Out of all the effects that can be applied to drum samples, reverb should be up there with the most-used, but it is not, and when it is used, it is often abused by so-called music production professionals and audiophiles. When used correctly, it can help any beat go to that extra level.

When using the reverb on a single drum sample, you need to ask yourself the precise purpose that the particular sound is supposed to serve. Is it to add some spatial characteristics to the loop? If it’s a constant sound: will it drive your audience berserk after a few listens, or is it moderate in nature? Sometimes it is very easy to overuse and ruin an otherwise good song by using reverb incorrectly.

When discussing the length of reverb tail to use on drum samples, we should take all opinions into account to get the fairest idea possible. A lot of music producers offer the perception that you can use more and more reverb as a song becomes slower, and this will help you avoid needing to add extra drum hits in for the sake of doing so – to fill space. The space is instead reserved for the reverb’s ‘tail’ – whether applied to all samples equally or for a single catalyst noise or sound – like a snare, which is a popular choice for this sort of sound application.

There are so many practical applications for using this effect with the kinds of samples we’ve got. You can apply special files called IR files (Impulse Responses) which are environment simulators. What this means is that you could make your drum samples sound like they were recorded in a famous museum, like the Louvre, for instance, or anywhere else. IR files even exist for Grand Canyon locations and more spots – your creativity is the limit here. You can also apply the impulse response to other tracks for coherence.

Having said all of this, though, just about anything goes with certain types of electronic music. As long as something actually works for the song, nobody can tell you that it’s not worthy of inclusion as an effect.

To really get experience and a natural knack for applying reverb effectively, you do need to try out different settings. Turn knobs, even if you’re not sure of what they do. The deeper you get into it, the more knowledgeable you will get with time. Of course, there are always points at which you should read the manual and ask for advice if you’re not sure why something works or doesn’t work. Also, try different programs as they will have different parameters for you to modify and you may find one plug-in that just ‘clicks’ with your workflow and that you find really good – you may amass a collection of favorite plug-ins to use for modifying drum samples.

If you’re a beat maker and want the best-quality hip hop samples to use, go here: drum samples.