Glow
by Wave Alchemy · Reverb · RMX16-style digital reverb
Not rated yet
Glow is a recreation of the 1981 RMX reverb that shaped much of 1980s production, with 14 algorithms in a hybrid convolution and DSP engine.
It includes reverse and freeze programs, gating and ducking, and a Modern mode for wider stereo, for £59 (about $78.16).
Best for: Drums, Vocals, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Pop, Electronic & EDM, Rock & Indie, Ambient & Cinematic.
Keywords: 80s, reverse, drums, ducking, gated, hardware emulation, vocals, ambience, clean, freeze, digital classic, gritty, hall, mid/side, modern, plate, room, smooth, synths, undo/redo, vintage, bright, cinematic, convolution, impulse-response based, mixing, mono-compatible, non-linear, punchy, resizable UI, sidechain input, sound design, pads, tempo-synced, wide.
What it does
Glow is Wave Alchemy's take on the AMS RMX16, the digital reverb that helped define the sound of the 1980s. It recreates the unit's programs and adds modern mix controls the hardware never had; the developer's line is "Glow is to sound what neon is to colour!"
- 14 programs: Ambience, Room A1, Room B1, Room A0, Hall C1, Hall B3, Hall A1, Plate A1, Plate B1, NonLin 2, Reverse 1, Reverse 2, Image P1 and Freeze.
- Dynamics: Smooth suppresses transients, Duck lowers the reverb while the source plays, and Gate gives gated reverb from an internal sidechain.
- Character: Clean, Vintage and Gritty modes (Gritty is based on SP-1200 circuitry), plus a Modern mode for wider stereo and a punchier, cleaner low end.
- Space and tone: Flux for stereo spatialisation and pitch modulation, dual-band stereo width and a 4-band mid/side EQ.
- Basics: input, output and mix (with a mix lock for browsing presets), decay, tempo-syncable pre-delay and a mono mode with phase-coherent or summed options.
- Workflow: preset browser with search, tags, favourites and random shuffle, undo/redo, and a resizable UI with four colour themes.
A 14-day demo is available.
Source: Wave Alchemy product page
When to use it
Glow is the pick when you want the coarse, grainy RMX16 character specifically, at a low price. Compared with UAD's AMS RMX16 Expanded, it costs less, as Sound On Sound noted, and adds ducking, gating, mid/side EQ and the Modern mode. VintageVerb gives an 80s flavour too, through its 1980s colour mode and Nonlin programs, but across a broader and smoother set of algorithms; Glow is narrower and grittier. Next to clean modern reverbs like Pro-R 2 it is a character effect rather than an everyday main reverb, a point Sound On Sound also made.
- Best for: 80s gated and nonlinear drums, reverse effects, frozen pads and bright vocal and synth ambience.
- Genres: pop, synthwave, electronic, rock and cinematic.
- Look elsewhere if: you need one clean, versatile reverb for everything; Pro-R 2 or VintageVerb suit that better.
- Tip: engage Modern on drums to clean up the low end, and use Duck to keep vocals clear of the tail.
What producers say
Sound On Sound found it a good-value way to add authentic RMX16 character, best as one reverb among several.
- Sound On Sound (Paul White, April 2023) said it sounds much as he remembers the hardware, with "an unashamedly vintage character", and that the gated drums "really nail that '80s vibe".
- Praised: the price against the hardware or the UAD version, the Modern button on drums, and extra features that make it more useful than the original.
- Criticisms: the grainy sound limits its range; the review noted "few people would want to have an RMX16 as their only source of reverb".
Where to buy
- Plugin Boutique: $23 (regular $75)
- Best Service: $62.09
- PluginFox: $75
- AudioDeluxe: $75
- Wave Alchemy: $78.16 (Listed at £59; converted at £1 = $1.3247 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
Tutorials and reviews
- Wave Alchemy GLOW review
- That One Drum Sound You Always Wanted: Wave Alchemy Glow
- Review: Glow from Wave Alchemy
- Wave Alchemy Glow reverb Vst - No Talking
- IL SEGRETO DEL SUONO ANNI 80 (Wave Alchemy Glow)
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