Reverb - Mud or Polish

I read on quite a few recording forums the complaint that reverbs make sound muddy. Well, yes it can, but there are reasons for this and you need to understand why. A standard reverb setting quite often adds a tail to the peaks of the sound. This tail, more often than not, then competes with the quieter sounds of your mix. There area few things you can do to reduce this...

1. If your reverb has an equaliser then reduce the low frequency content. Mud in a mix is typically below 500Hz.
2. Use the pre-delay function to give the sound some breathing space. This also increases the perception of a sound being in it's own sonic space.
3. Reduce the amount of diffusion and reflections. This gives a cleaner reverb sound.

Remember that a reverbs size is relative to the tempo of the music. Find a room size that works with the beat.