Free Atmospheric Reverb Vst

Reverb is one of the most important tools for audio engineers. It’s an audio effect used on every mix you’ll ever hear.

Free Atmospheric Reverb Vst Plugin
Vst Reverb Free
Lexicon Reverb Vst

Cinematic Reverb (Windows, VST) by gregjazz is a simple free reverb VST plugin designed with cinematic and ambient in mind. Its main characteristics are the tremor volume and tremor speed faders, which add tension and presence to incoming audio. The depth and stereo-ness makes it very suitable for realistic ambient soundscapes. Closing out our list is Smartelectronix Ambience, which is the most customizable free reverb vst of the six. All the work on this plugin clearly went into the algorithmic design, seeing as the interface displayed in Logic is identical to those presented by Apple’s most basic Audio Units that come packaged with every Apple computer. Free VST downloads: OldSkoolVerb (Reverb by Voxengo) - FreeverbToo (Gate reverb by Sinusweb) - REV-B (Graphic reverb by Samsara Cycle Audio) - TAL-Reverb-4 (Vintage reverb by Togu Audio Line) - Miasma (Reverb by White Noise Audio) - RoomConvpROT (Rotational room reverb by EXE Consulting) - Protoverb (Experimental reverb by u-he) - RoomConvp. Dragonfly Reverb is a bundle of free audio effect plugins (LV2 and VST) for Linux, MacOS, and Windows. The Freexechamber is a free reverb plugin by Synthescience for simple reverb effects. I sometimes use this in place of Ambience plugin if I want to play with the Freeze switch, the switch enables the user at any moment (while the Verb is processing) to Hold the process into a suspended state.

There’s so many reverb plugins out there. Deciding which one to use is a big challenge. And sifting through hundreds of plugins can sap your creativity pretty quick.

But if you know your way around the different types of reverb plugins, you’ll have head start on choosing the right tools to create the perfect ambience to enhance your mix.

Here’s a primer on the different styles of reverb and the 15 best reverb plugins for each reverb type.

Electromechanical reverb

In the early days of audio, engineers discovered they could use transducers to create vibrations in a piece of metal.

These vibrations could be captured with an electromagnetic pickup like the kind used in electric guitars.

This led to the development of two main types of electromechanical reverb—spring reverb and plate reverb:

What is spring reverb?

Spring reverb takes advantage of the unique behaviour of a coiled spring. The transducer is fitted at one end of spring and the pickup is at the other.

Spring reverb has a darker, edgier character that can vary widely from spring to spring. It’s often found in classic guitar amplifiers.

Using spring reverbs will give you a sploshy, metallic reverb with lots of character.

Best spring reverb VST plugins

Free:Hotto Spring Reverb

Hotto Spring Reverb is a free, no-nonsense spring reverb that’s effective and easy to use.

Spring reverb has a darker, edgier character that can vary widely from spring to spring.

Cheap:Aegean Music Spirit Reverb

Aegean Music Spirit Reverb is an affordable and authentic way to get spring reverb onto your tracks. It also includes other tone shaping effects like delay and tube preamp emulation.

Pro:PSP Springbox

Using spring reverbs will give you a sploshy, metallic reverb with lots of character.

PSP Spring Box has a ton of control to dial in your perfect spring reverb sound. It can go from realistic vintage spring reverb to seriously weird textures.

Where to use it?

Spring reverb is at home on electric guitars, but you can use it anywhere where you need a grittier flavour of reverb.

What is plate reverb?

Plate reverb is the main style of reverb from the golden age of analog recording. It’s created by exciting metal with a transducer just like spring reverb.

However, giant metal plates are required to create high quality plate reverb, so today these devices are expensive and rare.

They’re well loved for a reason though. Plate reverbs create a very recognizable sound that blends well into a mix and doesn’t overpower the dry signal.

Best plate reverb VST plugins

Free:TAL Reverb 2

TAL Reverb 2 deserves to top the list of best free reverb plugins. It’s a fantastic sounding reverb that’s modelled on a plate but can go from natural and realistic to lush ambient textures.

Plate reverbs create a very recognizable sound that blends well into a mix and doesn’t overpower the dry signal.

Cheap:VallhallaDSP ValhallaPlate

ValhallaDSP makes some of the best value-for-money reverb plugins. Sean Costello’s plugins are widely respected in the pro audio community despite their low price tag.

ValhallaPlate is a fantastic, inexpensive way to get into plate reverb.

Pro:UAD EMT 140 Plate

Universal Audio is the top name in vintage emulation and their plugins run on a dedicated hardware platform.

Their loving reproduction of the classic EMT 140 tube plate reverb is a smash hit. It’s incredibly authentic and sounds eerily close to a real plate.

Free Atmospheric Reverb Vst Plugin

Plate reverb uses

Vocals, snares, or anywhere else you need an even sounding reverb with smooth early reflections and distinctive character.

Algorithmic reverb

Algorithmic reverb uses digital trickery to create reverb. It usually works by using many cascaded digital delay lines to create the illusion of acoustic reflections. The earliest electronic reverb devices were algorithmic, so many of the classic sounds we associate with studio reverb were created this way.

Algorithmic reverbs aren’t always realistic since processing power was so limited in the early days. But they can still create a desirable and characteristic reverb sound that works in tons of mixing situations.

Best algorithmic reverb VST plugins

Free:Smartelectronix Ambience

Smarteletronix Ambience was one of the first quality free reverb plugins on the scene. And it’s still a great option for dreamy, ambient, algorithmic reverb.

Cheap:VallhallaDSP VintageVerb

Valhalla VintageVerb is a versatile algorithmic reverb with vintage style modes to simulate the frequency and sample rate limitations of 70’s and 80’s hardware reverbs.

Vst Reverb Free

Pro:UAD Lexicon 224

The UAD Lexicon 224 is a painstakingly accurate replication of the classic vintage hardware. The original Lexicon 224 was one of the first readily available digital reverb units introduced to studios in the late 1970’s. It’s responsible for so many classic reverb sounds from that era.

Algorithmic reverb uses

Algorithmic works best for Synth pads, effects, or anywhere else you need a stylish, enveloping reverb.

Convolution reverb

Convolution reverbs create ambience through a mathematical process called (wait for it) convolution.

These reverb plugins use Impulse Responses to create their effect. Impulse responses are made by measuring the reverberation of a real space with a microphone and a specialized tone called an impulse.

Algorithmic works best for Synth pads, effects, or anywhere else you need a stylish, enveloping reverb.

The impulse response is a sonic profile that the plugin uses to apply its specific reverberation characteristics to your sound.

To put it simply, convolution reverb lets you use the ambience of any real world space inside your DAW.

Hot tip: Convolution can also be used to model things like speaker cabinets for electric guitar.

If you have an all purpose convolution plugin, you can use IRs of speaker cabs to get a convincing sound when you record amps direct.

Best convolution reverb VST plugins

Free:SIR Audio Tools SIR1 (Windows) LAConvolver (Mac)

These free simple convolution tools are capable of loading great sounding impulse responses. That’s the beauty of convolution! They may not be the most full featured plugins out there, but they can totally get the job done.

Cheap:Liquid Sonics Reverberate Core

Liquid Sonics Reverberate Core is an effective, inexpensive convolution reverb solution. It has the ability to load and tweak parameters of any impulse response.

Pro:Audio Ease Altiverb

Audio Ease Altiverb is the gold standard for studio convolution reverb. Its powerful convolution engine and IR collection are capable of creating extremely realistic and compelling acoustic spaces.

Convolution reverb uses

Close mic’d instruments or wherever you need natural, realistic sounding spaces. Convolution reverb is a great choice for acoustic instruments like strings and piano.

Non-linear reverb

There’s a few classic reverb sounds you might know that I haven’t covered yet.

I’m talking about special effects like gated and reverse reverb. These sounds are all examples of “non-linear” reverb.

Electromechanical, algorithmic and convolution reverbs all attempt to model real spaces—with varying degrees of success. Even though some examples are quirky and not at all realistic, they still have a “linear” decay.

Convolution reverb is a great choice for acoustic instruments like strings and piano.

That means the reverb rings out with the normal, uniform decrease in energy that would happen a real acoustic space.

Non-Linear reverbs throw that idea out the window. They’re the classic reverb “effects” from the 80s like gated and reverse reverb.

Best Non-linear Reverb VST Plugins

Free:Longsound MicroVerb VST

Longsound MicroVerb VST is an emulation of the Alesis Microverb hardware unit. This entry-level hardware reverb is known for its three non-linear presets, which sound pretty weird in all the right ways.

Cheap:ValhallaDSP VintageVerb

We’ll have to give this one to Valhalla VintageVerb again for its fantastic nonlinear algorithms.

Pro:UAD AMS RMX16

The hardware AMS RMX16 is another early digital reverb that has been painstakingly modelled by Universal Audio. It’s nonlinear presets are responsible for many of the gated reverb sounds on recordings from the 1980’s.

If other verbs are sounding just too…normal, try a non-linear style for a change of pace.

Non-linear reverb uses

Use non-linear reverb to create psychedelic special effects. If other verbs are sounding just too…normal, try a non-linear style for a change of pace.

Early reflections

Lexicon Reverb Vst

You need a sense of space in your recordings for them to sound natural and inviting.

That’s why reverb is an essential element of every mix. And to use it properly, you have to know your tools.

So to recap:

The best reverb plugins are…

Whether you’re adding a realistic ambience to an acoustic guitar, creating a cavernous space for a synth pad or just trying to nail that classic 80’s gated snare, knowing which reverb to reach for is key.

Plate, spring, convolution, algorithmic and non-linear reverbs all have helpful applications in your music.

Try any of the plugins from this list see how the how the different types work for you.

Disclosure: When you buy through our links, we may get a commission at zero cost to you.

I am very sure you have heard or use a reverb effect multiple times in your music projects, and if you haven’t used it in your projects, you’ve come across it on most occasions, but you aren’t aware it’s a reverb.

Before we dive into the best free reverb vst plugin, let me briefly explain what a reverb effect does, you can skip this section if you aren’t new to reverb effects.

Reverb is the simulation of the sound of space. This space could be your bathroom, a small room, concert hall, chamber and so on. For example, the sound is different when you clap in the bathroom vs when you clap in a concert hall and this is because the spaces and the reflections build-up are different in each room, the larger the room the greater or wider the reverb, the smaller the room, the lesser the reverb.

Why Use Reverb Effects?

You’ll mostly find reverb effects in every music producer toolbox, and can be used to create all sorts of effects but it can easily be misused too, basically reverb effects can be used to…

To create depth in a mix; pushing elements further back in a mix
To glue elements within a track together
To create a simulation of the sound of space, e,g creating a concert hall like special effect within a track and
so on…

Since we know the importance of using reverb, I would be recommending some of the best free reverb effects plugins in the music production scene right now.

Note: Here are the best paid reverb effects

Let’s get cracking…

1.) Smart Electronix – Ambience

A friend recommended Ambience to me a few years back, and the moment I tested it, I was literally blown away.

One of my favorite features of Ambience is the hold parameter which smartly freezes the reverb tail until the button is released or you can think of it like freezing the reverb effect in a suspended state.

You can use this for creating a reverse reverb effect, special effect and you can even automate the knobs.

The ambience is a donationware plugin. You get a nag screen with no limitation, and if you love the plugin, you can donate to the developer.’

Download: Win 32 VST / Mac OSX VST

2.) Impulse Record – Convology XT

A free convolution reverb from Impulse record, in case, you aren’t aware, convolution reverb uses software profiles to digitally simulate the reverberation of space, and uses a pre-recorded audio sample of the impulse response of the space being modeled.

This is exactly how Convology XT works, the impulse-response recording is stored in a digital audio signal processing system, and then convolved with the incoming audio signal to be processed.

Convology XT comes with a free 70 Vintage Reverb Impulse Response Files. If you so wish, you can also purchase more impulse responses from the Convology XT library, other than that, it is absolutely free with no nag.

Also, it features an intuitive interface to browse through the libraries, allows you to quickly test run presets and audition on the fly while the music is playing.

I didn’t mention it supports both WAV and AIF files right, well, now you know. I don’t know if you’ve ever imagined using stretch (long reverb) when using a reverb plugin, Convology XT doesn’t only include Stretch, you also have an option for decay time scaling, EQ, frequency-dependent decay time scaling, time reverse, and amplitude envelope.

Requirements:

Windows 7 and later; VST2 / VST3 / AAX
Mac OS 10.7.x and later; AU / VST2 / VST3 / AAX

Download: Convology XT

3.) EpicMStudios – Dimension +

Dimension + is a really super simple plugin that simulates sound reverberation in variable size spaces.

It features three controls:

- Direction: Direction of the audio source
- Room Size: Alters how large the simulated space is.
- Dry/Wet: Alters how much of the effect is present in the mix.

Download: Dimension Plus

4.) Synthescience – Feezechamber

The Freexechamber is a free reverb plugin by Synthescience for simple reverb effects.

I sometimes use this in place of Ambience plugin if I want to play with the Freeze switch, the switch enables the user at any moment (while the Verb is processing) to Hold the process into a suspended state.

It comes with few presets, which can be used to lay down quick ideas.

Download: Feezechamber

5.) Antress – Modern Spacer

Modern Spacer is a plugin by Antress which comes in 2 versions, silver or black, each offering the same parameters:

Power, Meter On/Off button.
In/Out meter mode switch.
Reverb On/Off switch.
RT60, Damp, Width, Depth controls for Reverb.
Delay On/Off switch.
Delay, Feedback, Decay, Mix controls for Delay.
Input/Output level controls.
Input/Output reset switch.
Up to 192 kHz sample rates supported
Set of factory presets.
Hardware-like GUI.
Advanced PPM/VU/GR meters.

Note: Supports only Win 32; VST

Download: Modern Spacer

6.) Anwida Soft – DX Reverb Light

This is the light version of the original DX Reverb. The light version contains only one simplified algorithm of the 11 available algorithms in the full version, even with the limitation, DX Reverb Light can be handy for a quick reverb effect.

Download: Win 32 VST / Win 64 VST / Mac OSX VST / Mac AU

7.) Signaldust – Abstract Chamber

I don’t know if you ever notice undesirable reverb effect when used for longer reverb sounds, it sounds frustrating some times, with Abstract Chamber you can create a longer modulated reverbs whole also maintaining a natural yet abstract spatial impression.

It only supports VST

Download Abstract Chamber

8.) TAL-Reverb III

TAL-Reverb 3 is designed to be used as a stereo plate plug-in, which is the replacement of its predecessor (TAL-Reverb-II). This new edition has several improvements such as an optimized GUI and some changes in the reverb algorithm.

Additionally, TAL-Reverb 3 has a simple EQ section, a meter display and shows actual slider values.

Features:

Plate reverb sound.
One simple room size control.
Pre-delay up to one second.
EQ section (12dB cut, low shelf filter at 1000Hz, high shelf filter at 200Hz).
Stereo width control (from full stereo to mono).
Stereo input mode (mono or stereo input).
Displays the slider value of the active fader.
A meter shows the output volume.
10 factory presets.

Specification Requirements:

Windows: Windows XP or higher (32 / 64 bit)
OSX: OSX 10.7 or higher (32 / 64 bit).
AAX: Pro Tools 10.3.6 or higher

Download: Windows / Mac

9.) Voxengo – OldSkoolVerb

Voxengo plugins have been my best and ready to go plugin for my music production toolbox.

OldSkoolVerb emulates the classic stereo verb algorithm and produces a crystal clear spatial image that blends well with an audio file.

This reverb tool comes bundled with various sets of parameters permitting a user to achieve different reverb styles ranging from room reverb to hall reverb to plate reverb.

“The Voxengo OldSkoolVerb is best used for a non-percussive and soft-attack sound like vocals, piano and pad sounds”.

Specification Requirement

Compatible with Windows ( Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 and later versions) and macOS (10.7 and later releases, Intel processor-based)
VST/AAX supports
Compatible with 32 and 64 bit on Windows and Mac Os
Supports 2 GHz dual-core or faster processor
2GB RAM or higher

Download OldSkoolVerb

10.) U-he- Protoverb

Protoreverb aids as reverb research for u-he, and now, they are releasing it to the public for free. It is an experimental plugin that is based on a room simulator reverb.

According to u-he:

Most algorithmic reverbs try to avoid resonances or model the reflections of sound from a room’s walls. Protoverb does the opposite. It builds up as many room resonances as possible, modelling the body of air in the room. No need to modulate or colour the signal.