What is pre-delay on reverb?

Pre-delay is a short gap between the dry signal and the start of the reverb tail. Setting it to a note value based on tempo keeps the attack of the sound clear before the ambience begins.

How does reverb pre-delay affect a mix?

Longer pre-delay lets the attack of a vocal or snare cut through before the tail kicks in. Shorter pre-delay makes the reverb feel more integral to the source, like a natural room recording.

What is a good reverb pre-delay for vocals?

A common starting point is 20–30 ms, or a 32nd note value at the track tempo. This separates the dry vocal from the tail without the gap being audible as a distinct echo.

Reverb Calculator

Tempo-locked reverb pre-delay timings.

artyphonic.com/tools/reverb-calculatorFree · no sign-in

Calculate reverb pre-delay and timing values from BPM so the space around a vocal, snare, or instrument locks to the track. Use it to keep ambience clear instead of washing over the groove.

Tempo-synced pre-delay

Live

Project tempo

BPM

6080100120140160180200

Pre-delay timesTime before reverb tail kicks in

NoteNormalDottedTriplet

1/128 Ultra-short14.6 ms22.0 ms9.8 ms

1/64 Tight29.3 ms43.9 ms19.5 ms

1/32 Vocal slap58.6 ms87.9 ms39.1 ms

1/16 Medium117.2 ms175.8 ms78.1 ms

1/8 Long234.4 ms351.6 ms156.3 ms

Reverb tail length

Decay synced to bars

1/2 bar

0.94sec

1 bar

1.88sec

2 bars

3.75sec

4 bars

7.50sec

Why pre-delay matters

Pre-delay is the gap between the dry signal and the start of the reverb tail. Without it, the reverb crowds the source and washes out transients. Tempo-syncing keeps reverb tails rhythmically tight.

Common settings

Vocals — 1/32 or 1/16 normal. Keeps consonants clean.
Snare — 1/64 to 1/32. Short, snappy slap.
Pads / synths — 1/16 to 1/8. Long and lush.
Drum bus — try dotted values for swing-feel.

The math

Quarter = 60,000 ÷ BPM

1/32 = quarter ÷ 8. 1/64 = quarter ÷ 16.

Frequently asked questions

What is pre-delay on reverb?: Pre-delay is a short gap between the dry signal and the start of the reverb tail. Setting it to a note value based on tempo keeps the attack of the sound clear before the ambience begins.
How does reverb pre-delay affect a mix?: Longer pre-delay lets the attack of a vocal or snare cut through before the tail kicks in. Shorter pre-delay makes the reverb feel more integral to the source, like a natural room recording.
What is a good reverb pre-delay for vocals?: A common starting point is 20–30 ms, or a 32nd note value at the track tempo. This separates the dry vocal from the tail without the gap being audible as a distinct echo.

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Why pre-delay matters

Common settings

The math

Frequently asked questions

This is one of fourteen free tools.The studio is the rest.

This is one of fourteen free tools.
The studio is the rest.