EXAMPLE 1
Medium vocal room
120 BPM · 1 bar · pre 1/64
31.3 + 1,968.8 ms
A short pre-delay keeps consonants clear while the total two-second room remains tied to the bar.
Space calculator
Reverb and Delay Time Calculator
Calculate musical pre-delay, decay and delay values that follow the song tempo while preserving the character of the space you want to create.
FreeNo loginWorks offlineWeb and desktop
Core formula
bar (ms) = 240,000 / BPM
pre-delay (ms) = bar / pre-delay divisor
total reverb (ms) = bar × number of bars
decay (ms) = total reverb - pre-delay
delay (ms) = bar × note fraction
At 120 BPM one bar of 4/4 is 2,000 ms. A quarter-note delay is one quarter of that bar: 500 ms.
Tempo-synced space without guesswork
Reverb becomes easier to place when its pre-delay and total duration relate to the bar. Short divisions separate the dry signal from the room; longer bar multiples define how quickly the tail clears for the next phrase.
Amanita calculates pre-delay, decay and total time separately, then places common delay subdivisions alongside them. The values are starting points rather than rules: use the tempo relationship for coherence, then adjust for the source and arrangement.
Worked examples
Concrete values you can verify in the calculator and transfer directly to a production session.
EXAMPLE 2
Large hall
120 BPM · 2 bars · pre 1/32
62.5 + 3,937.5 ms
The four-second total works for pads or ballad vocals where the tail may cross a bar line.
EXAMPLE 3
Dotted eighth echo
174 BPM · 1/8 dotted
258.6 ms
A classic syncopated delay value translated for a faster drum-and-bass tempo.
| Setting | Pre-delay | Decay / delay | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small room | 15.6 ms | 984.4 ms | 1,000.0 ms |
| Medium room | 31.3 ms | 1,968.8 ms | 2,000.0 ms |
| Large hall | 62.5 ms | 3,937.5 ms | 4,000.0 ms |
| 1/8 dotted delay | — | 375.0 ms | 375.0 ms |
Use it in a session
The calculator is deliberately direct: set the musical context, inspect the result and copy it where you need it.
- Enter the session BPMThe Space and Tempo tools share the same saved tempo.
- Choose room length and pre-delaySelect a bar multiple and a short divisor that suits the source.
- Copy values into the pluginUse pre-delay and decay separately, or pick a delay subdivision from the sync row.
Where it helps
Vocal clarity
Move the reverb onset away from the dry vocal with a musical pre-delay.
Drum rooms
Keep ambience short enough to reset before the next snare or kick phrase.
Dub echoes
Translate dotted and triplet notes for delay plugins without tempo sync.
Ambient tails
Use multi-bar durations for pads and transitions while retaining a rhythmic reference.
Studio note: If a calculated tail clouds the next phrase, halve the total duration before changing the pre-delay. The room keeps its rhythmic shape but clears twice as quickly.
Calculate it in Amanita
Open the exact tool with your saved tempo and tuning values intact. Nothing to install, no account and no ads.