In the context of making music, reverb refers to the sound of a space (think echo). It’s the reflection of sound waves off of the walls and surfaces of a space, and it can be either natural or artificial. When you hear reverb in a song, it’s usually an effect the mixing engineer or producer has added with a plugin (more on reverb plugins below).

You want to use reverb to get a sense of space, like the instrument or song was recorded in a large room or hall rather than a small studio. You can also use reverb to create depth, which helps make the instruments and vocals sound like they’re further back in the mix (more on how to use reverb below).

So if reverb makes it feel like the instruments were played in a larger space or are distant, a song with a lot of reverb can have a dreamy, ethereal, faraway quality. While a song with little or no reverb may sound more upfront and present.

Beginners often confuse reverb and delay, so let’s clear that up. Think of reverb like altering the perceived space of the instruments, and think of delay as a rhythmic repeating of an instrument. Because of this, reverb sounds more natural while delay is clearly added in the mix.

A good example of obvious reverb is in the song “About You” by The 1975:

Another good example is “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, specifically on the vocals and the drums:

There are many different types of reverb, but here are the most common ones you’ll see in the form of plugins and guitar pedals:

• Room reverb: simulates the sound of a small or medium-sized room. It’s often used to add a sense of space to a mix without making it sound too cavernous or distant.
• Hall reverb: simulates the sound of a large concert hall or cathedral. It’s often used to add a sense of grandeur or spaciousness to a mix.
• Plate reverb: uses the reverberations off a metal plate to create the reverb effect. It’s known for its bright, smooth sound and is often used on vocals and instruments that have higher frequencies.
• Spring reverb: uses a metal spring to create a reverb effect. It’s known for its distinctive, “bouncing” sound and is often used on guitar and other instruments that have a twangy sound.
• Convolution reverb: uses impulse responses (IRs) to simulate the sound of a specific space or reverb. It allows you to create very realistic and detailed reverb sounds, and it’s often used in film and game audio to create a sense of realism.

First let me say, creating music is subjective. So you can use reverb on whatever you think would sound good with reverb. However, there are some guidelines to follow that will help you get the best reverb sound. If you’re not careful, the reverb can overwhelm the instrument and lead to a muddy or washed out mix.

If you’re new to reverb, I would suggest getting a decent reverb plugin (see below for plugin suggestions) and starting with one of its presets. Then adjust to your liking.

Just make sure you’re using contrast in your production. Don’t slap reverb on every single instrument because then it will sound washed out and/or muddy. For example, if you have a ton of reverb on the vocals, keep the reverb low (or non-existent) on the acoustic guitar.

Generally speaking, here are the situations when you’d want to use reverb:

1. To add a sense of space: Reverb can help give your instrument the sense of being in the same or different spaces.
2. To create a sense of depth: Reverb can give the sense that the instruments are sitting different distances away from the listener.

On any good reverb plugin, you’ll see a bunch of settings. It might feel overwhelming, so here’s a simple breakdown of what these settings do:

• Wet/dry balance: This determines the balance between the wet (reverberant) and dry (direct) sounds in the mix. A higher wet level will make the reverb more pronounced, while a lower wet level will make it less noticeable.
• Decay time: This determines how long the reverb tail will last. A longer decay time will create a more pronounced reverb effect, while a shorter decay time will create a more subtle effect.
• Pre-delay: This determines the amount of time between when the instrument plays and when the reverb kicks in. A longer pre-delay can be good on vocals because it allows space for the words to be perceivable (70-120ms is typically good for vocals).
• Low- and high-frequency damping: This controls the amount of high- and low-frequency content in the reverb tail. High-frequency damping will make the reverb sound duller and less bright, while low-frequency damping will make it sound more boomy and full.
• Reverb size: This determines the size of the virtual space being simulated by the reverb.
• Reverb shape: This determines the overall character of the reverb. Different shapes will create different tonal qualities and can be used to simulate different types of spaces or reverb devices.

It may be a good idea to bus your instruments to a reverb track. This gives you more control over the sound and it allows you to apply the same reverb to multiple channels at once. After you do that, it’s a good idea to add an EQ plugin after the reverb plugin on the reverb bus channel – this allows you to remove low and/or high frequencies from the reverb to ensure it doesn’t muddy the mix.

But again, the first step is to start with a preset (comes built-in to any good reverb plugin) and adjust as you see fit.

When you’re recording, it’s best to cut out as much natural reverb as possible (unless you’re in a space with really good reverb). This is why you see people using soundproofed and acoustically treated recording spaces. It’s difficult to remove reverb from a recording without damaging the audio, but it’s easy to add reverb after recording.

However, there are some times when you may end up with some natural reverb that you realize you don’t like. The best option is to re-record the instrument.

But if you can’t do that, there are plugins that can help remove some of that reverb. Here are some reverb-reducing plugins you can try:

• SPL DeVerb
• iZotope RX
• Acon DeVerberate
• Accentize DeRoom

Your digital audio workstation (DAW) most likely comes with a stock reverb plugin. Depending on the DAW, the stock reverb plugin may actually be very good, so I’d suggest checking that out first (especially if you’re on a tight budget).

My personal favorite is ValhallaVintageVerb and it was only $50, but any reverb plugin from Valhalla will be top-tier. You could also check out Valhalla Room, Valhalla Plate, and Valhalla Super Massive.

Here some other really good reverb plugins:

• FabFilter Pro-R
• Waves reverbs, like H-Reverb, Manny Marroquin Reverb, and Renaissance Reverb
• Universal Audio reverbs, like EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverb and Lexicon 224
• Soundtoys Little Plate

If you know what you’re doing, reverb can really help a production go from amateur-sounding to “Wow, who is this artist, I need to listen to all their music.”