Ambience is the set of sound reflections that give a sound the sensation of being in a particular space.

When a sound is produced in an environment, we hear not only the direct sound from the source, but also thousands of reflections that bounce off the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Ambience refers mainly to the first reflections that reach our ears shortly after the direct sound.

It is not the long "tail" of the sound, but rather what gives us the immediate perception of the size, shape, and material of a room.

It's what makes a sound seem "alive" and contextualized, instead of "dry" and isolated. Ambience can be captured with microphones during recording or created artificially with digital reverb effects.

Ambience vs. Reverberation

Although related, the terms have a subtle difference:

• Ambience: It's the sense of space and the sonic "character" of the room, composed of the initial and closest reflections. It's what defines whether the room is small, large, made of wood, tiled, etc.

• Reverberation: It's the sonic "tail" that continues to echo after the direct sound stops. It is the mass of reflections that lose energy and slowly decay into silence.

In short: ambience is what tells you where you are, while reverberation is what tells you how long the sound remains in that place after it stops.