Delay vs reverb
Delay (echo) plays the sound again after a set time. Time is the gap between repeats, Feedback is how much of each echo is fed back to create the next one (higher feedback = more repeats), and Mix is how loud the echoes are compared with the original. Reverb simulates the reflections of a room: Decay is how long the tail lasts, Pre-delay is the short gap before the reflections start (larger rooms have more), and Mix is the balance of room sound to dry sound.
Good starting points
- Vocals and voice-overs: the Small room or Hall preset with the reverb mix around 15–25%. Too much reverb makes speech hard to understand.
- Slapback echo: a single quick repeat (80–150 ms, low feedback), the classic rockabilly and vintage vocal sound.
- Rhythmic echo: set the delay time to match the song's beat. At a tempo of T BPM, a quarter-note echo is 60 000 / T milliseconds — 500 ms at 120 BPM, 375 ms for a dotted eighth. The metronome can help you find the tempo.
- Big ambient spaces: Cathedral, or a decay of 5–10 s with some pre-delay, for pads, drones and sound design.
The exported file keeps the effect tail — echoes and reverb fading out after the audio ends — so nothing is cut off. If you also want to change the key or speed of the track, run it through the pitch shifter as well.