In this article, we explore seven reverb plug-ins which emulate celebrated vintage reverb gear. These days it’s less common for studios to use dedicated outboard reverb units.
Before the DAW revolution, reverb units were essential tools helping producers and mix engineers to quickly bring a sense of ambience and space to tracks in a mix. Over the decades, there have been all manner of reverb units, each with their own signature sounds and feature sets. The plug-ins listed below are either hardcore emulations or, as close as you like, recreations of several legendary reverb units from the pre-DAW era of audio production.
Eventide SP2016
The SP2016 plug-in is a like-for-like emulation of Eventide’s original SP2016 hardware, which, back in 1982 when it launched, was the first-ever studio-centric effects box. Some believe the original SP2016 unit introduced the idea of a plug-in workflow in audio production as this featured hardware chips that users plugged inside the device.
In 2018, Eventide rereleased the SP2016 in plug-in form. Eventide says the reverb sounds in the SP2016 are based on a blend of art and science with effects sounding natural and distinctive. Listen to our video review below to hear the SP2016 plug-in in action to judge for yourselves.
Like the original hardware, the SP2016 includes emulations of Room, Stereo Room, and Hi-Density Plate algorithms. In the plug-in, all the reverbs have an option of two algorithms which achieve slightly different variations of sound. If vintage reverbs are selected, the effects will sound faithful to the original hardware. The Modern algorithms for each reverb type are, by comparison, brighter and more diffuse. Modern algorithms, unlike the vintage algorithms and indeed the original hardware, use a higher bit-depth for cleaner reverb tails.
Eventide SP2016 is more than just a plug-in emulation. It encapsulates a significant chapter in audio production in which digital effects proved their worth and flexibility; the rest you could say is history.
Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-in Bundle
While they weren’t the first to make a digital reverb, Lexicon are associated with the sound of digital reverb in a way no other brand is. For a period, Lexicon dominated studio reverbs. There have been various emulations of the classic 480L and its predecessor, the 224, but the PCM Native Bundle is the current hardware PCM96 in plug-in form. It doesn’t sound like a Lexicon reverb, it is a Lexicon reverb.
Watch our video below to hear four of seven classic Lexicon algorithms, which are available as part of the Lexicon PCM Native bundle. Listen closely for the distinctive character of the Room, Vintage Plate, Random Hall and Chamber algorithms.
LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven
If you ask ten or so audio engineers to recommend a hardware reverb unit, many would point you in the direction of a Bricasti M7. Though not considered a celebrated vintage reverb yet, over the years, this particular reverb unit has gained quite a fan base thanks to its classy set of sounds and straightforward interface.
Those lucky enough to own a Bricasti swear by them. Those who don't even know what an M7 even looks like in the flesh seem to know that Bricastis are well regarded. Buying a Bricasti isn't cheap. You won't see much change out of $4,000, but if you are keen to get some M7 magic in your mixes without breaking the bank, then LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven Professional is the only way to go.
Seventh Heaven is a convolution reverb as does an incredible job of hiding that fact. Compared to algorithmic reverbs, convolutions can have a habit of being slow when loading impulse responses, scrolling through presets or changing control values. This isn’t the case in Seventh Heaven. The UI is well-developed and super-responsive. The only time you’ll notice you are using a convolution reverb in the Seventh Heaven experience is when you download the installer and content. The factory impulse response library is quite large, so be sure to have suitable storage available on a drive you intend to store the IRs in.
We could attempt to describe the types of sounds you can get out of a Bricasti, but instead, we recommend you spare a couple of minutes to listen to the examples using Seventh Heaven below.
ReLab LX480
While the PCM Native Bundle is a plugin version of a current product, the Relab LX480 emulates the classic Lexicon 480L with an interface reproducing the LARC remote, which was a ubiquitous feature of every SSL and Neve of the big budget, big studio heyday of decades ago.
All the idiosyncrasies of the original are here, even down to optional coffee stains. If you are familiar with the original, you’ll feel right at home, and if you aren’t, it’s as close as most of us will get to one of these beasts. the sound is pure Lexicon; used right, it makes a recording sound like a record.
UAD 2 Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb
UAD offer a version of the 480, but the 224 shouldn’t be overlooked as it was arguably a more significant product for Lexicon than the 480. With a similar user interface and fewer algorithms, it is the reverb behind Vangelis’ Blade Runner and U2’s The Unforgettable Fire. Classy and coloured, it’s hard to believe this unit is from 1978.
The accuracy behind the modelling is, of course, second to none, even to the point that UAD replicated software bugs from the original, thankfully these can be disabled!
Waves Abbey Road Plates
Plate reverbs have been around for a very long time; to be more specific, they were first introduced in the 1950s and have been the reverb of choice for many engineers ever since. Waves Abbey Road Plates models the original reverb plates first installed in Abbey Road in 1957 as a means of offering different flavours of reverb in addition to their chambers.
The original plates have seen many improvements over the years to achieve reverb times of up to six seconds and to reduce noise in the system for super-clean sounding reverbs.
The original plates produce stereo reverb effects which are created by large suspended sheets of metal with tensioned springs at each corner. Transducers transmit sound through the metal plates, which two fixed contact mics capture. Reverb times can easily be changed by adjusting the plate's internal damper.
It appears Waves didn’t leave any stone unturned when modelling the original plates for this plug-in. We haven’t heard any direct comparison between the original plates and this plug-in, but it’s safe to assume that this is as close as we are going to get to authentic Abbey Roads plate reverbs.
Listen to our demo video below to hear Waves Abbey Road Plates on vocals, which is a fitting application for most plates, not least this particular plug-in.
Honourable Mention - Sonnox Oxford Reverb
Unlike all the plug-ins we’ve mentioned in this list, Sonnox’s Oxford Reverb goes about its business differently without needing to be all skeuomorphic in its UI. Though this doesn’t give us a visual impression of any legendary reverb units, it certainly makes up for it in a number of its presets, which name-drop several units that a number of the plug-ins in this list also emulate.
The Sonnox Reverb isn’t an emulation of anything, but it is an extremely flexible algorithmic reverb, and as such, while it will never sound exactly like any hardware reverb, it’s flexible enough to get pretty close to any of them. If you look in the presets menu under Emulations, you’ll find settings for everything from EMT Plates to Lexicon Halls. You’ll find similar settings in other good-quality algorithmic reverbs, so if you don’t know what reverbs you like, one of these would be a great place to start.