There is no effect more rewarding than a good reverb added to a track.
Right away, it sounds better, the sound is more pleasant… we appreciate it with a little satisfied smile.
However, when we play back the track with its freshly set reverb in the entirety of the mix, it’s not always as perfect as we imagined.
Perhaps adding reverb makes the mix messy, perhaps in the end it doesn’t sound as good as expected…
To avoid such disappointments, I have compiled this list of 8 tips, or rather 8 mistakes to absolutely avoid when using reverbs.
Mistake #1: Adding Reverbs as Inserts
Often, when starting out, we tend to add our reverb plugins as inserts, meaning directly on the tracks containing our recordings.
However, this is really a bad practice that should be eliminated as soon as possible.
Indeed, when you add a time-based effect like reverbs on a track, there are two main consequences that make the effect complicated to manipulate:
- You cannot process the sound of your effect independently: if you put an EQ on your reverb (and we will talk about this a bit later), you will also impact the dry signal.
- You cannot really manage the volume of your effect independently: sure, there is often a “mix” knob on reverbs, but it is much more practical to have a dedicated fader for the dry signal and a dedicated fader for the signal with reverb.
As a result, always add your reverbs on Send (or “Return”) tracks — which will help you avoid these two problems.
Specifically, the only cases where you can allow yourself to add effects directly on the track are when they are really used in a creative logic. When they are the foundation of your sound.
For example, if you are making ambient music with synthesizers, it is likely that in some cases adding a large reverb on a synth track is the simplest way to achieve your sound, and that you do not need to process the dry sound individually.
Mistake #2: Not Equalizing Reverbs
A classic mistake: we add our reverb on a return track, we mix it with the fader…
… and it makes our mix very messy.
Yes: you almost always need to equalize reverbs.
Sometimes, there are even built-in settings within the plugins that allow you to adjust the amount of bass or treble — but generally, I add a little equalizer right after to better control these frequencies.
Indeed, acoustic space simulations tend to generate two types of problems:
- resonances in the low frequencies, which drown out your kick drum and bass line;
- an excess of air in the highs that makes them very piercing and brings out sibilance on the vocals, for example.
To address these issues, adding a high-pass filter and a low-pass filter is often sufficient.
You can even add them before your reverb plugin, as in the famous “Abbey Road” technique that I detail in the video below:
Mistake #3: Using Only One Reverb
I’m not sure that everyone is concerned by this point, but it’s something I did myself in the past: I used only one reverb per mix.
Yes, one track, with one plugin.
In my mind, the logic was as follows:
- if I use only one plugin, I’m less likely to make mistakes;
- if I use only one reverb, it will create more of a “cohesion” in the mix, since “all instruments will play in the same acoustic space.”
If the first point is not entirely false, the second is unrealistic.
In mixing, we most often use multiple reverbs that will indeed simulate different acoustic spaces, but because they serve different purposes: the sound we expect on the snare drum is not the same as the one we expect on the vocals.
Of course, having acoustic cohesion is important, but that doesn’t mean all instruments need to be exactly in the same stereo space.
Put differently: the result should sound natural, but this naturalness rarely comes from using a single reverb.
On the contrary, avoid using too many different reverbs and complicating your stereo space excessively. There are no rules, of course, but if you have more than 3 reverbs on your mix, make sure they are all truly useful.
Error #4: Not using pre-delay
On a number of reverb plugins, you have a setting called “pre-delay”.
Simply put, this setting allows you to slightly delay the reverb in time.
What is it for?
Well, in some cases, a reverb can tend to drown out the sound of the raw track.
Like this:
By using pre-delay, you can restore a bit of intelligibility to your raw track, since the reverb will be heard with a handful of milliseconds of delay:
(Source of the audio example: James May – Eliza Jane)
The effect may sometimes seem subtle, but it can really make a difference in a mix — especially on vocal tracks, for example, to highlight the attack of the syllables.
Tip: if you don’t have a pre-delay setting on your reverb, you can easily place a delay plugin before it set to have a unique echo (feedback at 0%).
Then adjust the time setting (in milliseconds) just like a pre-delay knob, as shown in the image below.
Error #5: Adding reverb to all tracks
A classic beginner’s mistake, but oh so forgivable: in the idea of placing all instruments in an acoustic space, reverb is sometimes added to all tracks.
On drums, guitar, vocals, synths, bass, why not…
But what will happen then?
Well, you will push all instruments back in the stereo space.
Indeed, beyond giving the impression of a more or less realistic acoustic space, reverb primarily serves to manage depth in the mix of tracks.
The more reverb you have on a track, the more it will seem distant.
Of course, this also depends on the plugin settings, but it remains generally true.
Also, if you put reverb everywhere, you will push all instruments to the back of the stereo space — and the mix will sound quite distant.
It is much more interesting to create contrast with some very dry tracks and others with very pronounced reverb.
Error #6: Mixing reverbs too loudly
Remember what I said in the introduction: reverb has this somewhat magical quality that makes it seem like, as soon as we add it to a track, it sounds better.
That’s why even if one sings off-key, it’s always more enjoyable to sing in the shower, which resonates, than outdoors. 😉
As a result, during mixing, we often tend to over-mix reverbs. That is to say, to push the faders a bit too much.
At the moment, it sounds good, but it tends to drown the instruments in the mix.
Often, a reverb should be present to be perceived, not to be heard.
So be careful with your faders: don’t hesitate, as soon as you adjust one, to lower it slightly to further reduce the volume of the reverb.
Error #7: Using a reverb
Ah yes, I see you coming:
“We’re on an article about reverbs, and now I’m being criticized for using reverbs?”
🙂
The fact is that reverb is not the only way to give space to a track.
More often than one might think, at least in certain musical styles, reverb tends to push instruments back too much in the mix, instead of adding realism.
Instead, a delay can add ambiance in a more subtle way and takes up less space in the mix.
Don’t forget, however, to choose a timing that matches the tempo of your piece, to facilitate its integration with the other instruments.
► To learn more, feel free to check out my article on using delay instead of reverb.
Error #8: Not testing other reverbs
We sometimes tend to want to use the plugins we have at all costs.
Because we feel more comfortable with them, or because we want to use as much as possible of what we’ve purchased if they are third-party plugins.
However, from one plugin to another, from one algorithm to another, you will find different textures and sounds.
I might be stating the obvious here, but it’s important to keep in mind: for the same use, some reverbs will be great and others will not blend well with your raw tracks or your mix.
If that happens, don’t hesitate to try another reverb: maybe a plugin you already have and never use, or why not test the demo of a commercial plugin. Or even grab a free plugin.
Be careful though: that doesn’t mean you should accumulate tons of reverb plugins.
Of course, over time, you will have more and more — but still take the time to thoroughly test, manipulate, and learn the ones you already have.
In conclusion
The next time you add a reverb during a mix, take a few seconds to come back and at least read the titles of this article.
That way, you’ll be sure to avoid the main mistakes! 🙂
But above all, if you apply all these tips, you should quickly feel noticeable improvements in your mixes…
► To go further, feel free to read my complete file on reverb.