Selecting the right type of reverb is key because each has its own unique sound. Some types of reverb will make the vocals sound as though they were recorded in an average room. Other types will give the appearance that the vocals were recorded in a concert hall. Plate, chamber, convolution and spring are also modes of reverb to choose from. Different reverb works well on different applications and plate reverb is said to work suitably well on vocals.
Applying the proper amount of reverb when editing vocals is vital when trying to create the best results. Vocals can often sound plain and dry within a mix. Reverb can bring a musical feel to your vocals and allow them to better mesh with the overall mix. However, too much of nearly anything -- reverb included -- will lead to a negative result. Putting too much reverb on vocals can cause them to sound too distant and muddy.
Having vocals edited with gated reverb can produce a unique sound. You can listen for gated reverb the next time your favorite song is playing on the radio. The singer can produce loud vocals that are drenched in reverb; however, when the singer stops singing the gate jumps into action and cuts off the reverb so that it can't be distinguished separately from the vocal sound. The gate can be set so that reverb is placed on the vocal when it's active but is cut off when it is inactive.
Too much sibilance in a vocal is not a good thing. Certain reverb settings can cause sibilance to get out of control and leave you searching for a way to correct the sound. A good tip is to use a de-esser, which is an audio editing tool that deals with high frequencies. Instead of de-essing the vocal, instead de-ess the reverb that's being layered onto the vocal. This works well and has the added benefit of making it harder to hear that a de-esser was used on the vocals at all.