Do You Struggle With Reverb Like Me? Steal These “Secret Sauce” Presets

I just got back from two producer camps in Atlanta and Charlotte a couple months ago. We recorded a bunch of songs there, produced some records, and when it came time to finish one of the tracks, I was really struggling with finding the right reverb – the right preset, the right vibe.

The artist was especially picky about his reverbs. He’s got a low male voice, and we were combining melodic rap with singing, so we needed a very specific reverb that would work for both. For some reason, it was way harder than it should’ve been.

So if you have the same issue as me when it comes to reverbs, keep reading this.

Here are some things I did to find the right sound. I went back to my own videos with the “secret sauce” and vocal chains, and I started analyzing what kind of reverb might work for this specific project. And here are my general thoughts about different reverbs, and which sound they’re good for. If you’re chasing a specific vibe, this might help you pick the right one.

iZotope Aurora – Super Clean Reverb

If you’re looking for a super clean reverb, you should definitely check out Aurora by iZotope. It’s basically a reverb and a “soothe” type of effect combined. You can actually put this reverb plugin directly on the channel, not just on a send. It ducks the main reverb signal in a smart way, so your vocal and your EQ aren’t constantly fighting with the reverb tail. As a result, your reverb stays super clean.

Raum by Native Instruments – Reggaeton / Latin / Artist-Type Vibes

If you’re working with reggaeton or that type of modern Latin / melodic artist sound, Raum by Native Instruments will probably be your go-to reverb. It has a very characteristic space that just works for those bouncy, rhythmic tracks.

Rev PLATE-140 by Arturia – Specific Rap Vocal Situations

For some specific rap vocals, you might try Rev PLATE-140 by Arturia. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It has to be the right kind of song and beat. You also need to be careful with it, because it can easily be too much. Most of the time, you’ll probably want to use it on a send instead of directly on the vocal.

FabFilter Pro-R – Clean but “Too Perfect”

There’s also FabFilter Pro-R. Honestly, to me it doesn’t sound that realistic. If you’re working with hip-hop and rap vocals, it might work, but it’s not always a win. Sometimes it sounds a bit too “perfect,” but it’s another option to have in the toolbox.

Seventh Heaven by LiquidSonics – The Most Universal / Realistic

The most universal option – and the most frequent answer in my videos, as I recently found out – is Seventh Heaven by LiquidSonics.

The reason so many people use it (from Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Tyga, Young Thug, and many more) is because people have been using the real hardware unit Bricasti for years, and Seventh Heaven was built as a clone of Bricasti. This is probably the most realistic-sounding reverb in the game right now.

I had a conversation with some other big plugin developers, and they told me the reason they collaborate and work with LiquidSonics is because they invented a unique reverb algorithm. If you want one of the cleanest, most natural reverbs, you should absolutely try Seventh Heaven.

It’s especially great for low male vocals and rap vocals, and in this specific project this was the reverb we were looking for. It’s not dry, but it gives you this special “room” around the vocal. We used some plate presets in there, and I barely had to adjust anything. I’m not going to share the exact preset name (they will kill me lol), but I know some big-name artists use plate presets from LiquidSonics when they don’t have access to a real Bricasti, or when they’re traveling.

So if you want that secret sauce for your rap vocals, try any plate presets from LiquidSonics – they should work. They definitely worked for us.

AIR Reverb – Classic, Not My Favorite but On Many Records

Lastly, I just got a reverb from AIR Music. This is actually a classic one. It’s not the best in my opinion, but a lot of major records were made using it, so it’s still worth mentioning as part of the classic reverb family.

This article is not sponsored by any of these companies. But if you’re reading this around Black Friday, my personal recommendation would be: try to grab Seventh Heaven. It’s around $49 on sale, and you can also check out the other plugins I mentioned if you want to expand your reverb arsenal.