To reverse audio in Studio One, select an audio event in the arrangement and choose Audio → Reverse Audio, or press Ctrl+R on Windows or Cmd+R on Mac. The event flips in place and its waveform redraws mirrored. The command reads the event’s own audio, not what the channel’s plug-ins add, so render effects or instrument parts into audio first when they should be part of the reversed sound.
Where is the reverse command in Studio One?
In the Audio menu, as Reverse Audio. The same entry appears in the right-click menu of an audio event, under its Audio submenu, and the default key command is Ctrl+R (Windows) or Cmd+R (Mac). Menu wording and layout can shift between versions, so if the entry is not where expected, search for “Reverse” in the Keyboard Shortcuts settings to find and trigger it.
Select first. The command acts on every selected audio event, and it treats each one separately. A phrase that is split into three events becomes three short reversed pieces still sitting in forward order, not the phrase played backwards. To flip the phrase as a unit, select the pieces and merge them with Event → Bounce Selection (Ctrl+B or Cmd+B), then reverse the single event that results.
Reverse Audio has no parameters. Once applied, each sound’s attack sits at the right edge and its decay trails off to the left. Running the command again on the same event flips it back to forward playback. To reverse only one word or hit inside a longer take, split the event on both sides of it and reverse just that piece.
Which reverse method should you use in Studio One?
Four routes cover almost every case. The choice depends on whether the sound includes effects or starts life as an instrument part.
| Method | Works on | Includes effects | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio → Reverse Audio on an event | Audio events | No, the dry event only | Single hits, samples, one-word vocals |
| Bounce Selection, then Reverse Audio | Several events as one | Rendered Event FX only | Split phrases, comped takes |
| Render or transform, then Reverse Audio | Instrument parts, audio with plug-ins | Yes | Synth parts, reverse reverb |
| Browser or phone reverser | Any file, Studio One closed | Not applicable | Quick flips of audio from outside the song |
Most jobs need only the first route. The second matters whenever an edit has left the audio in pieces. The third is required when the character of the sound comes from real-time processing, which the next section covers.
Why render effects before reversing?
Because insert effects run after the event, in real time. Reverse the event and the audio feeding the plug-ins plays backwards, but the reverb or delay still decays forwards. The result is a backwards note with an ordinary tail, not a reversed version of the processed sound.
Studio One offers three ways to print the processing into audio:
- Event FX. In the event’s Inspector, enable Event FX, add the plug-in, set a tail length, and render. The effect becomes part of that one event, and the render can be undone later to get the live plug-in back.
- Transform. Right-click an audio track and use the Transform command to render its inserts into new audio, or transform an instrument track to an audio track. Both offer a tail setting and can preserve the original state so the track can be restored.
- Bounce to New Track. In the Event menu, this prints a selected instrument part to audio on a fresh track and leaves the source part where it was.
The tail setting decides whether the result works. A release or reverb decay that is cut short becomes an abrupt start once the audio is flipped. Set the tail long enough to hold the full decay, render, and check that the waveform fades to nothing before the event ends. The same print-first rule applies in every DAW; the equivalent steps elsewhere are in how to reverse audio in Cubase.
How do you make reverse reverb in Studio One?
Flip, print the reverb, flip back.
- Duplicate the dry event to a new track so the forward part is untouched.
- Select the duplicate and apply Audio → Reverse Audio.
- Enable Event FX on it and add a reverb such as Room Reverb or OpenAIR, fully wet, with a long decay.
- Set the Event FX tail long enough to capture the whole decay, then render.
- Apply Reverse Audio to the rendered event. If it does not flip as expected, bounce it with Event → Bounce Selection and reverse the bounced event.
- Slide it so the end of the swell meets the start of the forward note or word.
The result is the reverb decay running backwards into the sound: a rising wash that resolves on the downbeat. Because the reverb was fully wet, the swell contains no dry signal and sits under the original without doubling it. Decay length and placement choices are covered in reverse reverb.
How do you align the reversed swell?
Anchor the end, not the start. After reversal, the moment listeners hear as the hit is at the right edge of the event, so that edge needs to sit where the original attack would have landed, usually a downbeat or the first note of the next section.
Snap works against this, because dragging an event snaps its start to the grid. Two approaches avoid the problem:
- Resize instead of drag. Place the event roughly, then lengthen or shorten it from the left edge. The right edge stays fixed while only the quiet lead-in changes.
- Turn Snap off for the move. Zoom in, drag until the waveform’s peak sits on the grid line, then turn Snap back on.
Length is a musical decision. A swell of one beat reads as a quick suck-in before a snare; one or two bars builds tension into a chorus. If the reversed event starts abruptly, trim more from the left and add a fade-in with the handle at the event’s top-left corner. A reversed waveform rarely begins at zero, and a short fade removes the click.
Can you reverse audio without opening Studio One?
Yes, and for a single file it is often quicker than loading a song. The free audio reverser runs in a browser tab, accepts MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, and WebM or records from the microphone, and reverses in the browser. Nothing is uploaded, which matters for unreleased stems. A/B compare checks forward against reversed before you download a free WAV and drag it into the arrangement.
On a phone, Reverse Audio PRO records, reverses, and plays back on one screen, useful for capturing a sound idea away from the studio. A one-time $4.99 purchase, not a subscription, adds speed from 0.25× to 3.0×, pitch across ±12 semitones, ten effects, and MP3/M4A export. Steps are at reverse audio on iPhone and reverse audio on Android.