Table of Contents
What is Reverb?
Reverb, short for reverberation, refers to the reflection of sound waves when they bounce off surfaces in an enclosed space. When you make a sound in a room, it bounces off the walls, floor, and ceiling before decaying. Reverb creates a sense of space and environment in audio. It’s an essential tool for giving recordings a professional polished sound.
Some key things to know about reverb:
- Reverb occurs naturally as sound waves propagate through any interior space. Larger spaces produce longer, richer reverberation.
- In audio production, reverb is added artificially to emulate different real-world spaces or environments.
- Reverb plug-ins apply algorithms that simulate how sound waves bounce around in a space. This adds depth and dimension to audio.
- Reverb sits behind the dry sound in a mix, adding space and atmosphere. It can make tracks sound distant or close, large or small, live or dead.
- Too much reverb will swamp a mix and reduce clarity. Subtle, well-balanced reverb improves quality.
Why Add Reverb in Reaper?
Reaper is an advanced digital audio workstation (DAW) used by amateur and professional music producers alike. Its flexible routing options, combined effects, and efficient workflow make it easy to add high-quality reverb to audio tracks.
Benefits of using reverb in Reaper:
- Comes with several excellent built-in reverb plug-ins like ReaVerb and ReaVerbate.
- Makes audio recordings sound more professional and polished.
- Creates a sense of space and environment, placing sounds in a physical setting.
- Blends and glues elements together in a mix.
- Adds depth and dimension to otherwise flat, dry tracks.
- Models the sound of real-world spaces like halls and chambers.
How to Apply Reverb in Reaper
Adding reverb inside Reaper is straightforward once you know the basic steps:
1. Set Up a Reverb Plug-in
- Create an FX insert or aux track and load a reverb plug-in like ReaVerb.
- Tweak the settings until you achieve the desired reverb sound.
- Use presets as a starting point then customize to taste.
2. Route Audio Tracks to Reverb
- For insert-style routing, add the reverb plug-in directly to the track itself.
- To use aux-style routing, send audio tracks to the reverb aux track instead.
3. Mix Wet and Dry Signals
- Balance between the original dry sound and the reverberant wet sound.
- Be careful not to overdo the reverb — subtlety is key for clarity and realism.
Tip: Use the wet/dry knob to easily control the reverb blend.
Reverb Tips and Tricks in Reaper
Beyond basic routing, advanced users can further adapt reverb to the exact needs of their project:
- Automate reverb settings like decay time for dynamic effects.
- Use sidechaining to duck reverb when sources play, improving clarity.
- Put reverb on a bus to efficiently process multiple tracks together.
- Add modulation effects to reverb for more unusual sound design.
- Employ parallel processing by blending wet and dry signals on separate tracks.
- Place reverbs early in effect chains prior to compression and EQ.
Reaper’s Built-in Reverb Plug-ins
Reaper comes packed with pro-grade reverb plug-ins that compete with premium third-party options:
- ReaVerb: Powerful convolution reverb that uses impulse responses to emulate real spaces.
- ReaVerbate: Algorithmic reverb with flexible controls to sculpt any reverb sound.
- JS Reverb: Code-based reverb with unique character great for sound design.
Learning to properly use these tools will take your Reaper mixes to the next level. Dialing in the perfect reverb ultimately comes down to experience and experimentation.
Conclusion
Adding reverb is crucial for taking dull, lifeless audio tracks and giving them a professional sheen. Reaper makes it simple to quickly route signals through its built-in reverb plug-ins to create space and atmosphere. Learning reverb best practices will let you polish mixes while retaining clarity. Subtle, balanced reverb breathes air into music and places performances into believable 3D environments.
