Reverb is typically employed in music and sound design to simulate the impression of space.
Nevertheless, modern reverb pedals house sophisticated circuits capable of much more. They seamlessly integrate additional effects such as modulation, delay, and pitch-shifting, enabling the player to diversify the sonic possibilities of any instrument across a spectrum that spans from textural and ambient to the realms of sci-fi.
That’s why modern reverb pedals are a great creative addition to any synth and sound-design setup.
In this article, we gathered ten of the most interesting ones and got our collaborator Liam Killen to shoot a video about them and pick his favorite three.
THE BEST STEREO REVERB PEDALS FOR SYNTHS
1. Chase Bliss Automatone CXM 1978
Buy it from Chase Bliss Audio | Watch Video
A 32 Bit AD/DA pedal adaption of the venerable (1978) Lexicon studio reverb built in collaboration with Meris, the fully stereo Chase Bliss CXM 1978 features the moving-fader format of the company’s Automatone series and includes three algorithms (Hall, Room, and Plate) with a variety of options to modify their voices, including three settings each for Diffusion, Tank Mod and Clock – with the latter affecting the sound quality of the tails, which can sound as grainy multi-delays at its lowest settings, emulating the early digital reverbs.
The fader automation allows the creation of slow-moving ambiance effects obtained by cross-fading from a preset to the next or using Midi control for any of the parameters. A feature that might intrigue synth players is the LoFi Mode, which delivers vintage digital sounds. and an Adjustable Decay Crossover for a fully shapeable reverb tail.
2. Strymon NightSky
Buy it on Sweetwater | Watch Video
If the Strymon NightSky looks a lot like a synth to you, it’s because that’s what it is (although one without an oscillator). No wonder it’s presented as a “reverberant synthesis workstation”! This complex stereo machine combines reverb, pitch-shifting, a resonant filter, modulation with six wave shape options (which can be routed to pitch, reverb, or filter), and even an 8-step sequencer!
The three footswitches allow navigation of the presets and the step sequencer, but let you also trigger the Morph feature (by holding down the left one), which creates a crossfading effect between two presets.
This device is truly an open playground for sound designers, easily allowing all these effects to interact with each other in different ways to create all sorts of textural, ambient, and sci-fi soundscapes.
3. Source Audio Ventris
Buy it on Sweetwater | Watch Video
Not the newest pedal on this list, the Source Audio Ventris still feels very relevant for synth players, due to its unique dual reverb engine (it’s the only pedal with that feature in this list) and the creative possibilities it opens up by allowing the blending of two algorithms together.
Its 14 stereo reverb engines, powered by two 56-bit signal processors, can be stacked two at a time, creating endless new sonic territory to explore, while the Adjustable Spillover feature preserves the tails when switching reverb modes. An Expression Input allows control of up to three parameters at a time.
Moreover, every detail of each algorithm can be tweaked in depth via the Neuro app, now available on pretty much any operating system.
7 Other Great Options
Here are seven more extremely creative reverb pedals that work well with synths. Each one does something slightly different, it’s really up to each player to find what’s right for him or her!
BOSS RV-200 | Check Price | Video |
A stereo multi-mode reverb with presets and Midi modeled after the flagship RV-500 but smaller and with 6 new algorithms including Arpverb, Slowverb, Modulate, +Delay, Lo-Fi, Gate and Reverse. Each mode has something unique to it, like various room sizes or special parameters. Controls include Time, Pre-Delay, Effect Level, two EQ knobs (Low and High) and the variable Param knob.
Empress Reverb | Check Price | Video |
With its small footprint (in particular considering the depth of features, this pedal boasts 24 stereo studio-quality algorithms and 12 algorithm types, including realistic simulations of Room, Hall, Plate and Spring, plus the unusual Sparkly, Modulation, Reverse, Ghost and Lo-Fi mode. Beer mode gives you access to creative reverbs. It can be updated with new algorithms as they become available. Midi/CV compatible.
Eventide Blackhole | Check Price | Video |
Great for creating huge soundscapes, this is a stereo ambient modulated reverb with six knobs, each offering an alternate function. Gravity is the most original control here, affecting the direction of the decay (forward or inversed), and replacing the “size” function. The Q control adds resonance to a frequency controlled through the Lo and Hi knobs. The Freeze footswitch produces the classic momentary effect of extending the reverb tale.
Meris MercuryX | Check Price | Video |
A DSP-powered stereo reverb unit with a modular, multi-FX core. Inspired by Blade Runner’s soundtrack and classic studio sounds, it offers 8 carefully crafted “reverb structures” like Ultraplate, Cathedra, 78 Room, Plate, and Hall. Its core, the Modifier section, allows creative and in-depth control of all the settings, also enabling routing signals to parameters such as Chorus, Vibrato, Vowel Mod, and Tremolo for enhanced creativity.
Poly Verbs | Check Price | Video |
A unique stereo reverb with touch controls, convolution reverb capabilities, and a momentary crescendo effect. The 48 factory presets offer a variety of ambiances, emulating architectural and natural spaces, vintage technologies (like spring and plate reverbs), and “irregular” more unusual reverb algorithms. 8 banks are open for imported IR files. Four sliders allow tweaking Onset (pre-delay), Mix, Low Cut, and Swoosh (reverb density).
Red Panda Context 2 | Check Price | Video |
One of the more “edgy” effects in this list, this is an ’80s-style digital, experimental reverb offering 8 stereo algorithms with enough knobs to let you get the right combination of pre-delay, reverb time and tone. V2 adds modulation, “spring” and “grain” settings. Plus, stereo in/out, USB MIDI, fully assignable expression pedal, delay plus reverb in all modes, separate high and low-frequency damping controls, modulation, dynamic reverb, and infinite hold.
Walrus Audio Slöer | Check Price | Video |
This is the stereo version of the multi-textural reverb Slötva, an effect that doesn’t do “normal” with two added algorithms: Rain (Delay Tap Diffusion) and Light (High Octave Shimmer). Two faders set the inherited, mode-dependent X parameter, and control the new Stretch function, which changes the reverb’s sample rate for lo-fi effects. There’s also a new 3-way Width toggle that delivers three stereo modes from normal to wider.
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Interested in a more comprehensive article about reverb pedals? Here’s our guide to the best reverb pedals organized by type and features!
