Native Instruments’ RAUM is a free reverb with three modes: room (GROUNDED), hall (AIRY) and special effects (COSMIC). It also has a Freeze mode that holds a sound, and pre-delay (the time before the reverb starts) and modulation (changing a sound over time) sections.
A reverb adds the sound of a room or hall to a recording. For vocals, it adds space and helps the voice sit in the mix with the backing track.
In this article we compare RAUM with 12 reverb plug-ins and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.
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Score 3.0 / 5 (average of the 12 products compared: 3.6)
- Price
- Free
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Vocal-friendly sounds
- Room + hall
- Easy to blend
- Pre-delay + filter
- Speed
- Choose from 3 modes
- Price (store, date)
- Not listed
Image: from the Native Instruments official website (product image)
Summary
Among the 12 reverb plug-ins, RAUM is rank B. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and B is third from the top. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 3.0.
Every criterion scores around the average of the products we compared.
Who it suits: people who want to try everything from ordinary reverb to special effects, for free.
Main features of RAUM
Three modes with different characters
RAUM has three modes: Grounded, based on room sound; Airy, based on hall sound; and Cosmic, which creates spaces that do not exist in reality. Grounded and Airy overlap in size range, so you can build anything from a small room to a cathedral-like space. The manufacturer presents Airy as a sound that suits vocals, synths and piano.
A pre-delay that can also make echoes
RAUM’s pre-delay (the gap before the reverb starts) has a Feedback control that sets how much it repeats. Raising Feedback makes echoes return several times before the reverb, and it can sync to tempo. At 100% it can even work like a looper that repeats a short phrase.
Freeze holds the sound
Press the Freeze button and the sound at that moment keeps playing without fading. It works in Grounded and Airy, and the reverb is held as it is while the button is on. It suits leaving a tail at the end of a song or making sound effects by automating the button.
Video: “RAUM Walkthrough | Native Instruments” (official Native Instruments YouTube channel; narration in English) Watch on YouTube
Where it is useful
- Adding hall sound to a vocal or piano with Airy, as a free reverb
- Giving the end of a sung phrase an echo and reverb together with the Feedback in the pre-delay
- Using Freeze to hold the last chord of a song and let it ring out
Rating by criterion
Vocal-friendly sounds: 3 / 5
We check whether it has the reverb types vocalists use most (plate, hall and room).
It has room and hall sounds, plus a special-effects mode. It has no plate.
Easy to blend: 3 / 5
We check whether you can adjust the reverb so it does not get in the way of the voice and sits well with the backing track.
It has pre-delay (which can sync to tempo), Low Cut and High Cut that remove low and high frequencies from the tail, and Damp, which changes the brightness.
Speed: 3 / 5
We check whether it has features that get you to the sound you want quickly, such as automatic settings or controls that work by feel, like distance.
You choose from three modes.
How we score (Reverb plug-ins)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocal-friendly sounds | Whether it offers the reverb types vocalists rely on (plate, hall and room) | Three or more standard sounds to choose from, including plate | Two or more including plate, or several plate models | Two or more standard sounds other than plate | One standard sound | Mainly special-effect sounds |
| Easy to blend | Controls for blending the reverb into a mix and a voice | Ducking, per-band decay time and reverb EQ are all included | Two of those, or a feature that adjusts automatically to the sound | One or two controls such as pre-delay or EQ | — | Not mentioned on the official page |
| Speed | How quickly you can reach the sound you want | AI builds the reverb automatically to suit the sound | Easy-to-understand controls, such as distance | Just pick a mode | Standard controls | — |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: adding a natural sense of space to a vocal and blending it into the backing track. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Vocal-friendly sounds" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent. The "OBS (streaming)" column in the table shows whether the official page lists the VST2 format that the streaming software OBS Studio can use (○). OBS does not support the VST3 format. It is not part of the score.
RAUM screens and images
Image: from the Native Instruments official website (product image)
RAUM system requirements and getting started
| Operating system | Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) / Mac (macOS 13 or later) |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | Windows: VST, VST3, AAX / Mac: VST, VST3, AU, AAX |
| Free version | Free (download with a Native Instruments account) |
| OBS (streaming) | Works as it is (VST2 is listed) |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on September 27, 2026.
Compared with other reverb plug-ins
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | Vocal-friendly sounds | Easy to blend | Speed | Free | OBS (streaming) | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FabFilterPro-R 2 | S 4.8 | Room to plate | Ducking + reverb EQ | Clear controls | — | ○ | $199 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| soniblesmart:reverb 2 | S 4.8 | Switch among 4 types | Auto + ducking | AI auto | — | ○ | $129 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| EventideBlackhole | C 1.8 | Special effects | Pre-delay + EQ | Standard | — | ○ | $49 (sale; regular $99) [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| EventideSP2016 Reverb | S 4.3 | Room, hall, plate | Pre-delay + EQ | Distance by Position | — | ○ | $99 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsRAUM | B 3.0 | Room + hall | Pre-delay + filter | Choose from 3 modes | Free | ○ | Not listed |
| MeldaProductionMReverb | A 3.5 | Hall + room | Per-band decay + EQ | Drag the position | — | ○ | $43 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| SoundtoysSuperPlate | A 3.8 | 5 plate models | Ducking + EQ | Choose from 5 models | — | ○ | $149 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| Valhalla DSPVintageVerb | A 4.0 | 22 reverb sounds | Damping | Pick a mode | — | ○ | $50 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Valhalla DSPValhallaRoom | A 3.8 | Room, hall, chamber | Per-band decay + cuts | Pick a mode | — | ○ | $50 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Valhalla DSPValhallaPlate | A 3.5 | 12 plate-only modes | EQ + pre-delay | Pick a mode | — | ○ | $50 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Valhalla DSPValhallaSupermassive | C 2.5 | 22 modes built for spaciousness | High Cut + Low Cut | Pick a mode | Free | ○ | Not listed |
| ArturiaRev PLATE-140 | A 3.5 | 3 plates incl. EMT 140 | Pre-filter + EQ | Pick a plate | — | Not confirmed | $79 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
Features checked on each manufacturer's official website on September 25, 2026. Check the store page behind the buy button for the price.
Read next
- Pro-R 2: features and rating (rank S)
- smart:reverb 2: features and rating (rank S)
- SP2016 Reverb: features and rating (rank S)
- VintageVerb: features and rating (rank A)
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