Reverb is everywhere. It is basically the reflection of
sound of of various surfaces. In terms of guitar effects think of delay just one
echo, and reverb as multiple short echo’s of varying lengths and
characteristics. In the music world reverb refers to effect pedals and plug-ins
that emulate the natural reverb of different rooms. Some units take it a step
further and create new synthetic soundscapes that can get a little crazy. Today
we are going to take a few minutes to explore several of the more popular
reverb options.
Spring Reverb
You can find this on almost any guitar amp, and can hear the
effect on thousands of records. It is created by running the signal through
physical springs inside of an amplifier. This in effect adds a slight “twang”
to the input signal. This give you that quintessential “Surf Rock” sound. You
can find this effect on tub amps and reverb pedals everywhere.
Plate Reverb
Plate Reverb is created in a way similar to spring reverb. Signal
is sent into a giant hanging sheet of metal and the sound created is then
recorded by a microphone and mixed back into your signal. This is not a natural
reverb and is an effect that only exists in studios. Plate reverb can be useful
in adding some space to your sound with out dampening it to much like a room or
hall reverb might. Unless you are in a studio mostly likely you will only see
this effect emulated on a pedal or a plugin
Hall & Room Reverb
These two reverb types refer to the emulation of how
something might sound in an actual room or concert hall. Typically, room
reverbs are a little bit darker with a shorter decay, and Hall tends to ring
out brighter and longer. One way to experience these type or reverbs is to
stick a really loud amp in a big room and listen for the reflections yourself.
Since this isn’t always possible in a smaller room or studio there are plenty
of great effects available to simulate these rooms. You might start with the Valhalla
DSP Plugin’s
Shimmer Reverb
This reverb has gained a lot of popularity in the church
world as well as ambient music. These reverbs add in overtones and with shift
the pitch to create a brand new soundscape. Brian Eno and U2’s The Edge are two
names synonymous with shimmer. Today the Strymon Big Sky and the Walrus Audio
Descent are two great pedals many players rely on for that signature shimmer
sound.
Reverb is everywhere. If you haven’t noticed it before you
should start to hear it now. Every room and space has its own natural reverb. Pay
attention to the sounds around you and how they can change in different environments.
Then start experimenting with how you can use reverb to change your playing. As
always the best way to learn is to get out there and experiment. Happy Playing!
Hashtags: Reverb, Spring reverb, hall reverb, ambient reverb, what is reverb, best reverb, shimmer, strymon, strymon reverb, delay, reverb pedal, best reverb pedal, reverb.com,
