Should sound FX have reverb on?

Hi - I am working on some retro sound FX, space noises, that kind of thing. My question is this: should I use reverb or upload them dry and allow the end user to put their own reverb on. In some ways it is more flexible without the reverb, but I’m not sure how much work I should expect an end user to do. So, should I print the files with reverb, or without? Any advice and thoughts gratefully received. Thanks.

It depends! Listen to the reference and do it similar. I can imagine retro fx with retro reverb. Though, I would be very careful with reverbs.

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Why not both versions?

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Definitely this. If I, as a customer, need the asset for a video game, reverb would make it instantly useless in most environments. I’d need to set a custom spacialization or even let the Unity reverb zones apply it on runtime.

On the other hand, in a linear project, such as Youtube videos, infographics, etc., it could save you some time to have a nice reverb already applied and get the SFX ready-to-go.

So yes, in 99% of the cases both versions would be a great idea. Now… which one should you showcase first in the preview… :thinking:

Thanks for all your advice. I’ve gone for including both, no reverb and reverb - I opted for a shortish metallic, sounding reverb as I thought the end user could always add extra reverb if they needed it. Fingers crossed…