The latest addition to SSL’s growing collection of plug-ins has been designed to precisely emulate the sound of classic plate reverb units, employing a pair of algorithms to recreate the sonic, mechanical and damping properties of a physical plate. Rather than just recreating the sound of vintage devices, PlateVerb also includes some useful modern features that extend its versatility, including built-in ‘ducking’ capabilities and a freeze function.
The top section of the GUI is dedicated to controlling the ’shape’ of the reverb. A Time parameter offers decay times between 100ms and 3 seconds, and the size of the emulated plate can be configured using a Size control. An Early/Late dial makes it possible to set the balance between early and late reflections — each type is generated by its own dedicated algorithm — which are then affected by a pair of Density and Colour controls. Higher Density values will result in a richer, more complex reverb tail, whilst adjusting the Colour parameter alters the harmonic content to simulate the tonal characteristics of different plate materials. A Freeze button makes it possible to create infinite reverbs, and is joined by a Kill button which will mute the input to the reverb whilst letting the effect decay naturally.
Gain (input) and Pre-Delay knobs follow, doing exactly what you’d expect of them, along with equally self-explanatory Mix and Gain (output) controls. There are also High and Low Damping parameters, which limit the reverb time in the high- and low-frequency regions, offering some tonal control over the effect’s overall sound.
PlateVerb comes with some built-in dynamics capabilities that make it possible to automatically ‘duck’ the reverb signal when the input signal crosses a user-defined threshold, a feature that can be useful for retaining clarity in a mix — particularly when using more extreme reverb settings. Along with the Threshold control, Attack and Release parameters are provided to fine-tune the behaviour of the process, and there’s also an option to drive the section from another track using an external side-chain input rather than relying on the input signal.
SSL have also included some handy features such as undo and redo functions and a built-in A/B tool to compare two different setting configurations, along with a collection of factory presets.
Compatibility
PlateVerb has been tested on PCs running Windows 10 and 11, and Macs running macOS 11 (Big Sur) up to 13 (Ventura). VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
PlateVerb is available now, priced at $99.99£79.99 excluding VAT / €99.99. It is also available as part of the company’s SSL Complete or SSL/Slate Digital Complete Access subscription bundles, or via the company’s Rent To Own plan.
