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Good Reverb plugins £50 or under?

proggermusic said:
For me, the answer is Valhalla VintageVerb without question, it's on just about everything I've done for the past dozen years and it's currently better than it's ever been thanks to some excellent new algorithms added by the developer (for free, no less).
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+1 to this - interestingly, if one reads Sound on Sound, many pro mix-engineer interviewees say that they just use the default preset of VVV for their pop reverbs. For me it's either VVV or CRP for almost everything these days as the main verb send.
 
vitocorleone123 said:
I learned something new about VVV the other day from a musician (Michael Arthur Holloway), despite having had VVV for years: the low cut is a 6db slope, so it's a good idea to start it at around 400Hz and then work from there. I kept thinking the reverb was prone to building up low-mid "mud" but it's more a usability issue in that the 6db slope isn't noted/obvious, not a technical issue with the reverb itself.

This is assuming the cutting isn't being done externally in a send, etc.
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What drew me to VVV initially, a dozen years ago (while working with a close friend/great mixing engineer while we were mixing this record), was how easy it was to tweak the high/low cut to get a reverb sound I preferred to just about anything else I'd ever used. We were in a cool Austin studio at the time but I immediately went out and bought a copy of VVV for myself, and it's undoubtedly my most-used processing plugin by a wide margin!

I usually don't like most reverbs and presets, so I was thrilled to find I was able to get something I loved so quickly. Also, for what it's worth, I basically never care about anything sounding like "real" reverb in an acoustic space... I just like things to sound like records I like.
 
I would also recommend VVV. I bought it 10 years ago for $50 and since then it has been updated with over a dozen new algorithms which expand its capabilities immensely. It's not my favorite reverb, but there's no question it's the best at that price point to me.

Great other suggestion for Stratus and Symphony which I found second-hand for less than $50 if memory recalls. I am a big fan of the Exponential Audio reverbs, so Neoverb is nice too. I think I got Neoverb on sale for $25 or so.
 
vitocorleone123 said:
I would DEMO the ones mentioned to see if you love any of them.

For me, finding a reverb I genuinely loved took a lot more money than 50. Certainly some decent ones in that price range (VVV being #1). Everyone's ears are different, though, on what appeals. I wasted a LOT of money on reverbs if I think of it in terms of what I use vs what I spent, so try to think of it more on what I learned, instead.

Tip for VVV: start around 400hz for the low cut if using the control in the reverb because it's a 6db slope
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The 6db slope and cutting at larger then "normal" values is indeed a good tip. As much as i like 6db slopes in filter plugins, i always have kinda wanted a 12db option in VVV. So on sends i often drop an EQ after it if i want that.
 
Technostica said:
You will find people selling the bundle of Stratus and Symphony together for £50 or less.
These are the 3D editions which take you beyond stereo.
That's one of the better deals if you require surround sound.
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Stratus and Symphony bundle are superb for such a low price. Exponential Audio is the developer of R4, which is a classic however sadly discontinued.
One thing to notice about Stratus and Symphony 3D is that their 3D versions are not compatible with Logic Pro X, which is a pity to me.
 
frozenlac said:
Stratus and Symphony bundle are superb for such a low price. Exponential Audio is the developer of R4, which is a classic however sadly discontinued.
One thing to notice about Stratus and Symphony 3D is that their 3D versions are not compatible with Logic Pro X, which is a pity to me.
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Some of these bundles come with both the 3D and regular versions of each plugin, so you get access to all 4 in total.
That’s how mine came but not sure how common that is.
 
You can actually get a lot of mileage out of any DAW's stock reverbs; most notably, Cubase, FL Studio, and Bitwig's stock reverbs all sound incredible, but you can make do with all the others as well if you really learn them and/or go on a careful hunt for IR's.

Two incredible free options are MeldaProduction's MConvolutionEZ and WaveArts' Convology XT. Of course, when you get both, depending on which control scheme you like the best, you can import both libraries into your favorite one.

If you're dead set on spending more money, a very musical algorithmic reverb is BLEASS Reverb, which can be had for $15. And I know this is a bit like cheating, but if you subscribe to EW Composer Cloud, just use Spaces II. You won't look back.
 
As has been stated before, it depends on what sound you're after. I'm cheap, so I'll recommend free reverbs only.

Because I usually make "realistic" music with libraries that simulate acoustic instruments, my most frequently used reverb is Dragonfly Hall Reverb. It's a stereo verb with adjustable width, early and late reflections, and also enough room-style presets inside of it that I don't feel the need to use Dragonfly Room Reverb, which is also pretty good. It's incredible that it's free if you ask me.

I've used Valhalla Supermassive before for an ethereal/vintage vibe and it's quite good, so I'm sure their other reverbs are on par. Melda's MCharmverb is also nice.

Black Rooster Audio also has a good vintage plate reverb called RO-Gold. I'm not an expert on plate reverbs, but according to one comment I read about it, it's authentic to the point that you can actually hear the vibrations of the simulated plate. It can add a nice bit of warmth to your sounds.
 
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robgb said:
I just picked up Hornet's 80Verb for about $5 on sale. It's actually a very, very nice reverb. Regular price is about $17. https://www.hornetplugins.com/plugins/hornet-80verb/

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He's always running sales, some going as low as 90% (or so) off. I'm not a fan of that way of doing business, but the guy seems nice enough, the plugins are nice and I love his attitude towards copy protection.
 
Mercy sakes alive, if you want to virtually recreate an active beehive, just ask what reverb you should buy on this forum, lol!! Been fun to read the thread.

I have so many reverb plugins is pathetic, I need serious psychological help. But what I've learned from owning all these is, it's all about the tails, and while I actually don't own it, I've seen enough reviews and demos to support Valhalla simply due to it's price, for whichever module everyone suggests. They win for the best tails in that price range.

It's above your budget, but I've totally fallen in love with Samplicity's Number Seven, Peter's new Bricasti emulation. I'm using this on a purposely dry VSL piano and the sound is absolutely infectious. I'm trying to find the time to do the demo and post it along with the preset, it really sounds rich. For the first time I have a reverb that I'm reaching for instead of my trusty Lexicon PCM. Well, other than Berlin Studio when using OT libraries.

Point is, 50 bucks on Valhalla is a great start, but reverbs are like string libraries and buffalo chicken wings... one is never enough.
 
PaulieDC said:
Mercy sakes alive, if you want to virtually recreate an active beehive, just ask what reverb you should buy on this forum, lol!! Been fun to read the thread.

I have so many reverb plugins is pathetic, I need serious psychological help. But what I've learned from owning all these is, it's all about the tails, and while I actually don't own it, I've seen enough reviews and demos to support Valhalla simply due to it's price, for whichever module everyone suggests. They win for the best tails in that price range.

It's above your budget, but I've totally fallen in love with Samplicity's Number Seven, Peter's new Bricasti emulation. I'm using this on a purposely dry VSL piano and the sound is absolutely infectious. I'm trying to find the time to do the demo and post it along with the preset, it really sounds rich. For the first time I have a reverb that I'm reaching for instead of my trusty Lexicon PCM. Well, other than Berlin Studio when using OT libraries.

Point is, 50 bucks on Valhalla is a great start, but reverbs are like string libraries and buffalo chicken wings... one is never enough.
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On that note: I finally got Sonnox Oxford Reverb, in a bundle over at Plugin Boutique, after I found out Simon Passmore’s excellent Acousticsamples VWinds demo tracks have Oxford Reverb all over them. An ancient plugin, but my impressions are very positive. Sonnox used to be called Sony back in the day, I gather? What’s the story there, does anyone know? Is the Oxford modelled after some obscure Sony hardware box?
 
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doctoremmet said:
On that note: I finally gor Sonnox Oxford Reverb, in a bundle over at Plugin Boutique, after I found out Simon Passmore’s excellent Acousticsamples VWinds demo tracks have Oxford Reverb all over them. An ancient plugin, but my impressions are very positive. Sonnox used to be called Sony back in the day, I gather? What’s the story there, does anyone know? Is the Oxford modelled after some obscure Sony hardware box?
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Modeled after the Sony Oxford Console.

 
It is very unlikely that a reverb below $50 would be significantly better than your stock reverbs, especially if you use Logic or Cubase.
 
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