THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CREATIVE REVERB

Reverb has been relied on for its evocative sonic character ever since the first homo sapien warbled expletives into a dark cave. The transformative power of space is still a vital mix ingredient

As creative music producers, we're always looking for ways to catch the listener's interest and attention. We agonise over creating just the right feeling and emotion through melody, harmony and rhythm, and ruminate for hours - days, even - over tiny production decisions that (in all honesty) nobody but yourself will notice.

It is therefore astonishing that, when it comes to reverb, many producers will simply fire up an instance of 'Whatever-Verb', load a preset that sounds nice in isolation, and then pretty-much leave it at that. But, as with most aspects of music production, reverb should always be tailored to the specific situation. A music producer has to consider the style of music, the mood of the song, the instrumentation, the performers... all of it.

Presets can be a useful signpost to help us get into the correct ballpark - for those who are wanting to work that way - but you should never rely on them wholesale; the producer's skill lies in knowing how to adapt to the situation, and knowing how to use the tools available to achieve the desired result. Not to mention the way in which reverb can be manipulated in myriad colourful ways.

Reverb plays on the brain's intrinsic ability to infer information about an environment from the reflections that accompany the sounds we hear. We do this unconsciously and automatically, often unaware that the reverb is there at all unless we actively listen for it.

When used well, reverb gives us a mainline into our audience's subconscious, allowing us to influence their aural experience at a subliminal level. When not fine-tuned to the situation, though, the results can be mushy or jarring, obstructing rather than enhancing the mix.

Essentially, there are two uses for reverb. It can simulate rooms and acoustic environments, bringing realism and depth to your productions.