Stone Voices has released Ambient Reverb, a high-quality freeware reverb effect in VST plugin format for 32-bit and 64-bit host applications on Windows. UPDATE (November 18th, 2019): Ambient Reverb is no longer free. It costs $20 with a 30-day free trial.
Ambient Reverb is a lush reverb effect optimized for use in ambient music. The fact that it allows for up to 100 seconds of decay time makes it perfect for simulating huge, unrealistic spaces. It can also work great for simulating the reverb properties of realistic large spaces like cathedrals, stadiums, etc. The freeze function is also included, providing the option to make the reverb signal last forever, literally. I’ve found that mapping the freeze parameter to a MIDI control can work as a great performance tool when playing synth solos or adding spice to drum tracks. For example, you can freeze the reverb on a snare hit for a second and then turn it off, resulting in something that resembles the classic gate reverb technique, but with a different flavor.
See also: Best FREE Reverb VST/AU Plugins!In addition to decay time and freeze, the interface also features controls for early and late reflections, left and right pre-delay time, the size and width of the simulated space, damping, dry signal volume, and a 2-band parametric equalizer. Although the GUI is not resizable, it is perfectly sized for use on modern HD screens. The control scheme looks fine and the design slightly resembles a guitar stompbox. It would be nice to see a modulation parameter added in a future version of the plugin as it would enable Ambient Reverb to emulate irregular spaces like caverns and pools, but this would probably require some drastic changes of the algorithm.
The most important feature of a reverb effect, though, is its sound. Ambient Reverb absolutely shines as a tool for simulating large spaces. The sound is lush, rich, clean, and natural. It is perfect for use in ambient music, or any other scenario where a large, spacy sounding reverb is required. It is less useful (and not intended) for simulating smaller spaces. The included factory presets cover some of the most useful settings, but you can tweak them further to suit your project using the provided controls. The CPU hit is more than reasonable for a quality reverb plugin.
This is the fourth freeware VST plugin released by Vasily Makarov, the developer behind Stone Voices. Check out the previously released Brandulator, Marazmator, and PolyGAS if you’re into slightly unusual instruments and effects. Just like its predecessors, Ambient Reverb is available as a Windows VST plugin only and will not work on Mac computers.
Ambient Reverb is no longer free. It costs $20 with a 30-day free trial.
Ambient Reverb is available via Stone Voices (4.06 MB download size, RAR archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST plugin format for Windows).
13 Comments
ALEX
onVery GOOD Vst Reverb! Made in snow Siberia !!!
heavymetalmixer
onIn your opinion, how good is it compared to OrilRiver and the Freeverb3 pack? (In terms of sound quality)
Tomislav Zlatic
onIn terms of sound quality, Ambient Reverb is fantastic. I wouldn’t compare these directly as I’m not a reverb expert by any means, but it sounds amazing to my ears. As for versatility, I’d say that OrilRiver is more versatile, but Ambient Reverb is better for huge and very long reverbs.
Alex
onOrilRiver + Sanford reverb + Ambient Reverb 4 = SUPER reverb BUNDLE free for all styles
Tomislav Zlatic
onYeah, a fantastic reverb combo for free.
OK
onThanks for bringing this to our attention. I loved it. It has one usability “bug”, changing the size parameter momentarily suspends the effect, which is somewhat unusual, have not come across this in any other algorithmic reverb, which kind makes me think, is there an element of a convolution reverb within, as this reminds me of changing impulses between settings – like the Acustica Audio plugins.
Nevertheless, in spite of this minor anomaly, I found the reverb one of the most natural, I have heard and for freeware – awesome. I own and use Waves IR1, Waves IR, Waves Trueverb, and Waves Renaissance Verb, amongst other paid plugins, but this I found Ambient Reverb 4.0 so much easier to understand – that is without reading a manual. (which it does not have anyway). I found this so much easier than the Waves, all which need you to read extensive manuals.
I found it so much easier to get the result I need, with Ambient Reverb. The separate pre-delays for left and right is a nice touch, and the width dial is superb. These are the kind of controls that I usually “add” on via other plugins, to create some more variation, in the sound. Awesome…
Clean interface – What’s not to like.
The CPU utilisation I think is also reasonable. I am no expert in reverbs, but this gave me a usable sound, without that cringing unnatural feeling of being glaringly artificial. Have left feedback on the developers site, and suggest others do the same, so he/she is encouraged.
Tomislav Zlatic
onYes, I noticed that behavior of the size parameter as well but forgot to mention it. It’s unusual for an algorithmic reverb. Perhaps it’s there to save some CPU?
Vasily Makarov
onAt change of the size (Size knob) reallocation of memory of buffers of all delay lines is required.
In case reallocation of memory, new cells are initialized by accidental statuses that leads to a noise in audio data. For this reason it is better to reset memory on zero. I met similar behavior in case of change of the size (Room Size) also in other reverberators (MVerb, Ultrafunk FX:Reverb and so on).
Concerning a predelays. Signals according to specified predelay for the left and right channels really come to an input of the diffuser. But the diffuser mixes them in such a way that layout of components of the left and right channels mix up is dispersed. I thought over this problem. As variant to make one knob of a predelay and the knob of a difference of a time delay of the right channel of rather left channel in a percentage ratio.
Wing Yee
onNice…thanks Tomislav & Stone voice.
Chok
onI would really love a kind of sound demo for this! :)
Atme
onBeautiful sounding reverb! Nicely done!
Tomislav Zlatic
onOne of the best freeware reverb plugins out there.
Sergey
on12$ it’s cost now)