Glossary: Reverb | Sweetwater.com

Expert Center > Glossary > Reverb

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9

Reverb: The remainder of sound that exists in a room after the source of the sound has stopped is called reverberation, sometimes mistakenly called echo (which is an entirely different sounding phenomenon). We've all heard it when doing something like clapping our hands (or bouncing a basketball) in a large enclosed space (like a gym). All rooms have some reverberation, even though we may not always notice it as such. The characteristics of the reverberation are a big part of the subjective quality of the sound of any room in which we are located.
Our brains learn to derive a great deal of information about our surroundings from the sound of a room and it's reverberation. Consequently it is necessary to have the proper type and amount of reverberation on recordings in order for them to be aesthetically pleasing or to sound natural to us. This can be accomplished with careful microphone placement, but it is often necessary to employ artificially created reverb.
To create reverb, a device known as a reverb unit is employed. Reverb units have historically come in many shapes and sizes, and have used many different techniques to create the reverberation. These days most of the reverb units employed throughout the world are digital, where the sound of the reverb is generated by a computer algorithm and mixed with the original signal. We will be discussing other types of reverb units in the future.

R-Buss	R-DAT	Rack Rail
Rack Space	Radio Wave	Radius (Fingerboard)
RAID	RAM	RAM Disk
Random Access	Random Noise	Rank
RAR	Rarefaction	Rasgueado
Rate/Level Envelope Generator	Ratio	RCA
Re-Amp	RealAudio	Real Time
Recap (or Recapping)	Receiver Image	Reconstruction Filter
Record Enable	Recording Console	Rectifier
Recursive Formula (Filter)	Red Book	Reel
Reel-to-Reel	Reen	Refraction
Refurbished	Regal	Regal
Regeneration	Region	Register
Regulator (Voltage Regulator)	Relap	Release
Release Trigger	Release Velocity	Relic
Relief	Reluctance	Reluctance
Remix	Remote Control	REMS
Render	Repeater	Repeat Mark
Repro	Reproduction Right	Res-O-Glas
Resample	Reset All Controllers	Resistance
Resistor	Resolution	Resolve
Resonance	Resonant	Resonant Frequency
Resonator	Rest	Resultant Tone
Resynthesis	Retro	Retrofit
Return	Reverb	Reverse Breakdown Voltage
Reverse Engineering	Reversion Clause	ReWire
REX File	RFI	RFZ
RGB	Rhodes Electric Piano	Rhythm
RIAA	RIAA Equalization	Ribbon Cable
Ribbon Controller	Ribbon Mic	Rick-O-Sound
Ricochet	RIFF	Rift Sawn
Ring Modulator	Ring Out	RIP
RISC	Rise Time/Fall Time	Ritardando
RMID	RMS	RMS (Root Mean Square)
Robert Moog	Rocket Network	Rocking Bar Bridge
RoHS	Roll Mode	Rolloff
Rolloff Slope	ROM	Rompler
Root	Root Key (Sampling)	Rosette
Rosewood	Rotary Selector Switch	Rotary Speaker
Rototom	Round Wound	Rout
RPM	RS-232	RS-422
RSS	RT60	Real Time Analyzer (RTA)
RTAS	Rubato	Rumble