diff --git a/core/src/orbit_delay_core.cpp b/core/src/orbit_delay_core.cpp
index a476a27..6dae22b 100644
--- a/core/src/orbit_delay_core.cpp
+++ b/core/src/orbit_delay_core.cpp
@@ -713,19 +713,35 @@ float OrbitDelayCore::processChannelFast(float input,
     const float maxGuardBySize = 0.25f * delaySize;
     const float guardSamples = clampf(kOrbitReadGuardMinSamples, 1.0f, maxGuardBySize);
     if (readMode_ == ReadMode::AccidentalReverse) {
-        float reverseDelaySamples = params.tempoDelaySamples + spread + lfoSamples;
+        // Effective reverse delay follows the smoothed tempo delay plus the same
+        // channel-dependent offsets used by the forward path.
+        float reverseDelaySamples = params.tempoDelaySamples + params.offsetSamples + spread + lfoSamples;
         reverseDelaySamples = clampf(reverseDelaySamples, guardSamples, fmaxf(delaySize - guardSamples, guardSamples));
         float& reverseCounter = (&delay == &delayL_) ? reverseCounterL_ : reverseCounterR_;
         float& reverseWindowSize = (&delay == &delayL_) ? reverseWindowSizeL_ : reverseWindowSizeR_;
-        const float readPos = wrapPosFloat(writePos - reverseDelaySamples + reverseCounter, delaySize, invDelaySize);
-        const float distanceBackward = wrapPosFloat(writePos - readPos, delaySize, invDelaySize);
-        if (distanceBackward < guardSamples || distanceBackward > (delaySize - guardSamples)) {
+
+        // Safe fallback: insufficient usable region between the two guard bands
+        // for the minimum reverse window size.
+        constexpr float kMinReverseWindowSamples = 8.0f;
+        if (delaySize < kMinReverseWindowSamples + 2.0f * guardSamples) {
             reverseCounter = 0.0f;
             reverseWindowSize = 0.0f;
             reverseDelaySamples = guardSamples;
+            wet = 0.0f;
+            baseReadPos = wrapPosFloat(writePos - guardSamples, delaySize, invDelaySize);
+        } else {
+            const float readPos = wrapPosFloat(writePos - reverseDelaySamples + reverseCounter, delaySize, invDelaySize);
+            const float distanceBackward = wrapPosFloat(writePos - readPos, delaySize, invDelaySize);
+            if (distanceBackward < guardSamples || distanceBackward > (delaySize - guardSamples)) {
+                reverseCounter = 0.0f;
+                reverseWindowSize = 0.0f;
+                reverseDelaySamples = guardSamples;
+            }
+            // Window size is explicitly derived in readReverseWindowed() from this
+            // effective smoothed delay value.
+            wet = readReverseWindowed(delay, reverseDelaySamples, writePos, delaySize, invDelaySize, reverseCounter, reverseWindowSize);
+            baseReadPos = wrapPosFloat(writePos - reverseDelaySamples + reverseCounter, delaySize, invDelaySize);
         }
-        wet = readReverseWindowed(delay, reverseDelaySamples, writePos, delaySize, invDelaySize, reverseCounter, reverseWindowSize);
-        baseReadPos = wrapPosFloat(writePos - reverseDelaySamples + reverseCounter, delaySize, invDelaySize);
     } else {
         const float orbitDelaySamples = params.tempoDelaySamples * params.orbit;
         const float modulatedDelaySamples = orbitDelaySamples + params.offsetSamples + spread + lfoSamples;