01 Oct What’s The Best Free Reverb VST? A Short List
What to expect?
As I have already mentioned in my latest article “how reverb works” it is pretty clear, that there exist lots of great VSTs, both paid and free, which will help you to create some kind of depth within your productions and create a room for your sounds to exist in.
Because the internet is flooded with lots of free reverb plugins, I decided to give you an overview over some very cool options, that are worth downloading and will definitely level up your virtual sound arsenal.
Table of Contents
The main charactristics of a great reverb VST
Before we will have a look at my top 11 free reverb VSTs, I want to give you an overview of how I define what a great free VST is and how you can choose the best plugin for yourself. I decided to use 4 metrics, that will help you to pick one or more plugins that will fit your style of production and knowledge level. The rating is based on my personal experience as a beatmaker and some reviews from reputable forums like KVR.
- Sound Quality: Sound Quality is essential for choosing a great VST plugin. While this is also a matter of taste and preference, I added a video below each recommended plugin, so that you will get a general idea about how this reverb effect will sound when its applied to your source material. 5 Stars mean that this effect sounds extremely good for a free VST and one star means that it sounds crappy.
- Features: Some producers like to have more control over an applied effect and others want to keep it simple. 1 star means that you will only have some basic options to control the sound of your VST and 5 stars mean, that you will have lots of control over the applied effect.
- User-Interface: We all love to own plugins that just sound good and are beautiful to look at. This metric defines just how “sexy” the recommended plugin looks in your DAW. 1 star means that it’s ugly as hell and 5 stars mean that you could jerk off by just looking at it. (that’s maybe a weird metaphor, but I think you understand what I mean =D)
- CPU: Not every producer has the privilege to own a high-performing computer. Because some VSTs tend to be very CPU-intensive, it is essential to choose the right plugins to prevent your DAW from crashing. 1 start means, that the reverb plugin has a very high CPU-Load and 5 stars mean that it’s very CPU-friendly.
The best free reverb VSTs
After explaining the different metrics that I used in this particular article, we can finally have a look at the list of my top 11 reverbs that are available for free. If you do have any recommendations or would like to give some feedback, please don’t hesitate to add a comment to the section below this article.
SOCALABS MVERB2020
Mverb 2020 by SocaLabs is an open-source reverb VST that was developed to provide the open-source community with a high-quality reverb. Its sound has great studio quality and is also known as an excellent, CPU-friendly VST. Besides its User-Interface is pretty basic, you get all the options to tweak the reverberation until it fits the project you are working on. “Great for early reflections and its sound is super nice and soft.” Definitely, a cool option to have an eye on!
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
CYTOSONIC SPACE360
Space 360 by CytoSonic really is a very special plugin on this list. It uses some interesting modeling algorithms to imitate the acoustic behavior of natural space and a more CPU-friendly statistical approach to less important elements. You can use it as a powerful room simulator and reverb-plugin that gives you some in-depth control over the spatial location of a source-sound in your mix. It won’t add any special effects to your reverb signal, but will definitely give you some great options to create a smooth-sounding ambiance.
Available for: Windows
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
VARIETY OF SOUND EPICVERB
When searching for some high-quality free VST plugins, the website of Variety of Sound is a place you have to keep an eye on! They don’t only look just amazing (at least in my opinion) but also sound absolutely incredible for being completely available for free. With that being said: going for an Epicverb VST download is a step that you definitely won’t regret. It is able to create the acoustic behavior of small, as well as large rooms and is perfect for using it on modern drums and vocal productions. If you are looking for a smooth-sounding, “sexy” free reverb VST that aims to recreate the halls of professional outboard gear, this is the perfect choice for you.
Available for: Windows
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
TAL-REVERB 4
TAL-Reverb-4 is basically the standalone version of the reverb that is included in TALs famous synthesizer “TAL-Sampler”. The big advantage of this plugin is that it comes with a straightforward user interface that is very intuitive and will provide you with all of the necessary options that you will need to create a smooth reverb sound. Because it is so user-friendly, it is perfect for beginners, who want to get familiar with the basic functions of a reverb VST.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
DX REVERB LITE
DX reverb lite is a pretty basic but great sounding effect. It allows you to simulate any environment from small rooms to large halls while keeping the user-interface pretty simple and clean. The best part about it? It’s pretty light in CPU-Usage, so you will get a smooth effect that can be perfectly integrated into any digital production environment. In short, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on!
Available for: Windows, Mac
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
DRAGONFLY REVERB
Searching for a free reverb that runs stable on a Linux computer? Then the DragonFly reverb bundle is your choice! It comes with 4 different plugins including a hall, room, plate, and early reflections simulator that sound absolutely amazing. One of the downsides is probably the CPU-usage. Some users have reported issues with this plugin, that it sometimes tends to “skyrock” the CPU meter of a DAW. That is definitely something you have to keep an eye on, but if you do own a high performing Computer, it shouldn’t be an issue. Overall: This is an absolutely outstanding value for a free to download plugin.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
AMBIENCE
Ambience is a reverb unit created by smart electronix. While this is available for free, it can rival some of the commercial reverbs. It’s character sounds a bit metallic and reminiscent and reminds me a little bit about an 80’s Yamaha reverb. (But that’s really my own opinion) Because of its unique sound, you can use it to emulate the sound of a spacey plate or spring reverb VST. Overall: It has some great value for some specialist treatments, but isn’t something you will achieve a great sounding mix with. Just listen to it on the video above and form your own opinion.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
FREEVERBTOO
FreeverbToo is another great freebie that is definitely worth mentioning on this list. While the design of its interface looks a bit outdated, it is very good when you need a simple and easy to use reverb. You can use it by simply tweaking the size of the emulated room and adjusting the different other parameters until it sounds good to your own taste. Just give it a try, it’s free anyway.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
SANFORD REVERB
A beautiful looking interface combined with some in depth options for controlling the sound and stereo image of your reverberation. Its sound is told to be dense, clean, and crisp, which makes it perfect for lots of different mixing situations. It’s especially great when using it for creating some short or medium length reverb sounds. The best part about it? While it sounds so great and is pretty intuitive to use, it isn’t that CPU-intensive. Overall: A must-have for everyone who is looking for a free reverb plugin.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
KARMA FX REVERB
The Karma FX Reverb comes with the KArma FX-Bundle that includes a delay, reverb, eq, and filter. It’s just a simple and “tiny” little reverb unit that comes with 10 different algorithms and 6 presets that you can choose from. Pretty basic, but solid and definitely worth giving it a shot – especially if you are a beginner!
Available for: Windows, Mac
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
VALHALLA SUPER MASSIVE
Valhalla is known for producing some fairly priced and professional audio processing tools. During the COVID times, they came up with a super awesome freebie that is definitely worth mentioning on this list. While the User-Interface is pretty basic, it is able to produce a wide range of delays and reverbs from non-realistic effects along with more “normal” echo-effects. Overall: A great-sounding plugin that is easy to master and very CPU-friendly. Thank you, Valhalla for this awesome gift!
Available for: Windows, Mac
sound-quality
features
userinterface
CPU
CONCLUSION
The answer to the question: “ What’s the best reverb VST available for free?” is simple: It really depends on your current skill level, production setup, and preferences in sound. By having a look at the rating and hearing the sound examples that are listed in this shortlist, I am sure that you will find something that will fit your current situation and own preferences. If you would like to add anything, want to ask some questions, or think I should include another plugin in this list, make sure to add a comment in the section below to let me know. Hope that this article was helpful for you!
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