In our How to Mix Music guide we talked about why mixing dynamic sounds is a tough egg to crack. Vocals are super dynamic so they’re trickier to mix.

But you don’t have to pull your hair out every time you hit the mixing board to get the perfect vocal.

There’s a dizzying amount of audio effects plugins out there. That’s why we did the digging so you don’t have to.

• 30 Mixing and Mastering tips: In this video I'll compare 4 of the best vst plugin reverb effects I've found, and by the end we'll.
• MangledVerb combines reverb and distortion to give you a stunning effect, it sends a stereo reverb into distortion, and when that is done, you get a plugin that is capable of creating lush reverbs, ripping distortion leads and sound-sculpting musical chaos.

Here’s 9 plugins that will help you get your vocals and beats fitting together like peas and carrots.

1. Vladg and Tokyo Dawn Proximity

Ever recorded an entire vocal only to realize you had the mic in the wrong spot? No sweat.

The Vladg and Tokyo Dawn Proximity lets you change the mic placement AFTER you record. Pretty useful and pretty cool.

Below are the 8 best FREE reverb VST plugins in 2020, that will give you a great, professional reverb sound without ever reaching for your wallet. Click here for our guide to the top 100 FREE VST plugins of all time. The Freexechamber is a free reverb plugin by Synthescience for simple reverb effects. I sometimes use this in place of Ambience plugin if I want to play with the Freeze switch, the switch enables the user at any moment (while the Verb is processing) to Hold the process into a suspended state. Due to its attempts at emulating old-school digital reverb tones, this one's not the best to choose for transient material like drums, but it's very ncie on longer, sustained sounds like vocal or piano. It might not look comprehensive, but OldSkoolVerb is a great free vst reverb for conjuring up classic reverb tones. Togu Audio Line’s TAL-Reverb-2 (Windows/Mac, VST/AU) is a free, stereo plate reverb VST effect for Windows. This little plugin with its clean, bright & metallic feel is perfect for vocals and percussions. TAL Reverb-II is the most popular reverb from Togu Audio Line, and combines the retro sound of TAL-Reverb-I with additional features. Best Convolution Reverb Plugins For Music Production In 2020 (Also FREE) Convolution reverb plugins are useful for both music and audio post-production engineers. Which plugin you choose depends on your area of specialization and budget.

2. Acon Digital Multiply Chorus

Vocals need some color. That’s where a chorus plugin comes in.

Acon Digital’s Multiply Chorus will thicken up your sound. It’s a whole bunch of tiny delays (we’re talking milliseconds) that fill out your vocals to liven them up a bit.

3. Melda MAutoPitch Auto-Tune

Auto-tune’s origins are pretty strange. But there’s no denying that it’s an invaluable tool for producers dealing with vocals.

Auto-tune is the vocal mixer’s secret weapon. MAutoPitch is one of the best auto-tune plugins around. It fixes pitch, corrects sour notes, and even gives you that iconic T-pain/Cher effect if you want it.

This one comes in a free plugin bundle with all sorts of fun mixing toys.

4. Voxengo OldSkoolVerb

Reverb for vocals is essential. Reverb takes your vocals out of the room you recorded them in, and allows you to make your own sound space.

OldSkoolVerb has got you covered no matter what your needs are. From huge halls to a tiny closet, it gives you all the options to create the perfect sonic space in your mix.

5. Klanghelm DC1A

The DC1A is a nifty little character compressor by Klanghelm. It uses sophisticated compression settings and an easy 2 knob setup that has you covered “from smooth levelling to heavy pumping.”

Be sure to check out their absolutely EPIC demo video.

6. Alex Hilton A1 Trigger Gate

If you’re wondering how far you can push your vocal track this plugin will do a great job letting you know.

Using a step-style sequencer the A1 Trigger Gate packs in a boat load of cool effects. It’s good for all sorts of stuff. So grab it and start experimenting.

7. Glitch Machines Hysteresis

Just like any other part of a mix, vocals are a great place to experiment. The effects on Hysteresis definitely deliver a whole bundle of experimentation.

This delay plugin creates “robotic artifacts and abstract music malfunctions.” Count me in.

8. Acustica Ochre EQ

All good mixing needs a keen sense of EQ early on. Vocals are no exception.

That’s why the Ochre from Acustica is so useful. It’s perfect for sculpting out the best vocals you can.

9. Fine Cut Bodies La Petite Excite

Exciter plugins add subtle harmonics to your vocal track for some extra sonic-excitement in the high range.

The free La Petite Excite from Fine Cut Bodies (you just have to signup to get it) is a great plug to try out.

Throw it on your vocal and enhance it to your liking with some subtle harmonic distortion.

Go make that perfect vocal

Vocals are tricky to mix. But with these handy plugin tools it doesn’t have to be so tough. Grab ’em all, hit the studio and get cracking on that perfect vocal track.

And don’t forget to let us know your favourite plugins for mixing and mastering vocals. We wanna know all your tips and tricks too. :)

Get all of the LANDR-approved free VST plugin collection:

Reverb is one of the most important tools for audio engineers. It’s an audio effect used on every mix you’ll ever hear.

There’s so many reverb plugins out there. Deciding which one to use is a big challenge. And sifting through hundreds of plugins can sap your creativity pretty quick.

But if you know your way around the different types of reverb plugins, you’ll have head start on choosing the right tools to create the perfect ambience to enhance your mix.

Here’s a primer on the different styles of reverb and the 15 best reverb plugins for each reverb type.

Electromechanical reverb

In the early days of audio, engineers discovered they could use transducers to create vibrations in a piece of metal.

These vibrations could be captured with an electromagnetic pickup like the kind used in electric guitars.

This led to the development of two main types of electromechanical reverb—spring reverb and plate reverb:

What is spring reverb?

Spring reverb takes advantage of the unique behaviour of a coiled spring. The transducer is fitted at one end of spring and the pickup is at the other.

Spring reverb has a darker, edgier character that can vary widely from spring to spring. It’s often found in classic guitar amplifiers.

Using spring reverbs will give you a sploshy, metallic reverb with lots of character.

Best spring reverb VST plugins

Free:Hotto Spring Reverb

Hotto Spring Reverb is a free, no-nonsense spring reverb that’s effective and easy to use.

Spring reverb has a darker, edgier character that can vary widely from spring to spring.

Cheap:Aegean Music Spirit Reverb

Aegean Music Spirit Reverb is an affordable and authentic way to get spring reverb onto your tracks. It also includes other tone shaping effects like delay and tube preamp emulation.

Pro:PSP Springbox

Using spring reverbs will give you a sploshy, metallic reverb with lots of character.

PSP Spring Box has a ton of control to dial in your perfect spring reverb sound. It can go from realistic vintage spring reverb to seriously weird textures.

Where to use it?

Spring reverb is at home on electric guitars, but you can use it anywhere where you need a grittier flavour of reverb.

What is plate reverb?

Plate reverb is the main style of reverb from the golden age of analog recording. It’s created by exciting metal with a transducer just like spring reverb.

However, giant metal plates are required to create high quality plate reverb, so today these devices are expensive and rare.

They’re well loved for a reason though. Plate reverbs create a very recognizable sound that blends well into a mix and doesn’t overpower the dry signal.

Best plate reverb VST plugins

Free:TAL Reverb 2

TAL Reverb 2 deserves to top the list of best free reverb plugins. It’s a fantastic sounding reverb that’s modelled on a plate but can go from natural and realistic to lush ambient textures.

Plate reverbs create a very recognizable sound that blends well into a mix and doesn’t overpower the dry signal.

Cheap:VallhallaDSP ValhallaPlate

ValhallaDSP makes some of the best value-for-money reverb plugins. Sean Costello’s plugins are widely respected in the pro audio community despite their low price tag.

ValhallaPlate is a fantastic, inexpensive way to get into plate reverb.

Pro:UAD EMT 140 Plate

Universal Audio is the top name in vintage emulation and their plugins run on a dedicated hardware platform.

Their loving reproduction of the classic EMT 140 tube plate reverb is a smash hit. It’s incredibly authentic and sounds eerily close to a real plate.

Plate reverb uses

Vocals, snares, or anywhere else you need an even sounding reverb with smooth early reflections and distinctive character.

Algorithmic reverb

Algorithmic reverb uses digital trickery to create reverb. It usually works by using many cascaded digital delay lines to create the illusion of acoustic reflections. The earliest electronic reverb devices were algorithmic, so many of the classic sounds we associate with studio reverb were created this way.

Algorithmic reverbs aren’t always realistic since processing power was so limited in the early days. But they can still create a desirable and characteristic reverb sound that works in tons of mixing situations.

Best algorithmic reverb VST plugins

Free:Smartelectronix Ambience

Smarteletronix Ambience was one of the first quality free reverb plugins on the scene. And it’s still a great option for dreamy, ambient, algorithmic reverb.

Cheap:VallhallaDSP VintageVerb

Valhalla VintageVerb is a versatile algorithmic reverb with vintage style modes to simulate the frequency and sample rate limitations of 70’s and 80’s hardware reverbs.

Algorithmic reverbs aren’t always realistic since processing power was so limited in the early days. But they can still create a desirable and characteristic reverb sound that works in tons of mixing situations.

Pro:UAD Lexicon 224

The UAD Lexicon 224 is a painstakingly accurate replication of the classic vintage hardware. The original Lexicon 224 was one of the first readily available digital reverb units introduced to studios in the late 1970’s. It’s responsible for so many classic reverb sounds from that era.

Algorithmic reverb uses

Algorithmic works best for Synth pads, effects, or anywhere else you need a stylish, enveloping reverb.

Convolution reverb

Convolution reverbs create ambience through a mathematical process called (wait for it) convolution.

These reverb plugins use Impulse Responses to create their effect. Impulse responses are made by measuring the reverberation of a real space with a microphone and a specialized tone called an impulse.

Algorithmic works best for Synth pads, effects, or anywhere else you need a stylish, enveloping reverb.

The impulse response is a sonic profile that the plugin uses to apply its specific reverberation characteristics to your sound.

To put it simply, convolution reverb lets you use the ambience of any real world space inside your DAW.

Hot tip: Convolution can also be used to model things like speaker cabinets for electric guitar.

If you have an all purpose convolution plugin, you can use IRs of speaker cabs to get a convincing sound when you record amps direct.

Best convolution reverb VST plugins

Free:SIR Audio Tools SIR1 (Windows) LAConvolver (Mac)

These free simple convolution tools are capable of loading great sounding impulse responses. That’s the beauty of convolution! They may not be the most full featured plugins out there, but they can totally get the job done.

Cheap:Liquid Sonics Reverberate Core

Liquid Sonics Reverberate Core is an effective, inexpensive convolution reverb solution. It has the ability to load and tweak parameters of any impulse response.

Pro:Audio Ease Altiverb

Audio Ease Altiverb is the gold standard for studio convolution reverb. Its powerful convolution engine and IR collection are capable of creating extremely realistic and compelling acoustic spaces.

Convolution reverb uses

Close mic’d instruments or wherever you need natural, realistic sounding spaces. Convolution reverb is a great choice for acoustic instruments like strings and piano.

Non-linear reverb

There’s a few classic reverb sounds you might know that I haven’t covered yet.

I’m talking about special effects like gated and reverse reverb. These sounds are all examples of “non-linear” reverb.

Electromechanical, algorithmic and convolution reverbs all attempt to model real spaces—with varying degrees of success. Even though some examples are quirky and not at all realistic, they still have a “linear” decay.

Convolution reverb is a great choice for acoustic instruments like strings and piano.

That means the reverb rings out with the normal, uniform decrease in energy that would happen a real acoustic space.

Non-Linear reverbs throw that idea out the window. They’re the classic reverb “effects” from the 80s like gated and reverse reverb.

Best Non-linear Reverb VST Plugins

Free:Longsound MicroVerb VST

Longsound MicroVerb VST is an emulation of the Alesis Microverb hardware unit. This entry-level hardware reverb is known for its three non-linear presets, which sound pretty weird in all the right ways.

Cheap:ValhallaDSP VintageVerb

We’ll have to give this one to Valhalla VintageVerb again for its fantastic nonlinear algorithms.

Pro:UAD AMS RMX16

Best Free Reverb Vst For Vocals

The hardware AMS RMX16 is another early digital reverb that has been painstakingly modelled by Universal Audio. It’s nonlinear presets are responsible for many of the gated reverb sounds on recordings from the 1980’s.

If other verbs are sounding just too…normal, try a non-linear style for a change of pace.

Non-linear reverb uses

Use non-linear reverb to create psychedelic special effects. If other verbs are sounding just too…normal, try a non-linear style for a change of pace.

Early reflections

Best Free Vocal Reverb Vst

You need a sense of space in your recordings for them to sound natural and inviting.

That’s why reverb is an essential element of every mix. And to use it properly, you have to know your tools.

So to recap:

Free Reverb Vst For Vocals

The best reverb plugins are…

Whether you’re adding a realistic ambience to an acoustic guitar, creating a cavernous space for a synth pad or just trying to nail that classic 80’s gated snare, knowing which reverb to reach for is key.

Plate, spring, convolution, algorithmic and non-linear reverbs all have helpful applications in your music.

Try any of the plugins from this list see how the how the different types work for you.