Sped up or slowed + reverb: how to make both versions of a song

November 8, 2026 · All posts

A song often lives a second life as an edit. The sped up version is brighter and more urgent; the slowed + reverb version is darker and dreamier. Both are common on TikTok, Reels and Shorts, and both are easy to make from a file you own. This guide explains what each edit actually changes, which settings to start with, and how to make them with the sped up song maker and the slowed and reverb generator.

What both edits have in common

Both tools change speed the way a turntable does: tempo and pitch move together. Speed a song up and it plays faster and higher. Slow it down and it plays slower and lower. That coupling is the point. It is what makes a sped up voice sound bright and a slowed one sound heavy, and it is why these edits sound different from a song that was simply time-stretched.

Because there is no time-stretching, there are no stretching artifacts either. The trade-off is that you cannot keep the original key in the same step.

Sped up: four settings

The sped up song maker offers +10, +15, +20 and +25%. Here is what each does to the pitch:

Where to start. +20% is the default and the usual sped up sound. For a nightcore-style lift, where the voice is clearly higher, try +25%. If the voice starts to sound cartoonish, go down to +10 or +15%: the song still gets more energy and the singer still sounds like themselves.

Slowed + reverb: speed and space

The slowed and reverb generator offers −10, −15 and −20%, plus three reverb choices:

The reverb is what separates a slowed + reverb edit from a plain slowed one:

• None gives a plain slowed version with no added space.
• Light (the default) adds a hall-like space while the song stays clear.
• Strong adds a larger, cathedral-like space and more reverb in the mix. It suits sparse songs better than dense ones, where it can blur the arrangement.

The reverb is added after the slow-down, so its tail plays at the new tempo instead of being slowed along with the song.

How to choose between the two

Think about the mood of the clip, not only the song.

• Fast cuts, dance, humour, hype: sped up. The higher pitch and faster tempo match quick edits.
• Night drives, slow pans, nostalgia, sad lyrics: slowed + reverb. The lower pitch and the space around the sound give room to breathe.
• Not sure? Make both and test them on the same footage.

When you want the tempo change without the pitch change

Sometimes you want a slower song but not the darker voice. Neither edit can do that in one step, but you can combine tools. Slow the song by −15%, which lowers it about 2.8 semitones, then raise the result by 3 semitones in the key changer, which keeps the tempo. The song stays slower and lands close to the original key.

The same trick works the other way for a sped up version that sounds too high: lower it a couple of semitones in the key changer afterwards.

Making them, step by step

1. Upload the song: WAV, MP3, FLAC, M4A or OGG, up to 10 minutes and 100 MB.
2. Pick the speed, and for the slowed version the reverb. The screen shows the new speed and how far the pitch moves.
3. Download WAV or MP3 320. The settings are in the file name, for example "song_sped_up_120.wav", so you can tell versions apart.

If a peak goes above −1 dBTP after processing, the whole file is turned down by one fixed amount. It is not a limiter, so the dynamics stay as they were. The version comes back right away, and the source file is not stored.

Both tools are free every day: 1 version a day without an account and 1 version a day with a free account. Beyond that, a version costs 1 credit for a signed-in user.

Before you post

• Rights. Make versions of your own songs or songs you have the rights to. Publishing a sped up or slowed version of someone else's song needs the rights holder's permission.
• Loudness. Short-video apps play clips at their own level. If you want to know how loud a version will sound there, read loudness for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
• Video. The music visualizer turns the version into a 9:16 clip for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
• Instrumental only. The vocal remover splits the voice from the music if you want to speed up or slow down just the instrumental.

Make a sped up version or make a slowed + reverb version.