Top 5 Mistakes When Using Reverb in Audio Mixing

Correctly applying a reverb effect when mixing a song inside your DAW is among the most challenging tasks for music producers and sound engineers. 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 The Reverb Effect

I often notice several reverb mistakes when I listen to amateur productions or mixdowns. To help you avoid these, I’ve compiled a list of the 5 most common mistakes in using the reverb effect 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) reference tracks 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 reverb sound; we perceive it as spatial information in every situation. In music production, reverb positions musical instruments in the depth of a mix and/or gives them a unified spatial impression. We develop a good sense of localizing sound sources because we are exposed to various spatial information and reverb effects daily. This means that incorrectly used reverb can be perceived as disturbing or irritating, even by laypeople.

3. Reverb on the Wrong Sounds

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

Distributing reverb helps 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. Behind them is the bass and then the drums; they also don’t need reverb, or at least not too much. Instruments with many 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 and subsonic frequencies in the lower end of the frequency spectrum. The result is a mushy, undefined sound that lacks punch. In other words, reverb rarely needs to be applied to kick or bass tracks. Additionally, adding energy in the lower frequency range reduces the headroom for different instruments, an essential aspect for the future mastering process.

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

Reverb simulates the natural acoustic environments we’re all familiar with. Because we’ve been subconsciously learning to interpret these sounds since childhood, it’s easy to identify poor-sounding reverb effects. Cheap, unnatural reverbs can quickly ruin the vibe of a mix.

The quality of a reverb algorithm plays a significant role in how much you should use it, but balance is key. Even the best reverb plugins can overpower a track if over-applied, while more subtle, good reverb plugins can still shine in minimal doses. Always let the specific needs of the mix guide your use of reverb, regardless of the plugin’s quality.

When used correctly, reverb becomes a powerful tool in music production. Avoiding these common mistakes will help you achieve a more professional, polished sound in your mixes!

If you’re looking for professional results, I highly recommend checking out the online mixing and mastering services I offer. If you want to learn more about mixing, go ahead and read my article about 7 Proven Audio Mixing Tips Every Producer Should Know.