Reverb puts a vocal in a space. The right amount makes it sit in the song; too much pushes it to the back and blurs the words. These settings are starting points; set the final amount by ear with the beat playing.
- Use reverb on a send, 100% wet, not on the vocal insert
- Plate for most vocals; rooms for rap, halls for ballads
- Pre-delay keeps the words clear in front of the reverb
- High-pass and low-pass the reverb itself
- Turn it up until you hear it, then back it off
Vocal reverb settings cheat sheet
| Vocal | Type | Decay | Pre-delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rap lead | Short plate or room | 0.6–1.2 s | 10–40 ms |
| Sung lead | Plate or hall | 1.2–2.5 s | 20–80 ms |
| Ballad / big hook | Hall | 2–3.5 s | 40–100 ms |
| Adlibs / background | Plate or hall, more wet | 1.5–3 s | 0–30 ms |
Reverb types for vocals
- Plate: bright, smooth and dense. The classic vocal reverb; works on almost anything.
- Room: short and natural. Adds depth without obvious reverb. Great for rap.
- Hall: long and lush. Ballads, big hooks, background vocals.
- Chamber: between room and hall, warm and dense.
Pre-delay: the setting that keeps words clear
Pre-delay is the gap between the dry voice and the start of the reverb. A short gap (20–80 ms) lets each word land clearly before the reverb blooms behind it. You can sync it to tempo (a 1/32 or 1/64 note) so it breathes with the song.
EQ the reverb
- High-pass the reverb around 200–500 Hz so it doesn't add mud.
- Low-pass around 6–10 kHz so it doesn't splash sibilance and hiss.
- If "s" sounds still ring in the reverb, put a de-esser before the reverb on the send (how to de-ess vocals).
Send, not insert
Put the reverb on an aux/return track at 100% wet and send vocals to it. Lead, doubles and adlibs then share one space, you control the amount per track, and you can process the reverb separately. A ready-made vocal chain puts reverb at the end with a mix control, which does the same job for one track.
Advanced: duck the reverb
Put a compressor on the reverb return, side-chained to the dry vocal. The reverb ducks while the vocal is active and swells in the gaps: more space, less blur. It's a common trick on busy rap and pop vocals.
How much reverb?
Bring the send up until you clearly hear the reverb, then back it off until you only miss it when it's muted. Rap usually sits drier and leans on delay instead (vocal delay settings).
FAQ
What's the best reverb for vocals?
A plate is the most versatile. Short rooms for rap, halls for ballads.
Should I put reverb before or after compression?
After. Compressing a reverb tail along with the vocal sounds smeared. See vocal chain order.
Why does my vocal reverb sound muddy?
Too long, too loud, or not high-passed. Shorten the decay, add pre-delay and cut the reverb's low end.
