Vocal Reverb & Delay Settings
Vocal Reverb & Delay Settings
Enter the tempo, pick a genre and the vocal role. You get the reverb pre-delay and decay, the type, the EQ on the return, the mix level, plus tempo-synced slap and throw delay times.
Vocal reverb settings that sit right
The two settings that matter most on a vocal reverb are pre-delay and decay. Pre-delay is the gap between the dry word and the start of the tail; set it to a musical value at the song tempo (a 32nd or 64th note for tight genres, a 16th for ballads) and the vocal stays clear even with a lush space behind it. Decay is the length of the tail; short for dense, fast songs and longer for sparse, emotional ones. This calculator gives genre-tested starting points at your tempo.
EQ the return, not the vocal
Reverb and delay returns almost always need a high-pass around 200 to 300 Hz to stop mud and a low-pass between 5 and 10 kHz to keep the tail behind the voice. Darker returns sound bigger and more expensive than bright ones.
Delay as the main effect
Modern pop and hip-hop lean on tempo-synced delay more than reverb. A short slap adds thickness; a dotted-eighth or quarter-note throw on the last word of a line adds drama without washing the whole performance.
FAQ
How much pre-delay should a vocal reverb have?
Between 10 and 80 ms. Sync it to the tempo: a 64th note at 120 BPM is about 31 ms, a 32nd is 63 ms. Longer pre-delay keeps the vocal upfront.
What reverb type is best for vocals?
Plates are the classic vocal reverb: dense, bright and free of room character. Halls suit ballads, rooms and springs suit lo-fi and indie.
Should I use reverb or delay on vocals?
Both, usually. Delay adds space without pushing the vocal back; reverb adds size. Many modern mixes use mostly delay with a touch of plate.
Why does my vocal reverb sound muddy?
No high-pass on the return, or the decay is too long for the tempo. Cut below 250 Hz on the reverb and shorten the tail until the words stay clear.
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