Important note: To get this plugin, you will need to create an account on the Acustica Audio website and install it via their own installer, but it’s well worth it.
Oh, and I think it’s also worth mentioning that the MConvolutionEZ comes as a part of an entire effects bundle which includes around 30 free high-quality plugins. Sadly, it doesn’t offer as much control over the signal as some other convolution reverbs do, and you only get a Dry/wet knob as well as one for Widening, and HP & LP filters. If offers an immense range of impulse responses for rooms, halls, guitar cabinets, plates, churches, and a lot more, which gives you a lot of versatility at the time of adding the effect. While the interface itself may not be the most eye-catching you’re ever seen, the reality is that it sounds amazing (probably way better than many paid plugins as well). It’s worth noting that there’s also a premium version of this plugin available, the MConvolutionMB, which comes with a lot more built-in features. Now, without any further ado, let’s get into the actual list of plugins: Altiverb (€499-€849)Īs the name implies, this is a convolution reverb designed to be simple to use. I’d urge you to check this list I have of over 600 plugins where I list all the posts about plugins on this website, and most of them are about free ones.
The difference generally lies either in the number of features a plugin has, since paid ones often have way more, or maybe the pro plugin can do everything well (all different reverb types, for example), whereas you may need to download more than one individual free plugin to do what the paid one can.īut being free is definitely not a synonym of being bad. There are a lot of excellent freeware plugins out there that can certainly stand up to the more “pro” alternatives without making you spend your hard-earned cash, especially in recent times since free plugins have gotten a lot better than they were a couple years ago. However, should you really buy one or are free plugins worth it? Should you buy one or use Freeware Reverb plugins? Of course, the more reverbs you use and the more you learn about each one of them, the better you’re going to become at making decisions while mixing, and this knowledge will end up making you a better producer overall. However, the truth is that you don’t need a lot of them and, in fact, I think that you could even get by with just using the one that comes stock with your DAW, since those generally offer different reverb-style sounds (room, plate, etc.) and sound quite good. I have to admit that we, the music producers, love our plugins, and just like most guitarists consistently want to purchase more guitars and more pedals, it’s basically the same thing with plugins. The way this reverb sounds highly depends on the type of material used, but they generally sound very bright and smooth. Last but not least, Plate reverbs work in a similar way to spring reverbs but instead of a vibrating spring that produces the effect, vibrations are sent through a metallic plate. Spring reverbs are traditionally used in guitar amps (typical rockabilly sound), and sound more like a lot of short echoes rather than a specific type of room with smoother reflections. Often described as having a “bouncy” sound, a spring reverb uses a number of springs to reflect the sound inside a tank to create reverb. But they also give you an extra dose of clarity, which safeguards against the washed-out effect I mentioned earlier that are present in many hall reverbs. Chamber ReverbsĬhamber reverbs are similar to halls, delivering a lush, ambience-soaked sound. The difference with reverbs that don’t sound as big is that they drown the audio in that reverb, pushing them farther back in the mix. Hall reverbs are designed to sound big, or even huge, to give the listener the impression that the tracks were recorded in a very spacious place, such as a cathedral, concert halls, etc.
This makes the tracks sound more cohesive and more realistic. Rooms, such as music studios, don’t sound huge, and this reverb type is often used to have the elements of the mix share a same space, to make them feel as if they were recorded in the exact same room. Now let’s move on to the actual types of reverb: Room Reverbs These reverbs are digitally produced via the use of an algorithm and generally try to emulate a reverb type, such as room, hall, plate, etc. These reverbs tend to recreate how an actual space sounds, which makes them very realistic. ConvolutionĬonvolution reverbs rely on the use of samples (impulse responses, or IR for short) of actual real spaces. Here I will be explaining the difference between the two categories of reverb that exist (convolution and algorithmic), and also the difference between each reverb type (room, hall, chamber, plate, and spring), since they each have a different sound and use.