Running reverb on a parallel channel at 100% wet gives precise blend control

When adding reverb to a drum sound, using a send/parallel channel rather than inserting reverb directly on the track allows the dry and wet signals to be balanced independently. The reverb plugin is set to 100% wet on the parallel channel so that only the reverb tail is produced there. The dry signal remains on the original track. The total reverb amount is then controlled by adjusting the fader of the parallel reverb channel, which is much more precise than the wet/dry knob inside most reverb plugins. This approach also enables additional processing (gating, EQ, compression) on the reverb tail independently of the dry signal.

Examples

Routing: Snare audio → Track 1 (dry) + Track 2 (parallel reverb, 100% wet). To gate: automate the volume on Track 2 to drop to zero after each snare hit. Adjust Track 2 fader to dial in reverb amount.

Assessment

Route a snare to both a dry track and a parallel reverb track. Set reverb to 100% wet on the parallel. Gate the parallel track’s volume. Describe the resulting sound compared to using a plugin insert at 50% wet.