Reverb plugins with a freeze button
Already own Logic or Ableton Live Suite? ChromaVerb and Hybrid Reverb both have Freeze. Free: HISSTools Freeze (spectral) or Supermassive at 100% feedback. Paid: Eventide ShimmerVerb, Frostbite 2, or my Adrift and Drown, which each have a FREEZE that holds the current sound as a bed to play over.
Freeze grabs whatever the reverb is doing right now and holds it forever, so you get an endless pad to play over. It is the heart of ambient guitar, drone and a lot of post-rock. Not every reverb has one, and some that look like they do work differently, so here is the checked list.
I make Siesta Audio plugins, and mine are on this list, marked as mine. Everything else is here because people actually recommend it. Prices are rough list prices and change often, so check before you buy.
| Plugin | Price | Formats | How the freeze works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrift (mine)Siesta Audio | $39 | VST3, AU, StandaloneMac, Win, Linux | Two-knob shoegaze reverb: HEAT for warmth and saturation, MELT for the size of the wall, FREEZE to hold a sound forever. |
| Drown (mine)Siesta Audio | $39 | VST3, AU, StandaloneMac, Win, Linux | Two-knob doom fuzz with an octave-below sub, a dark amp stage, and FREEZE to hold the drone under you. |
| ChromaVerbApple (Logic Pro stock) | Included with Logic | AU (Logic, MainStage)Mac | Freeze button recirculates the signal infinitely. |
| Hybrid ReverbAbleton (Live Suite stock) | Included with Live Suite | Live deviceMac, Win | Freeze, plus Freeze In to keep layering new sound into the frozen tail. |
| ShimmerVerbEventide | Paid | VST2, VST3, AU, AAXMac, Win, iOS | Dedicated Freeze button on a pitch-shifted shimmer reverb. |
| BlackholeEventide | Paid | VST2, VST3, AU, AAXMac, Win, iOS | No Freeze button in the plugin; maximum feedback plus the Kill switch gives an infinite tail with the input muted. |
| Frostbite 2AudioThing | Paid | VST2, VST3, AU, AAX, CLAPMac, Win, Linux | Spectral, reverb, convolution and granular freeze modes. |
| HISSTools FreezeAlex Harker (open source) | Free | VST2, VST3, AUMac, Win | Spectral freezing and morphing. |
| ValhallaSupermassiveValhalla DSP | Free | VST2, VST3, AU, AAXMac, Win | No Freeze button; FEEDBACK at 100% in certain modes gives an infinite hold. |
How to use freeze
The basic ambient move
- Play a chord into the reverb with the mix high.
- Hit Freeze while it rings. The reverb now holds that chord forever.
- Play over the top. A melody, a second chord, a swell. The frozen bed stays underneath.
- Release Freeze to let it decay, or automate the button so it catches a new chord on each section.
Freeze on a fuzz is a different animal: with Drown, freezing a low note leaves a doom drone under you, which is the Sunn O))) and Earth move. See Sunn O))) drone and Earth.
Which to pick
- You use Logic or Ableton Suite: you already have one. Try ChromaVerb or Hybrid Reverb first.
- Free, any DAW: HISSTools Freeze for spectral pads, Supermassive at 100% feedback for washy holds.
- Shimmer pads: Eventide ShimmerVerb.
- Warm shoegaze wall you can freeze: Adrift.
- Linux: Frostbite 2, Adrift or Drown.
More: the best shoegaze plugins, Valhalla alternatives, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor for the post-rock version.
Quick answers
What reverb plugins have a freeze function?
Eventide ShimmerVerb, AudioThing Frostbite 2, Logic's ChromaVerb, Ableton's Hybrid Reverb, HISSTools Freeze, and Siesta Audio's Adrift and Drown all have a freeze. ValhallaSupermassive and Eventide Blackhole get an infinite hold from maximum feedback instead.
Does ValhallaSupermassive have freeze?
It has no Freeze button, but Valhalla documents that FEEDBACK at 100% in several modes gives an infinite, freeze-style hold.
Is there a free freeze reverb plugin?
HISSTools Freeze is free and open source. ValhallaSupermassive is free and can hold infinitely at 100% feedback.
Does Logic have a freeze reverb?
Yes. ChromaVerb, Logic's stock reverb, has a Freeze button.