Back in December, we took a look at Denise Audio’s Perfect Room 2, and absolutely loved it.

But, Perfect Room isn’t the only reverb that the plugin company is putting out. They’ve also got Perfect Plate XL, which takes reverb to an entirely new level.

I bet you’re wondering, “hey, Ben, what’s the difference between plate and room reverb?” Good question. The answer is pretty simple: the timbre of the reverbs are different. Room reverbs re-create the natural acoustics of a live space, while plate reverbs emulate a physical metal plate (take the EMT 140, for example). Room reverbs will often sound realistic and spacial, while plate reverbs will sound smooth and lush with a slight metallic sheen and a more vintage feel.

I usually lean towards reverbs with a bit warmer timbres to them that also allow for modulation options, since those two are defining qualities in the melodic and progressive house I make for my Cloudcage project (linked below if you want to hear what I’ve been up to).

They’re both great, but it’s nice to be able to choose from both in each track. Sometimes, you might want the spaciness of a room reverb on a vocal, but the smoothness of a plate reverb on a snare. So, it’s nice to see that Denise Audio also sells a plate reverb alongside their famed room reverb.

Let’s take a look at Perfect Plate XL and see what this thing can do.

The Interface

I am happy to report that Perfect Plate XL’s main interface is very easy to use.

Upon opening, you’ll see a main window in which you can adjust all the normal aspects you’d find on a reverb: the amount of input and output signal, any delay you’d like to put in before the reverb starts, the stereo width, the high pass and low pass, the mix wheel to determine just how much the reverb will affect your sound, and, lastly, the tail button, which determines how long the reverb actually is.

It only goes up to 10,000 milliseconds, but trust me. That is PLENTY of time.

At the top, you’ll find some more ways to adjust your sound. The top left holds a filter that you can apply at either 12db, 24db, 36db, and 48db. The higher the number, the more intense the filter sounds. Think of it this way: the curve to silence is a lot steeper if you choose the 48db filter. The “medium” next to it determines how quickly that filter gets applied. There are five options there, ranging in speed. And the button that says “natural” gives a drop down menu for the timbre of your reverb. You can either have it dark, natural, or bright.

Lastly, the flip and split buttons are two of the coolest things on here. With flip, you can turn any reverb into a reverse reverb with a click of that button. Split doesn’t actually do much unless you mess with some other settings, but enabling that is the only way you’ll be able to play with the stereo field.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about those other settings.

More Reverb Fun!

See those other five tabs on the reverb? Left click on one to open it, and right click again on it to go back to the main reverb tab. This took me a bit to figure out, admittedly.

All five of these can add more fun effects to your sound. The “reso” panel will allow you to add resonance – use it just right, and you can start making multi-toned reverbs. The “drive” panel allows you to add saturation. “Rotate” is where the stereo field comes in; you can make your reverbs pan back and forth, adding a cool ping-pong effect. “Detune” can do anything from adding a slight detune to the reverb to making the reverb play with a rapid vibrato effect. And, the “ducker” will basically let your entire sound play before the reverb starts by ducking the reverb out until the sound is over. Consider that last one to be similar to a compressor.

Lastly, the EQ graph does exactly what you’d expect it to. It’ll adjust whatever curve you draw in to the reverb. If you want your reverb to only be present in the highs, this plugin makes it so easy to do that.

Now, if I’m being honest, it did take me a minute to figure out how to use these. As it turns out, you need to pull from the left side of each tab to determine how much of the effect will play on your reverb. You also have to make sure they’re play enabled – there’s a little pink button that should be lit up. There’s a bit of a leaning curve here, but I figured things out quickly enough.

Once that’s all done, you’re good to go.

Biggest thing to emphasize here is the EQ – I always cut the lows from my reverb tails, and this plugin makes it easy.

How Does It Sound?

I’ll provide some examples in a minute, but let me start by saying that I am finicky with my reverb. One wrong frequency and I throw a temper tantrum. I’m not lying, by the way; I will spend HOURS cleaning up tails if they clash with the rest of my track.

That’s why I’m so happy to report that Perfect Plate XL is one of the cleanest reverbs I have ever laid my hands on; if not the cleanest.

The real-time EQ visualization is huge for me. I’m able to see exactly what’s peaking in what range and adjust it nearly instantly. Plus, I’ve never used a reverb that allows me to make reverse reverbs or mess with the stereo field so easily.

But, at the end of the day, it all goes back to how smooth and clean the sound this thing makes is. Take a listen below. I’ve included a few different sounds with the same reverb on them – a high drum, a low drum, a guitar, and a vocal. The only thing I’ve done to the reverb is extend the tail on the init preset.

By the way, all these samples are from Cyclopedia Two.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

It allows for endless creativity – and does so in a simple manner.

The amount of effects that you can put on a single tail is staggering, and everything is easy enough to use to where you can adjust your sliders as you go. Once you get some experience using it, it’ll allow you to get as creative as you want without a bunch of useless knobs or sliders stopping you.

It sounds INCREDIBLE.

I said this already, but the quality of the reverb is the biggest selling point for me. It just sounds so smooth. I can see myself using this as one of my main reverbs moving forward.

Cons:

It’s a little confusing at the start.

I have to be honest here; it took me way too long to realize that I could get back to the main reverb editor out of an effect by right clicking. It also took me way too long to realize that I needed to pull from the left side of the tab to make my effects have any effect on the reverb. Some helpful notes that pop up when you hover over certain things would go a long way. Luckily, the learning curve is short.

It’s a touch expensive.

Perfect Plate XL retails at $60 USD. I’ve definitely seen pricier reverbs, and I do think you’re getting your money’s worth with this thing, but you should definitely be aware that it’s not the cheapest reverb in the world. Luckily, Denise Audio offers free trials of all their plugins, so you can give it a try. If you love it, it’ll be there to purchase. And, considering how well this thing does its job, I suspect you’ll love it.

Denise Audio also runs sales frequently, so definitely keep an eye out if you don’t have 60 dollars to spend right now and want to grab Perfect Plate XL.

Conclusion: Should you add this reverb to your arsenal?

I think it’s worth it. Things do seem a little tricky in the early stages, but hopefully, by reading this article, you’ll avoid all of those small pitfalls I fell into. In the end, you’re getting a luciously smooth, clean reverb. And, when it comes to reverb, it’s hard to get better than that.

Buy Perfect Plate XL here.

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