One of the most important parameters of any reverberation plugin is pre-delay which slightly sets back in time the dry input signal and the wet output sound.

Reverb pre-delay gives us a clue about the size of the room we are working with depending on the duration of the aforementioned parameter.

Basically, in larger rooms reverb pre-delay time is considerably longer because it takes more time for reflections to travel from the walls and back to the listener.

So in essence adjusting the pre-delay parameter on a reverb allows you to manipulate the overall size of the room without necessarily having to tweak reverb decay time.


Long pre-delay

A very long reverb pre-delay has an audible gap between the original (or dry signal) and the wet reverberated sounds.

For instance, in the case of vocals, a long pre-delay time from 80 ms -120 ms makes the initial consonants much more intelligible to the listener.

In other words, a long pre-delay time preserves the energy of the transients but has the effect of pushing the overall sound back in the mix.

So for instruments such as drums and percussion, a long pre-delay from 80 ms usually produces an unnatural effect which may result in a rhythmical disorder.

However, if the song has a slow tempo then a long pre-delay might work well with drums and percussion. Of course, discretion is always advised.


Short pre-Delay

Short reverb pre-delay usually refers to a time of 0 ms - 20 ms and are useful when utilized in the right context.

A short reverb pre-delay time doesn't necessarily result in a clear separation between the dry signal and the body of the reverb sound.

The listener might be able to pick up the attack of the transient for a short period of time and then be immersed into a wet reverb sound.

One of the best scenarios to apply a short reverb pre-delay time is on a snare drum, clap sounds, and any other percussive instrument.

You can apply a short reverb pre-delay time on a vocal but make sure the singer's words are intelligible and aren't being drowned by the reverb effect.

A short reverb pre-delay time is also suitable for uptempo music where you have plucky instruments such as guitars or even synthesizers.

The most fundamental thing to grasp is how far you want the sound to be in the mix and whether you want the sound to be punchy or mellow.

Common pre-delay settings

There are some common starting points you could use when dialing the desired time of reverb pre-delay. The list is as follows:
  • Acoustic Instruments = 45 - 90 ms
  • Slow tempo Drums & Percussion = 40 - 80 ms
  • Up-Tempo Drums & Percussion = 25 - 50 ms
  • String Section = 100 - 200 ms
  • Brass Instruments = 50 - 100 ms
Top