Reverb Pedal Controls
Some of the controls commonly found on reverb pedals are:
- The Tone control, which attenuates or boosts the high or low frequencies of the effect.
- The Effect Level control, which adjusts the amount of effect mixed with the original signal.
- And the Time control, which regulates the decay or tail of the effect. When set to a high value, this control mimics the echo of a large space, whilst at its minimum setting it imitates the echo of a small space such as a bathroom. It is always advisable to use short times for songs with a fast tempo, and longer decay times for tracks with a more measured or slow tempo.
One thing to bear in mind is that as you increase the decay time, the noise level may also rise. However, a high tail level and a generous amount of effect are very useful for creating absolutely spectacular volume swells.
It would be very difficult and complicated to set up a reverb to achieve different effects, not to mention having to deal with a myriad of parameters and controls for its configuration. For this reason, reverb pedals usually feature several digital presets of the basic reverb effects, making them more practical and user-friendly. This allows you to achieve high-quality reverb quickly and easily, without having to adjust a whole host of controls.
Best Reverb Pedals
Boss RV-6
The Boss RV-6 is a studio-quality pedal with 8 different reverb modes, an expression pedal input for controlling the reverb level, and mono and stereo inputs.
Reverb Pedals: Electro Harmonix Oceans 11 Reverb
At roughly the same price as the previous one, we have the Electro Harmonix Oceans 11 Reverb, which features 11 different reverb effects. Using the Mode button, you can switch between three different types of modulation, and the pedal’s indicator light changes colour to show which type of modulation you are using.
When each mode is activated, the controls change their functions so that the parameters for each type of modulation can be adjusted.
Reverb Pedals: TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2
TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2: features a switch (Pre-Delay) that sets the delay time before the effect kicks in. It has mono and stereo inputs, and a pressure-sensitive footswitch, so it can be used as an expression pedal.
The Hall of Fame 2 features eight different reverb effects. It also allows you to load and store a further three effects via the TonePrint Editor software, using its USB port.