Enter any BPM and get the perfect reverb decay times for plate, hall, and room reverbs — tempo-synced so your reverb breathes with the track.
Enter Tempo
Note Duration Reference
1/4 note
—
1/8 note
—
1/16 note
—
These decay times match specific note values so the reverb tail clears before the next hit:
| Note Value | Decay Time | Use For |
|---|
Set pre-delay to roughly — ms (about 1/64 note) to keep the dry signal clear before the reverb enters. This preserves intelligibility on vocals and attack on drums.
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Get complete mix analysis with severity-graded fixes — frequency balance, stereo width, dynamics, and actionable recommendations.
Get complete mix analysis with severity-graded fixes →A reverb decay calculator converts your song's tempo (BPM) into recommended reverb decay times. Because reverb tails last for a measurable duration, you can set the decay so the tail clears just before the next strong downbeat — this keeps your mix clear and prevents reverb build-up that muddies the low end. Our free reverb time calculator gives you plate, room, and hall decay values plus tempo-synced options matched to specific note values.
The right reverb decay depends on tempo and genre. Faster tempos need shorter decays so the reverb doesn't bleed into the next phrase. As a rule of thumb: a plate reverb decay of 0.4–0.8 seconds works for most modern pop and rock; a room reverb of 0.8–1.5 seconds adds natural space; and a hall reverb of 1.5–3.0 seconds creates lush ambient tails. Use this reverb decay calculator to dial in the exact time for your BPM rather than guessing.
At 120 BPM, a quarter note lasts 0.5 seconds — so a reverb decay of around 0.5 seconds will clear before the next beat. At 90 BPM, the quarter note is 0.667 seconds, allowing a longer decay. At 174 BPM (drum and bass), the quarter note is just 0.345 seconds, so reverb must be very short or it will smear the groove. The calculator above handles this math for you instantly.
| Reverb Type | Typical Decay | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Plate | 0.4–1.2 s | Tight, present, bright — vocals, snare |
| Room | 0.5–1.5 s | Natural space — drums, acoustic, glue |
| Hall | 1.5–4.0 s | Lush, ambient — pads, sustained leads |
| Chamber | 1.0–2.5 s | Mid-sized space — strings, orchestral |
| Spring | 0.5–1.5 s | Vintage, metallic — guitar, dub |
Always high-pass your reverb sends (around 200 Hz) to prevent low-end mud, and low-pass (around 8–10 kHz) to avoid harshness. Use pre-delay (10–30 ms for vocals, 5–15 ms for drums) to keep the dry signal clear. Match decay time to tempo using the calculator above, and consider using shorter decays on rhythm elements and longer decays only on sustained sounds.