16 reverb
Where delays offer distinct repeats, reverb is a blend of the reflections that occur when sounds bounce off surfaces around you, decaying gradually as soundwaves are absorbed by the air and surrounding material. You’ll only tend to notice it in areas where it’s particularly obvious, though, such as a tunnel, a cathedral or – one for the potholers out there – a cave.
Early effects involved placing microphones in actual physical spaces – these included chamber reverb, plate reverb (literally a ‘plate’ of sheet metal with a pickup attached to capture vibrations) and spring reverb (similar to plate reverb but cheaper and more compact owing to the coiled nature of the spring). Spring reverbs proved especially popular, and quickly became the go-to onboard effect for guitar amps – 60s Fender ‘blackface’ amps are still considered among the most desirable sounds for guitarists, and most guitar amps feature a spring reverb of some description, whether physical or digitally emulated.
Reverb pedals offer digital recreations of these spaces – some real (room, hall), and some imagined, such as the deepest depths of outer space. Controls usually consist of level, decay (length of reverb ‘trails’), tone (to emulate bright or dark spaces) and pre-delay (how long before the reverb kicks in). Like delay, you’ll often find these modulated by other effects, such as chorus, tremolo or pitch for shimmering, synth-like pad sounds.
Reverb pedals offer digital recreations of these spaces – some real (room, hall), and some imagined...