What are the most common mistakes you see in sound design, and how can they be avoided?

In my opinion, the first thing I notice is a lack of personality. Anyone can paste cool sound effects, but what makes them special is adding a personal touch, following your instincts to create something that truly impresses the audience (and the client).
The best way to develop this is to study, listen to a lot of sound design, and build your own sound library. If you like a sound, take inspiration from it, recreate it as best as you can, but then make it your own.

Another key point is using EQ to create a sense of space. If a sound comes from far away, it shouldn’t have deep, powerful bass. It’s just not realistic.
The only way to get this right is to truly understand EQ and experiment a lot. Testing different settings will help you realize how much EQ can shape depth and distance.

Personally, I’m also a perfectionist when it comes to sync. Everything needs to be perfectly in time.

Even a slight delay can make a scene feel off. That’s why I always rewatch and re-listen multiple times, making small timing adjustments until everything feels just right.

Sound design is all about attention to detail, and these small improvements can take your work to the next level.

A common mistake I see is not being mindful of the context of a scene. If it’s an action-packed fight scene with loud music, your FX will likely be tight, dry and punchy. Whereas a quiet thoughtful scene is likely to require a lot more subtle and nuanced balance of levels, placement and space.

Before diving into the sound design of a scene, I would suggest carefully thinking about what you’re trying to portray and what is the focus. That will help you determine your approach in terms of realism and levels.

Common sound design mistakes include overcrowding the mix, neglecting space and reverb, overprocessing sounds, inconsistency in sound choices, and ignoring the overall mix—these can be avoided by staying mindful of balance, coherence, and the bigger picture.