What Is Reverb?
Reverb or reverberation is the “overhang” of reflected sound after it has bounced off many surfaces. We have all experienced how singing in the bathroom makes your voice sound bigger and this is because of the multiple reflections from generally hard surfaces. There is less reflection in a softly furnished room.
To be more formal, it is the persistence of sound in an enclosed space after the sound source has stopped. It is caused by multiple reflections of sound waves from the surfaces of the room, which result in a complex pattern of echoes that continue to be heard for a short time after the original sound has stopped. Reverberation is an important aspect of the acoustics of a room and can have a significant impact on the perceived quality of sound.
How Does It Differ From Delay?
Reverb is the sound that remains in an enclosed space after the original sound has stopped. It is the result of sound waves reflecting off of surfaces within the room and creating multiple, overlapping echoes that blend together to create a sense of space. Reverb can be thought of as a continuous, diffuse sound that fills a space, rather than a distinct, repeating echo.
Delay, on the other hand, is a time-based effect that involves repeating the original sound at a set interval after it has been played. The repeated sound, or echo, is usually heard as a distinct, discrete sound, rather than blending with other reflections like in reverb.
The time interval between the original sound and its echo can be adjusted to create different rhythmic or spatial effects, such as a slap back echo, which is a quick, single repetition that creates a sense of space without blurring the original sound.
Reverb and delay are both important effects in live and recorded music to create space and depth.
Creating Reverb For Music Production
In early recordings, reverb “effects” were created by choosing a particular room and/or treating that room to either increase or damp its reflections.
This occurred both up to and after the event of electronic signal processing.
Even after electronic reverb was available, there are some great examples of large rooms being used to great effect. John Bonham’s drum sound on Led Zeppelin IV (released in 1971) was recorded in the great hall at Headley Grange. Samples of the drum sound on When The Levee Breaks are still being used today.
A Bit Of History
Before the advent of digital technology reverb was created using two main methods, one predominantly within guitar amps and the other a studio effect.
These are the only true analogue reverb types, and you will see later in this article that modern day digital / DSP based reverbs often try to emulate their sound.
Spring Reverb
Spring reverbs were originally designed in the 1930 by Laurens Hammond (of Hammond organ fame). Here’s how they work.
An amplified signal is sent to a set of one or more metal springs that are suspended inside a unit. The springs are typically made of coiled steel and are arranged in parallel.
As the amplified audio signal passes through the springs, it causes them to vibrate, which in turn creates a complex series of echoes and reflections. These echoes and reflections create a natural-sounding reverberation effect that can be adjusted using various controls on the spring reverb unit.
Spring reverbs were included as an integral part of guitar amplifiers from the 50s onwards. This was particularly championed by Fender.
There have also been discrete studio-based spring reverbs such as the Great British Spring which is an approximately 1 metre long reverb spring that is essentially mounted in a drain pipe!
Whilst predominantly the studio effect, some guitarists have been known to use these in live environments, such as Mark Knopfler.
Plate Reverb
In 1957 a German company called Elektromesstecknik (EMT) were the first to produce the plate reverb. This is primarily a studio-based reverb- at least we do not know of anybody using this on the road.
The principle of operation is the same as the spring reverb where a signal is passed through in mechanical object that simulates sound reflections. However, in this case the objects is not a spring but a metal sheet. This sheet was often quite large (approx. 2m x 1m) and suspended in a frame. The type of metal used for the sheet would affect the quality of the reverb.
Plate reverbs were generally considered more sophisticated, could cope with transients better, and generally less “splashy” than the spring.
EMT remained one of the more famous producers of real plate reverbs comma the EMT 140 being used in Abbey Road. There are more than a few studios that still use vintage EMT one 40s for their reverb, although for most either a plug-in or digital pedal is more practical.
There is still a considerable amount of interest in real plates as will be seen by the number of DIY articles on the Internet, for those that are brave and have strong backs!
Analogue or Digital – What’s The Difference?
As we’ve seen above, the only true analogue reverbs are the spring and the plate.
With a few exceptions, all reverb pedals are digital these days. However, the programme or algorithm inside the digital pedal can be made to sound remarkably like some of these earlier reverbs.
So, when you hear the phrase ” analogue voiced”, what this means is the digital programme creating the reverb sound is tweaked to sound like a spring, a plate, or whatever.
Also, you may hear the phrase analogue dry signal. All this means is that the non-affected guitar signal does not go through any digital processing route. The processed signal is then recombined with the dry guitar signal at the back end of the circuit.
There are also chips that are specifically designed to be used for the purposes of reverb. There is a chip called the Belton Brick PT2399 that was designed by Brian Neunaber (yes the one that makes the pedals!).
This chip comprises three digital delays and some filter circuitry to replicate the sound of the spring reverb. PT2399’s can be found in a number of modern pedals such as the Caroline Meteore and the Fuzzrocious Afterlife.
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Reverb Types
As you can imagine there are now a myriad of pedals that are able to simulate both the classic reverb sounds, together with that of being in cavernous environments.
You will often see reverbs described as spring or plate, see above, hall and cathedral, which are the more massive sounds, and shimmer. All of these sounds are fairly self-explanatory.
Gated Reverb
Then there is the gated reverb. As the name implies, this combines reverb and a noise gate that cuts off the reverb effect after a predetermined time.
The best example of this, whilst not a guitar sound, is Phil Collins’ drum sounds of the early 1980s (think In The Air Tonight) where the explosive snare drum sound was created using masses of reverb which is then cut off after a few milliseconds.
This is what gives the massive “gunshot” snare sound. You’ll see from our table below that there are a few guitar reverb effects that include this effect.
Where Should Reverb Go In The Signal Chain?
The placement in the signal chain can have a significant impact on the overall sound of the mix.
As with all music, whilst there are no hard and fast rules, in general, reverb is most often placed at the end of the signal chain.
This is because reverb is a complex effect, with its multiple reflections, and can make your sound really messy if this is then further affected by pedals.
How Do I Decide Which Pedal Is For Me?
This is the $50,000 question and of course it is horses for courses depending upon your personal needs and sound aspirations. Do you go for a retro-style pedal or something more complex, with multiple algorithms?
There is generally a trade-off between flexibility (and price) and simplicity.
Some pedals have stereo output. This can be important if you are running a stereo rig, or if you wish to split the signal into stereo before the mix.
For ultimate control, MIDI can be excellent. Use MIDI to switch between algorithms and settings. This switching can be achieved using a more manual or via a controller/sequencer.
Also, consider what type of bypass is important to you. Whilst there always is a natural inclination to go towards true bypass, it might be that a buffered bypass is more appropriate, for example, if you have a complex or long signal path. This is a subject which is quite difficult in itself, that we will tackle in future articles.
To help you compare we have put together a table of pedals including their type and features below.
Comparison Of Reverb Pedals:
Cursor right to see all columns in table:
Reverb | Type | Complexity | Controls | Stereo | MIDI | Bypass | Other | |
 | Spring | Low - Medium | Osc, Mix, Reverb, Ramp, Crush, Resolution, Sample Rate | No | No | True Bypass | Lo-fi Bitcrusher | |
 | Reverb & LFO Tremolo | Low - Medium | Depth, Rate, Symmetry, Tone, Mix, Decay | No | No | True Bypass | LFO Tremolo | |
 | Plate, Mod, Hall, Pitch, Spring, Lofi, Analogue, Dynamic, Echoverb | Medium | Knob Display, Preset Display | Yes | Yes | Buffered Bypass | Menu Driven | |
 | Spring | Low | Level, Regen, Attack , Size | No | No | True Bypass | Lo-fi | |
 | Room & Shimmer | Low | Room Size, High Cut, Mix, Shimmer | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Plate | Low | High Pass, Time, Pre-delay, Mix, Volume | No | No | Switchable True / Buffered | ||
 | Spring | Low | Dwell, Tone, Mix, Volume | No | No | True Bypass | Fender 6G15 Based | |
 | Spring & Cavern | Low | Volume, Altitude, Reverb | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Room, Digit, Peak , Gate, Wave, Gong | Medium - High | Freq, Depth, Time, Dry, FX, Select | Yes | No | True Bypass | Gated Reverb | |
 | Reverb & Delay | Medium | Length, Diffuse, Dampen, Reflect, Drag, Mix | No | No | Buffered Bypass | Octaves & Fifths | |
 | Octave Reverb | Medium - High | Preset, Length, Mode, Depth, Rate, Tone, Mix | No | No | True Bypass | 8 Reverb Modes | |
 | Reverb & Delay | Medium | Time, Repeats, Tone, Mix, Decay, Mix | Yes | No | Switchable True / Buffered | ||
 | Reverb & Delay | Low | Mix, Time, Reverb, Repeats | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Spring Reverb | Low | Attack, Depth, Dwell | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Spring Reverb & Delay | Low | Mix, Repeats | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Arpegiating Reverb | Low | Reverb, Pitch Shift, Delay | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Spring, Plate, Room & Tremolo | Medium | Rate, Color, Dwell, Depth, Mixer | Yes | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Spring, Plate & Tremolo | Low - Medium | Rate, Reverb, Depth, Level | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Reverb & Delay | Medium | Time, Delay, Reverb, Decay, Repeats, Sens, Damp | No | No | True Bypass | 3 Delay & Reverb Modes | |
 | Spring | Low | Mix, Numb, Dwell | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Multiple | Medium - High | Space Decay, Modulate, Mix, Lo Frequency, Pitch Vector, High Frequency | Yes | Yes | Switchable True / Buffered | 2 Separate Reverb Algorithms | |
 | Spring | Low | Mix, Dwell, Tone | No | No | True Bypass | Fender Like | |
 | Theatre | Low | Echo, Space, Mix | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | W3T, Plate, Hall, Spring, Sustain, Echo, Detune, Shimmer | Medium | Mix, Effect, Reveb Depth, Tone | Yes | No | Buffered Bypass | 8 Modes | |
 | W3T | Low | Tone, Mix, Depth | No | No | Buffered Bypass | W3T Algorithm As Immerse | |
 | Ambient Pad Reverb | Low - Medium | Control 1 & 2, Mix, Reverb | No | No | True Bypass | Pitch, Delay & Crush Modes | |
 | Reverb, Delay & Reverse | Medium | Blend, Delay, Time, Feedback, Reverb , Modulation, Delay | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Ambient Pad Reverb | Low - Medium | Rate, Depth, Mix, Decay | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Room, Hall, Cathedral, Gated, Plate, Spring, Grain & Delay | Medium | Blend Bal, Pre-delay, Decay, Select, Mod Rate | No | No | True Bypass | Gated Reverb | |
 | Modulated Reverb, Tremolo & Vibrato | Low - Medium | Speed, Decay, Level, Depth, Color | No | No | True Bypass | ||
 | Spring | Low | Tone, Decay, Depth, Level | No | No | True Bypass | Fender Style |
Guitarists Who Use Reverb As A Signature Effect
There are few guitarists, either professional or amateur, that do not use reverb in some shape or form.
Below are a few examples of inspirational guitarists that have not just used reverb but made it part of a very identifiable sound and style:
- David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) – Gilmour’s guitar sound is characterized by its rich, spacious tone, which is often achieved through the use of reverb and other effects.
- Johnny Marr (The Smiths) – Marr is known for his use of jangly, shimmering guitar tones, which are often achieved through the use of reverb and chorus effects.
- Dick Dale – Dale is known as the “King of Surf Guitar” and his distinctive sound is characterized by the use of heavy reverb, which creates a sense of space and depth.
- Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) – Knopfler has also used both modern and vintage (Great British Spring) reverbs to create unique guitar textures particularly in the latter part of Dire Straits’ career on songs like “Telegraph Road” and “Private Investigations”.
- Chris Isaak – One of the most notable examples of Isaak’s use of reverb can be heard on his hit song “Wicked Game”. The guitar tone has a rich, full-bodied reverb that gives the song a dreamy, ethereal quality, which sounds influenced by…
- Hank Marvin – Marvin’s guitar tone is characterized by its clean, bright sound and its use of reverb to create a sense of space and depth. Listen to “Apache” and “Wonderful Land”.
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