Piano EffectReverb
The tail of the space: room, hall or plate. It decides whether a piano sounds intimate or huge.
How to recognise it by ear
- Listen to the end of phrases, when the keyboard stops: whatever keeps ringing is the reverb.
- A room is short (under 1 s); a hall is long and smooth (2–3 s); a plate is bright and dense.
- Salsa uses little; ballads and worship use a lot.
Typical settings
RT60 from 0.8 s (room) to 4 s (worship pads); predelay from 5 to 35 ms; mix from 10 to 45 %.
What Piano Effect measures
The RT60 per band (lows and highs), the predelay and the type. It needs a gap to measure the tail: with drums always present, it says it did not measure it.
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Library sounds that use it
- Salsa montunoRT60 0.9 s · mix 16 % · predelay 8 ms
- Bright salsa pianoRT60 1.3 s · mix 20 % · predelay 10 ms
- Cumbia organRT60 0.9 s · mix 15 % · predelay 15 ms
- Cumbia sonideraRT60 2 s · mix 25 % · predelay 15 ms
- Cumbia accordion (synth)RT60 0.8 s · mix 14 % · predelay 15 ms
- Bachata pianoRT60 2.2 s · mix 28 % · predelay 20 ms
- Bachata stringsRT60 2.8 s · mix 35 % · predelay 25 ms
- Merengue pianoRT60 0.8 s · mix 12 % · predelay 6 ms
- Banda brass (synth)RT60 1.4 s · mix 20 % · predelay 15 ms
- Norteño accordion (organ)RT60 0.8 s · mix 15 % · predelay 15 ms
- Norteño keyboardRT60 1 s · mix 16 % · predelay 15 ms
- 90s grupero keyboardRT60 2.4 s · mix 30 % · predelay 20 ms
- Grupero electric pianoRT60 2.2 s · mix 28 % · predelay 15 ms
- Duranguense keyboardRT60 1.2 s · mix 18 % · predelay 15 ms
- Tejano organRT60 1.2 s · mix 20 % · predelay 15 ms
- Bolero pianoRT60 2 s · mix 26 % · predelay 25 ms
- Bolero organRT60 1.8 s · mix 24 % · predelay 15 ms
- Romantic balladRT60 2.6 s · mix 30 % · predelay 22 ms
- Bar-room blues pianoRT60 1 s · mix 14 % · predelay 15 ms
- Blues Rhodes with tremoloRT60 1.2 s · mix 18 % · predelay 15 ms
- Blues WurlitzerRT60 1 s · mix 16 % · predelay 15 ms
- Jazz club pianoRT60 0.9 s · mix 12 % · predelay 10 ms
- Jazz RhodesRT60 1.6 s · mix 20 % · predelay 15 ms
- Jazz organ (B3)RT60 1 s · mix 14 % · predelay 15 ms
- Bossa nova RhodesRT60 1.8 s · mix 24 % · predelay 18 ms
- Bossa pianoRT60 1.8 s · mix 22 % · predelay 20 ms
- Gospel organRT60 2.2 s · mix 25 % · predelay 15 ms
- Neo soul RhodesRT60 1.4 s · mix 20 % · predelay 15 ms
- Worship padRT60 4 s · mix 45 % · predelay 35 ms
- Worship pianoRT60 2.6 s · mix 30 % · predelay 25 ms
- Eighties electric pianoRT60 2.4 s · mix 28 % · predelay 15 ms
- Eighties padRT60 3.5 s · mix 40 % · predelay 30 ms
- Pop pianoRT60 1.6 s · mix 20 % · predelay 15 ms
- Rock organRT60 1 s · mix 14 % · predelay 15 ms
- Seventies phaser pianoRT60 1.2 s · mix 16 % · predelay 15 ms
- Reggaeton pluckRT60 1.4 s · mix 20 % · predelay 15 ms
- Funk clavinetRT60 0.7 s · mix 10 % · predelay 5 ms
- Lo-fi pianoRT60 1 s · mix 20 % · predelay 15 ms
- Lo-fi RhodesRT60 1.2 s · mix 22 % · predelay 15 ms
- Synthwave padRT60 3.2 s · mix 38 % · predelay 30 ms
- Synthwave leadRT60 2.4 s · mix 30 % · predelay 15 ms
Frequently asked questions
What is reverb?
The tail of the space: room, hall or plate. It decides whether a piano sounds intimate or huge. A room is short (under 1 s); a hall is long and smooth (2–3 s); a plate is bright and dense.
How can I tell if a song uses reverb?
Listen to the end of phrases, when the keyboard stops: whatever keeps ringing is the reverb. A room is short (under 1 s); a hall is long and smooth (2–3 s); a plate is bright and dense. To be sure, scan it with Piano Effect: it tells you whether it is there and with which values.
What reverb settings are typical?
RT60 from 0.8 s (room) to 4 s (worship pads); predelay from 5 to 35 ms; mix from 10 to 45 %.