How to Add Echo and Reverb in Adobe Premiere Pro CC

When you are recreating sound in post-production, making sure the audio matches the recording environment is critical. One of the most common mistakes is adding a sound effect that has no reverb. Think about walking down an empty corridor or through a cathedral. The sound bounces off the walls and you get that natural echo and reverberation. If you take that away, the added sound sticks out immediately and breaks the illusion.

Today we go over how to add echo and reverb to your audio in Adobe Premiere Pro CC using the Surround Reverb effect.

How to Add Reverb in Premiere Pro

Setting Up the Loop

Before you start tweaking the reverb settings, it helps to set up a loop so you can hear your changes in real time.

1. Drag your audio clip onto the timeline.
2. Move the playhead to where the sound effect begins and press I on the keyboard. This creates an In point.
3. Move to where the sound effect ends and press O on the keyboard. This creates an Out point.
4. In the timeline controls underneath the Program Monitor, toggle on the Loop icon. Now when you play, it will continuously loop over just that section so you can hear your adjustments immediately.

Applying the Reverb

5. Go to the Effects panel and search for Surround Reverb (under Audio Effects).
6. Drag it onto your audio clip.
7. In Effect Controls, find the Surround Reverb effect and click the Edit button to open the full control panel.
8. If the sound has gotten quieter after applying the reverb, find the Gain slider on the right side of the control panel and raise it. This is post-processing gain, so you can push it higher than the timeline gain without clipping.

Dialing In the Sound

9. Start by choosing a Preset from the dropdown. These give you a good starting point for different environments like small rooms, halls, cathedrals, and more.
10. Adjust the Room Size to control how big the space sounds. Larger values create a longer, more drawn out reverb. Smaller values sound tighter and more contained.
11. Play through the loop and adjust the other controls until the reverb feels natural. Pay attention to the Decay (how long the reverb tail lasts) and Diffusion (how spread out the reflections are).

Tips

• Subtlety is key. A little reverb goes a long way. If you can clearly hear the reverb as a separate thing, it is probably too much.
• Match the scene. A bathroom needs different reverb than a forest. Listen to the existing ambient sound in your footage and try to match the character of the space.
• Use the Pitch Shifter alongside reverb to build more complex character voices or alien-sounding effects.
• Don’t forget about delay. If you want a distinct echo (where you hear separate repeats) rather than a smooth reverb wash, look at the Delay effect instead of Reverb.

That is how you add echo and reverb in Premiere Pro. Take the time to fine tune the settings and your added audio will blend seamlessly with the rest of the scene.