What it changes in the music
On a reverb, decay-time settings describe persistence of the reflected field, often with frequency-dependent behavior. A long tail can carry a previous chord into the next one. Judge it across an actual phrase change rather than after a solo note alone. The nominal time does not fully determine perceived spaciousness or the exact moment every component becomes inaudible.
A small experiment
Compare one reverb setting over a repeated chord and then over alternating chords. Notice how harmonic change makes the same persistence more obvious.
Keep this distinction clear
A reverb decay-time control is not the decay stage of a synthesizer envelope. Both involve time, but they govern different processes.
Related sound terms
Technical background
- MDN: DelayNode — Delay time and audio signal routing.
- Ableton Live manual: mixing — Send/return routing and feedback.
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