Reverb and delay turn a set of dry recordings into something that feels like it happens in a real space. They're also the easiest way to wash a mix out. The difference usually comes down to a few settings and where you put the effects.
Use sends, not inserts, most of the time
You can put a reverb directly on a track, but in most mixes it's better to create one to three effect channels (aux or return tracks) and send several instruments to them:
- Instruments sound like they share a space, which makes the mix coherent.
- You can EQ, de-ess or compress the effect without touching the dry sound.
- You use far less CPU.
Set the reverb on a send to 100% wet and control the amount with each track's send level. A common setup is a short room for drums and glue, a plate for vocals and snare, and a longer hall or tempo delay for special moments.
Types of reverb
| Type | Typical decay | Character | Good on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room | 0.3–1.0 s | Natural, short, strong early reflections | Drums, guitars, making dry recordings less "in your face" |
| Plate | 1.0–2.5 s | Bright, dense, smooth, no obvious room shape | Vocals, snare, horns |
| Chamber | 0.8–2.0 s | Warm and full, between room and hall | Vocals, strings, ballads |
| Hall | 1.8–4.0 s | Large, smooth, long tail | Pads, strings, cinematic moments |
| Spring | 1.0–3.0 s | Twangy, boingy, lo-fi | Guitars, dub, vintage styles |
Reverb plugins are either algorithmic (generated mathematically, flexible and adjustable) or convolution (based on impulse responses recorded in real spaces or devices, very realistic but less flexible). Both are useful; algorithmic reverbs tend to be easier to fit into dense mixes.
The settings that matter most
- Pre-delay: the gap between the dry sound and the start of the reverb. 20–60 ms keeps vocals and lead instruments clear and upfront while the space blooms behind them.
- Decay (RT60): the time the reverb takes to fall by 60 dB. Longer decays sound bigger but fill the mix quickly.
- Size: the impression of room size, often linked to reflection density and spacing.
- Damping: how fast high frequencies die compared to lows. More damping sounds warmer and darker, like a real room with soft surfaces.
- Early reflections: the first echoes off nearby surfaces. They tell the ear a lot about the space and its distance.
- Diffusion: how smeared the reflections are. Low diffusion sounds grainy and echoey; high diffusion sounds smooth.
Front-to-back depth
A mix has width (left to right) and height (frequency), but also depth. Some things feel close, others far away:
- Close: drier, brighter, more transient detail, slightly louder, more early reflections relative to tail.
- Far: more reverb, less high end, softer transients, lower in level.
Keeping the lead vocal relatively dry and bright while pads and backing vocals sit further back is often what makes a mix sound three-dimensional.
EQ your reverb returns
This single change cleans up many muddy mixes. Add an EQ after the reverb on each return:
- High-pass around 200–500 Hz to keep reverb out of the low end.
- Low-pass around 5–8 kHz to stop hiss and harshness from building up.
- Optionally, a gentle cut around 2–4 kHz if the reverb competes with vocal presence.
The reverb sounds thinner in solo and better in the mix.
Timing effects to the tempo
Effects timed to the song's tempo feel more musical. The basic formula:
60,000 ÷ BPM = one quarter note in ms
Dotted notes are 1.5 times as long, triplets are two thirds as long. At 120 BPM:
| Note value | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 1000 ms | 1500 ms | 666.7 ms |
| 1/4 | 500 ms | 750 ms | 333.3 ms |
| 1/8 | 250 ms | 375 ms | 166.7 ms |
| 1/16 | 125 ms | 187.5 ms | 83.3 ms |
| 1/32 | 62.5 ms | 93.8 ms | 41.7 ms |
For reverb, a common method is to set pre-delay to a small note value (1/64 or 1/32) and choose a decay so that pre-delay plus decay roughly equals a longer note value, like a half note or one bar. The tail then ends just as the next phrase starts. The delay and reverb calculator does all of this for any tempo.
Types of delay
- Slapback: one short echo of 60–120 ms, little or no feedback. Thickens vocals and guitars; classic in rockabilly and great in modern rap.
- Tempo-synced: 1/4, 1/8 or dotted 1/8 echoes that lock with the groove.
- Ping-pong: echoes bouncing between left and right for width.
- Tape or analog style: each repeat gets darker and slightly distorted, so echoes stay in the background naturally.
Delay throws
A throw sends just one word or phrase to a delay, usually the last word of a line, so the echo fills the gap before the next line. Automate the send up for that word and back down afterward. It keeps the delay from cluttering the whole performance and makes vocals sound produced.
Ducking effects
If you want a big reverb or long delay but it gets in the way of the vocal, put a compressor on the effect return and feed its sidechain with the dry vocal. When the singer sings, the effect dips 3–6 dB; when they pause, it blooms. You get a big sound without losing clarity.
Studio Tip
Set reverb levels with the mix playing, then turn the return down by 2 dB. Reverb almost always sounds right a little louder than it should be while you're adjusting it, and a touch less usually reads better on other systems.
Signal Chain Example: three-return effect setup at 95 BPM
- Return A, Room: 0.6 s decay, 10 ms pre-delay → HPF 250 Hz → LPF 7 kHz (drums, guitars)
- Return B, Plate: 1.6 s decay, 40 ms pre-delay → de-esser → HPF 300 Hz → LPF 7.5 kHz (vocals, snare)
- Return C, Delay: dotted 1/8 = 473.7 ms, 25% feedback → HPF 350 Hz → LPF 4 kHz → sidechain ducking from lead vocal
Common mistakes
- A different reverb on every track, so nothing sounds like it's in the same place.
- Long, bright reverb on everything, which washes the mix out.
- Reverb on bass and kick, muddying the low end. Usually leave them dry or use a very short, filtered room.
- Judging reverb in solo, which almost always leads to too much.
- Forgetting to check in mono, where wide reverbs change a lot.