📖 Audio Glossary

Decay Time (RT60)

The time for sound to decrease by 60 dB in a space — long decay causes muddiness; short decay sounds dry.

RT60 is the standard measurement of room reverberation. Professional mixing rooms target 0.2–0.4 seconds across all frequencies. Untreated bedrooms are typically 0.5–1.5 seconds. Home theaters target 0.3–0.5 seconds. Concert halls: 1.5–2.5 seconds.

Critical detail: RT60 should be roughly equal across all frequencies. A room with short high-frequency decay but long bass decay (common in untreated rooms with thin carpet and foam) sounds simultaneously dead and boomy — the worst of both worlds. Broadband absorption (thick panels) targets all frequencies equally.

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