How to make a slowed and reverb version of any song

The normal speed control keeps the pitch fixed, which is wrong for this effect. The whole point is that the track sinks.

Varispeed drops pitch and speed together, exactly as tape does. That relationship is explained in why slowed audio sounds underwater.

Key takeaways

• Use varispeed, not the standard speed control.
• 0.80× to 0.90× is the usual range. Below 0.75× it stops being musical.
• Reverb size 2–3 s, predelay 30–50 ms.
• Nothing is exported. The effect exists during playback.

How to turn on varispeed

Workspace · varispeed

1Pitch

1aVarispeed1bPreserve voice1cSemitone dial

Varispeed runs 0.5× to 2× in very fine steps, and moves the pitch with it.

Most tracks land between 0.80× and 0.90×. Further down, the vocal starts to sound unwell rather than dreamy.

How much reverb to add

Predelay is the gap before the reverb starts. A short gap keeps the vocal intelligible while still placing it in a large space.

With no predelay the reverb smears onto the attack and the words blur.

How to avoid the generic slowed-and-reverb sound

Three adjustments separate a considered version from a default one.

Keep the mix below half. Most published versions are drowned.

Roll off some high end with the equalizer, which is what makes the effect sound like a memory rather than a filter.

Pick a track with space in it. Dense, loud masters have nowhere for reverb to sit.

Settings that keep it from sounding like a preset

Varispeed plus a modest reverb gets most of the way there. The restraint is in the mix level, not the settings.

For nightcore, run varispeed above 1× instead. The mechanism is identical in the other direction.