· By The Vocal Market
TL;DR Plate reverb for most pop and rock vocals. Hall for ballads. Room for rap and intimate vocals. Set pre-delay between 20 and 60ms so the vocal stays upfront. High-pass the reverb return at 300Hz, low-pass at 8kHz. Keep decay shorter than you think (1.2 to 2.5 seconds). Reverb is the difference between a vocal that sits on top of the mix and one that feels like part of the record. Get it right and the vocal breathes. Get it wrong and everything turns to mud, the vocal loses intelligibility, and the mix collapses in a small room. This guide...