Plate reverb is the most common best choice for vocals, because it adds smooth, bright depth without sounding like a particular room. Hall and room reverb suit specific moods, and spring reverb gives a vintage twang. If you have to pick one for a pop or rock vocal, start with a plate, a short decay and a little pre-delay. If the vocal already has too much reverb baked in, the Reverb Remover can take it back out.
This guide is about choosing the type. If you want the basics first, see what reverb is.
The main types of reverb
Most plugins and mixers offer the same handful of reverb types. Each is a model of a different space or machine.
| Type | What it sounds like | Good for |
|---|
| Plate | Smooth, dense, a bit bright | Most pop, rock and rap vocals |
| Hall | Big, long, spacious | Ballads, choirs, cinematic songs |
| Room | Short, natural, close | Intimate or acoustic vocals, a sense of space without a wash |
| Chamber | Warm, natural, medium length | Smooth jazz, vocal groups |
| Spring | Boingy, metallic, vintage | Surf, retro rock, lo-fi |
A plate reverb began as a large metal sheet that vibrated when the signal was sent into it. Today it is usually an emulation inside software. Its sound is even and does not point to a physical room, which is why it sits behind a voice so easily.
Think about the song first, and the setting second.
- Fast, busy song. Use a short plate or room. Long tails fill the gaps and turn the words to mush.
- Slow, open song. A hall or longer plate lets the voice float.
- Intimate acoustic song. A small room, or very little reverb, keeps the singer close.
- Rap or spoken word. Keep it light and short so the words stay clear.
- Retro sound. Spring, with a little tape-style delay.
There is no single right answer. A reverb that sounds perfect with your voice in one song can bury it in another.
Most reverbs have the same controls. These are the ones to change first.
Decay (or reverb time) is how long the tail lasts. For a vocal in a full mix, a decay somewhere between about one and two seconds is a common starting place. Slow songs can go longer, and fast songs shorter. Tap a note on the vocal and listen for where the tail ends. It should fade out before the next word starts.
Pre-delay is a short gap between the dry voice and the start of the reverb. A pre-delay of a few tens of milliseconds keeps the words clear because the voice speaks first and the reverb arrives just after. Set it to zero and the reverb glues straight onto the voice and can make it sound far away.
Cut the low end of the reverb with a high-pass filter and soften the very top with a low-pass filter. Low frequencies in a reverb build up and make the mix muddy. Harsh high end makes "s" sounds sizzle.
Use a send, not an insert. A send is a separate channel carrying a copy of the vocal into the reverb, so you can blend it in without changing the dry voice. Turn it up until you can hear it, then bring it back until you only notice it when you mute it.
Reverb is easiest to judge on a dry voice. If you do not have a dry vocal to test with, pull one out of a song with the Acapella Extractor. Drop it into your DAW, add a plate on a send, and flip between plate, hall and room to hear the difference with the same voice.
Songs you pull a vocal from often have reverb in them already. Leave the reverb alone when the effect is small. When it is heavy, remove it first, then add your own.
You may have a recording made in a bathroom, a church hall or a big room, or an old track where the reverb is stuck in the vocal. Adding new reverb on top just makes things worse.
The Reverb Remover gives you two files from one upload: Without reverb and Reverb only. Download the Without reverb file, then add the reverb you actually want. The Reverb only file is a good way to hear exactly what was taken out, and you can mix some of it back in if the voice sounds too dry.
It costs 1 credit per minute of audio, and the price shows on the button first. New accounts get 5 free credits when they sign in with Google. Uploads can be MP3, WAV, M4A or FLAC up to 10 minutes, and each file downloads as an MP3 at 320 kbps. Heavy, long reverb, like a cathedral, may leave some traces after removal. A vocal recorded in a dry room will always give you more control.
- Too much. If you can clearly hear the reverb on every word, it is probably too loud.
- Too long. A tail that is still ringing when the next line starts clouds the lyrics.
- No high-pass. A reverb with a lot of low end muddies the bass and kick.
- One reverb for everything. Try a different send for lead and backing vocals, so the lead stays up front.
A plate is the safest first choice for most styles. Use a hall for big, slow songs, a room for an intimate feel, and a spring for a vintage sound.
Add it until you can just hear it, then pull it back until you only notice it when you mute it. Quiet, spacious songs can take more than fast, dense ones.
Between about one and two seconds is a common starting point. Adjust until the tail fades out before the next word.
Usually yes. A short pre-delay of a few tens of milliseconds keeps the words clear and stops the reverb from pushing the voice back.
Yes. Upload the vocal to the Reverb Remover, download the Without reverb file, and add your own reverb in your DAW. It works best on vocals with a room-style echo.