It’s extremely simple to reverse audio in Ableton. It can literally be done with the push of a button. Now, it wouldn’t be much of a blog post if I just told you right in the second sentence of this post that all you need to do is select what you want to reverse and press, “R” on your keyboard, so travel with me as I stretch this out for at least 400 words.
2 Ways To Reverse Audio
Method 1: Using the R key
Step 1: Select a piece of audio that you would like to reverse
Step 2: Press R to reverse it
You have now created reverse audio
Method 2: The Clip View
Step 1: Double-click the audio you wish to reverse to reveal the clip view box on the bottom of your screen.
Step 2: Click the “Rev” button in the sample box in clip view.
Alright, now that we’ve got the process down, let’s do a quick chat about some of the common ways this effect is used.
Common Uses
Reverse Cymbal Swell
When I think of reversed audio effects, the number one thing that comes to mind is the reverse cymbal swell. Think about literally any transition in any pop song written in the last ten years (maybe more), you will find it there. In the video explanation of this concept at the top of the page, I go into detail about the reverse cymbal swell.
Reverse Reverb Vocal FX
A reverse reverb on a vocal right before the chorus of a song can really frame the downbeat of the chorus. This works much the same way the reverb cymbal swell does but tends to pull your ear more towards the voice then towards the instrumentation.
Rewind Effect
Reversing a whole chunk of audio, and speeding up that section creates a pretty cool rewind effect. This is slightly less common than the others but is still something that happens from time to time.
Now, on to the music making!
As always, I would love to hear from each one of you personally. The fastest and easiest way to get a hold of me is to reach out via the Mainstage To Ableton Facebook group. This is a place where you can not only get connected with me, but also with a community of people who are using Ableton.
You can also reach me through our contact page.
Happy creating, and I’m looking forward to connecting with you all soon!