Top 5 Mistakes When Using Reverb in Audio Mixing

The correct application of reverb in mixing a song is one of the most challenging tasks for many producers. There’s some truth to that: it’s no coincidence that audio engineers often spend years mastering this discipline, and it’s no coincidence that this area is where you hear the most mistakes in home recording productions.

The Biggest Mistakes in Using Reverb in Mixdowns

When I listen to amateur productions or mixidowns, I often notice several pitfalls when using reverb. To help you avoid these, we’ve compiled a list of the five most common mistakes in using reverb during mixing.

1. Too Much Reverb

The longer you work on a mixdown and the deeper you listen to all the details, the harder it becomes to keep an overview. It’s easy to overdo the reverb effect, making the result sound like an 80s recording or Rex Gildo. To counteract this effect, it’s advisable to repeatedly listen to other (commercially produced) music in an A/B comparison. Pay attention to how they use and dose the reverb effect. Also, taking short but regular breaks helps keep your ears fresh.

2. The Wrong Reverb

People are accustomed to the sound of reverb; we perceive it as spatial information in every situation. In music production, reverb is used to position musical instruments in the depth of a mix and/or to give them a unified spatial impression. Because we are exposed to various spatial information and reverb effects daily, we develop a good sense of how to localize sound sources. This means that incorrectly used reverb can be perceived as disturbing or irritating, even by laypeople.

For example, it makes little sense to most people to hear a chamber orchestra in a virtual bathroom. It simply wouldn’t sound natural. However, you are free to use it creatively. Nevertheless, most listeners would perceive such use of reverb as “wrong.”

3. Reverb on the Wrong Sounds

When mixing songs, reverb is often used to place sounds on different depth levels and thus weight their presence in the mix. Sounds with a lot of reverb and long pre-delay times appear farther away to the listener, deeper in the mix. In contrast, instruments with little reverb and short pre-delay times appear closer to the listener.

When distributing reverb, it helps to visualize the band on a virtual stage and think about the reverb effects you want to use before mixing. Typically, a singer is in front of the band on stage and should be relatively upfront in the mix. Behind them is the bass, and then the drums. Instruments that already have a lot of reverb (such as pads) often don’t need additional reverb in the mix.

4. Reverb on Low-Frequency Instruments

Reverb on low-frequency instruments like kick drums or bass can create unnecessary density in the lower end of the frequency spectrum. The result is a mushy, undefined sound that lacks punch. In other words, there is rarely a need to apply reverb to these tracks. Additionally, adding energy in the lower frequency range reduces the headroom for other instruments.

Imagine a bucket where you pour in blue water for the bass and kick drum at the bottom. The more reverb you add, the fuller the bucket gets, leaving less room for the red water, representing other tracks. Another side effect is reduced loudness of the song. In many music genres, it’s common not to use reverb on kick or bass at all.

5. Poor-Sounding Reverb

Since reverb mimics an acoustic phenomenon of our environment, which humans have learned to interpret correctly for survival reasons since early childhood, poor reverb effects are quickly recognized as such and perceived as cheap.

A simple rule here is: the worse the reverb algorithm, the less reverb should be used in the mix. Conversely, just because a reverb algorithm is good doesn’t mean you should automatically use a lot of it.

Reverb can be a powerful tool in music production when used correctly. Avoiding these common mistakes will help you achieve a more professional and polished sound.

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