Reverb can make your mix’s piano sound huge and add the literal and metaphorical “depth” it needs to carry your song, particularly in a piano and vocal-centric mix. Let’s talk how to use reverb on piano to get that size while keeping it clean and from overtaking your entire mix.
How to Use Reverb on Piano
Let me first refer to my best reverb settings as a starting point for reverb on piano:
Note that these settings are shown via FabFilter’s Pro-R 2, but most of these parameters are universal to most reverbs.
Let’s go through each of the major parameters to explain where I recommend setting them for reverb on piano and why it works well with piano.
Predelay
A reverb’s predelay refers to the amount of time between the source audio and when the reverb is heard. As I mentioned in my overview of the Haas effect, any delay longer than roughly 40ms will be perceived as a separation from the original audio. Conversely, a delay shorter than 40ms will be perceived as the same sound, or an extension.
How does this relate to predelay on reverb on piano?
We’re not trying to create a slapback effect with the reverb; I like a predelay of roughly 10-20 miiliseconds, depending on the tempo of the song. This allows the initial transient attack of the clean piano to cut through before the reverb is heard.
Decay/Time/Size
Whether a reverb refers to its length as decay, time, size, or something else, this is the most impactful parameter on a reverb.
With some instruments you can get away with setting this by time, but with piano I recommend setting the decay time to a fraction of a note and in sync with the tempo of your mix.
This keeps the reverb tail from overstaying its welcome and suffocating the transients of the subsequent notes.
If your reverb doesn’t allow you to specifically sync it to a quarter note, half note, etc. then use this calculator to simply input your mix’s BPM and get told the exact decay time (and predelay time) for whatever note syncing you want.
As for the exact note fraction to sync it to, this depends on the tempo and vibe of your song.
For instance, if it’s a slow piano based vocal ballad, I’d likely go for a quarter or even a half note. You typically have more room and a more open mix with this kind of song to where you can let more of those reverb reflections breathe, not to mention it really compliments that type of song.
If it’s a more uptempo song and a busier mix, we need to worry about that reverb potentially stepping on other tracks and muddying things up. Here I’d recommend a shorter sync, like an eighth note.
Admittedly a faster BPM will make that reverb reflection tail shorter regardless of the exact note when you’re syncing it to your tempo, but I still find that a shorter note works best for faster mixes where that reverb tail needs to hit fast and fade fast.
Experiment with different note lengths using that calculator to determine what sounds best in the context of your specific mix.
Width
I’ll once again defer to your exact mix when it comes to the width of the reverb. Piano can be recorded and mixed different ways for different mixes.
In going back to that large piano vocal ballad example, the piano was likely recorded with multiple microphones to give it that naturally wide stereo effect (or you’ve got a virtual piano which reflects that).
When the piano is the focal point, I might set this to 50 or above which focuses the reverb on the outside (in the case of FabFilter’s Pro-R), keeping more room for that vocal in the center.
In a busier mix, we can’t afford the real estate of a wide reverb, so I might set that reverb to 0 width and limit it entirely to depth to give it a little sustain.
Color/Tone
Color/tone refers to the “character” settings of the reverb, making it brighter or darker. Admittedly the EQ heavily affects the tone of the reverb on piano, as well, which we’ll talk about in a moment.
While these settings need to be adjusted alongside the rest of the parameters and the aforementioned EQ, this is largely to taste.
For me, the sweet spot is a compromise in the middle, not favoring too much top or low end. While low end or mids sound especially good on reverb, too much of it will clog and blunt not just the piano but the overall mix.
Conversely, leaving your reverb too bright makes it sound thin and in some contexts unnatural, hence that sweet spot in the middle when adjusting this for taste.
EQ
I’ve mentioned mud and clutter as a byproduct of reverb several times already. This is why many reverbs come with an onboard EQ so that you can high and low pass your reverb.
High passing your reverb is especially important because by virtue of how sound travels – it’s the low frequencies which survive reflections and build up to create that mud.
I mention this every time I talk reverb, but the Abbey Road Reverb trick refers to high and low passing your reverb specifically at 600Hz and 6000Hz.
If you’re using your reverb as an insert, you can just use the onboard EQ filters to set up these points to clean up all of that low end build up and keep both the reverb and piano tracks clean.
Wet
Speaking of using your reverb as an insert, if you’ve created this reverb setup specifically for your piano track, then you can insert it directly on the piano track and adjust the wet/dry dial to get the perfect blend.
Conversely, if you want to apply the same reverb to multiple tracks in your mix (which is why I specifically mentioned my favorite reverb settings at the start which sound good on any track in any mix), you should drop the reverb on an Aux/Return track and set the wet/dry to 100%.
In this case, it’s the Send dials which control the amount of that reverb you’re blending in to each track, including your piano.
I prefer using my piano reverb as a send via Aux/Return tracks (see inserts vs sends) because I can apply that same reverb to other elements of my mix like my vocal to make them both sound like they’re existing in the same space.
This sense of cohesion makes the entire mix sound a lot more natural and gel together better versus creating individualized reverbs for multiple tracks and trying to fit them all together in the same mix.
Reverb on Piano Tips
Those are the keys to using reverb on piano:
- A relatively short predelay of 10-20ms makes the reverb sound like a natural extension of the piano itself rather than a kind of filtered delay.
- The decay/time is best set to be synced to the tempo of the mix. Use the above referenced calculator to input your BPM then try setting the decay time of the reverb to be equivalent to the time of a quarter note at that tempo to keep your piano reverb’s tail square, tight, and in time.
- Reverb width should be dictated by what else is going on in the mix. More open mixes can allow for a wider reverb to fill up more of that space and play a larger role versus more complicated and busier mixes with a lot of tracks fighting for comparatively limited frequency space.
- The color of the reverb can be adjusted by parameters which are typically unique to or vary between the reverb/reverbs. The key is typically to strike a balanced, mid frequency rich tone.
- EQing your reverb via high and low pass filters keeps it clean and from killing transients or suffocating the rest of the mix.
- As always, when using an effect as an insert, adjust the Wet/Dry to taste. When using it as a Send via an Aux/Return track, set this to 100% and allow the Send knob for that piano itself be the blend amount to taste. I typically prefer the latter because it allows me to use the same reverb for piano, vocals, and other elements to bring a sense of cohesion to the mix for more natural, better sounding results.
Check out my tips on how to mix piano for a complete overview on how to EQ, compress, and otherwise mix your piano to get the absolute best sound regardless of how you’re using it in the mix.
