor license. Floodverb recalls the spaciest of plate reverbs, inundating your signal in a smooth, airy cascade. Besides the three band-stop filters that shape the tone, you really don’t need more than the diffusion and intensity controls for an incredible sound. The fun actually begins with Floodverb’s three interactive decay modes.

“Fixed” gives you the choice between a linear decay or a fixed infinite stream; “Ducked” keeps the reverb going until a dynamic threshold is met; and the “Controlled” mode turns the reverb on and off with MIDI. “Controlled” is useful for keeping feedback from getting out of hand; stack layer upon layer of sustained reverb and then cancel it with a single note. The “Smooth” knob adjusts the quickness of this fadeout. Setting it short while rapidly alternating the MIDI command creates a light stutter effect.