Zak Sound released Atmospheres, a free reverb plugin for Windows and Mac.
Creating atmospheric effects is deceptively tricky. The usual suspects, like delay and reverb, can do quite a bit of the lifting. However, you might find yourself reaching for something a bit unusual.
On the surface, Atmospheres is a single-knob reverb, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that this is a lackluster plugin with no potential for sound design.
The interface has two main controls: a mix knob and a randomize button. The mix knob does what you would expect. The randomize knob is where things get interesting.
There are quite a few internal parameters and controls not seen on Atmospheres; hitting randomize gives you at least a modicum of control over them.
The Atmospheres plugin creates unusual reverbs. The reverb tails have plenty of motion, and you can use them to add texture to instruments and other recordings. That might be expected, given that Atmospheres is based on the equally unorthodox Deep Waters reverb from ZAK Sound.
A quick glance at the product page reveals the use of unusual IRs to create reverbs. As it is a single-knob plugin, there isn’t much to discuss regarding the actual control and dialling of the plugin.
In motion, it sounds lovely on quite a few sources. I love it on synthetic strings and arpeggios. This use really reminds me of the stellar Plateau for VCV Rack.
At that point, the reverb itself becomes an instrument of its own, carrying its own unique tonal characteristics.
However, I really wouldn’t use this on drums or basses. It worked quite well for ambient guitar work, cinematic piano playing, soundscapes, and the like.
As your typical workhorse reverb? I’d look elsewhere, like OrilRiver, for free.
And if you had a deja-vu feeling while reading this, chances are you’ve already tried the excellent (and somewhat similar) Magic Dice plugin by BABY Audio.
As an alternative to sound design, reverbs like Blackhole, Valhalla Shimmer, and Velvet Machine can help you beat it for the cost.
All of this makes me want to try the Deep Waters plugin from ZAK Sound. If we can get such unusual sounds out of its freeware reverb sibling, having more control could only be a good thing.
At any rate, Atmospheres runs on Windows and Mac computers. You’ll need a host with VST3 or AU support to run it.
Download: Atmospheres (FREE)
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