What it is:

noun: reverberation “prolongation of a sound; resonance.”

verb: reverberate “(of a loud noise) be repeated several times as an echo.”

noun: Reverb “An effect whereby the sound produced by an amplifier or an amplified musical instrument is made to reverberate slightly.”

A Reverb effect processor mimics the naturally occurring reverberation of sound. In simpler terms, reverberation is the continuation of a sound after it occurs. Reverberation occurs when a sound is bounced(reflected) off of a surface, and continues to do so until it decays, being absorbed by the physical mediums it encounters. This is not the same as a delay or echo, however, since these reflection happen in a shorter period of milliseconds, so an echo is not perceived. The reverberation decays over a period of time, depending on the size of the space, and what mediums the sound is absorbed by.

Therefore, our minds/ears can perceive a certain space when we hear a sound, which is the main reason a reverb effect is used. With the right settings, it is possible to come very close to making a sound appear as if it is being played in a certain space. A Reverb effect can also be used to achieve a wider stereo field, and a thicker, more interesting sound.

How it Works:

The above diagram illustrates the main concept behind what a reverb effect processor achieves. A Reverb of any kind will give you control over these parameters: Decay, Reflection, Diffusion, Pre-delay, and Early Reflection.

Pre-Delay is the amount of time in milliseconds before the Reverberation occurs.

Early Reflections are the very first reflections that the ear hears before the full play out of the reverberation, just after the sound has hit a surface, and come back to the listener. It is this information that aloows the listener to determine the size of a space.

Diffusion describes the bouncing of the sound, the more complex a space is, the more diffusion there is. A sound bounces dynamically off of surfaces, not statically, there is more Diffusion of a sound(more complex bouncing if you will) in a cave or forest than there would be in a Hall, or Room.

Reflection is a product of diffusion, in that when the original sound bounces off of surfaces diffuses, it runs back into itself. Visualize it this way, the space is a geodesic dome, a sound produced will travel, then hit a surface of the dome, bounce, hit another surface, etc, whilst changing THE ANGLE. Eventually, the different “bounces” of the sound meet along each others paths. The result is usually phase cancellation, as the phases of the waveform(sounds) bouncing inevitably cancel each other to some degree.

Decay is how long the Reverb lasts before no volume is heard.

There are several different types of commonly used reverbs in music production, whether they be delivered by software, or hardware devices:

A Convolution Reverb Effect can mimic anything. Want a hall? Done. A room? A chamber, a prehistoric cave in the Netherlands? Done. It works by taking a recording of something called an Impulse Response, which is essential an audio mapping of a space, and applying that IR to an audio signal. An impulse response is typically made by recording a short signal(a crack, a pop, a short snare even), and the resulting reverb tail. There are many IR’s available over the internet and from sound companies, who have gone to great lengths to record IR’s from famous concert venues and halls and studios. This means you can get that exact sounding reverberation as if you were recording in those environments.

Hall Reverb utilizes an algorithm(there are many) that mimics the reverberation of a concert hall or similar venue. It has a long decay, and a distinctive large, full sound.

Room Reverb is a much smaller sounding reverb that mimics a room environment, either small or large, but not nearly as large as a Hall Reverb.

Plate Reverb is a reverberation created by directing a signal to a metal plate(or an algorithm that mimics this), and the effected signal is recorded. This is an interesting reverb, as it sounds almost unnatural at its extremes, and has a wide range of uses, despite its harmonic oddity.

Spring Reverb, like a Plate reverb utilizes a metal object to produce a reverberation, instead of a metal plate, a spring is used. Although it is available as software, it stems from use in guitar amps. Sufficed to say, spring reverb is used often in rock, and on guitars.

Chamber Reverb is another “small” reverb, usually of a space that is rectangular and is a very small enclosure. Imagine this enclosure as small as the space in a stairwell, or similar kinds of spaces, which can be larger, but not usually as large as a Room or Hall.

Reverbs to look at:

(I am not being paid nor contracted to sponsor any product here, and I have personally tried every one)

https://www.audioease.com/altiverb/

One of the best sounding and most versatile Reverbs out there, the Altiverb is a convolution reverb with an incredible library of IR’s that are perfect for music production of any kind, electronic or acoustic. Its price makes it almost unavailable to many producers, however. MSRP $595-995US

https://valhalladsp.com

The entire line of Valhalla reverb products are some of the best on the software market, they make a Plate and a Room Reverb, as well as Hardware emulation called “Vintage Verb”, and the incredible sounding “Shimmer” for incredible GIANT Hall and Room Reverberation. They are all incredibly easy to use, and just as versatile for all forms of music production. MSRP $50.00 each