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Pre-Delay and Decay Time in Reverb

The Music Telegraph | Text 2024/07/26 [15:38]
Recording

Pre-Delay and Decay Time in Reverb

The Music Telegraph| 입력 : 2024/07/26 [15:38]

 

▲ Behavior of Reverberation

© The Music Telegraph



Pre-Delay and Decay Time in Reverb

 

As seen in the picture above, Pre-Delay is the silence before the onset (attack) of reverberant energy. The period of pre-delay is based on room size. (e.g. bigger room --> longer period) Pre-Delay separates the dry signal and the reverb signal by delaying the latter. Pre-Delay is used to enhance the clarity of the reverb. It makes vocal sounds more distinct and drum sounds thicker. This parameter clearly does not change the quality of the sound. Instead, it separates the reverb and dry signal to create a more powerful sound.

 

Typical Pre-Delay value settings are as follows: 

  • Up-Tempo drums or percussion: 25 - 50 milliseconds
  • Ballad drums or percussion: 40 - 80 milliseconds
  • Vocal: 75 - 125 milliseconds
  • String section: 100 - 200 milliseconds
  • Acoustic instruments: 45 - 90 milliseconds
  • Brass: 50 - 100 milliseconds

 

▲ RT60 (=Reverb Time or Decay Time): The time it takes the reverberant energy to drop 60 dB in amplitude. The longer the RT60, the deeper the spaces will seem to be.

© The Music Telegraph


Decay Time (=RT60 or Reverb Time) refers to the amount of time it takes the reverb signal to decay by 60 dB from its loudest level. The general principle for setting an appropriate decay time is 'make it long enough to be effective, but not excessive'. In fact, unless aiming for a specific effect, too long a decay time can clutter the sound. In modern up-tempo music, shorter decay times are typically used. These short decay time settings provide more space for other instruments. One way to set the decay time is by considering the tempo. For example, let's say you're applying a chamber reverb to the snare drum in a slow ballad music. A simple method is to ensure that the decay time matches the interval until the next snare hit, so they do not overlap.

 

By increasing the decay time of a reverb, you can enlarge the perceived size of the ambient sound. However, altering the decay time can negatively impact the overall sound, as it changes the balance between frequencies. High-quality reverb units allow separate adjustments for low, mid, and high frequency decays, enabling frequency-specific control over decay time. Damping is a parameter that modifies the decay of high frequencies relative to mid and low frequencies. If you find the decay time insufficient even after proper adjustment, you can adjust the overall time by modifying the pre-dealy value instead of the decay time.

 

 

 

 

 

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