How to make a lofi or slowed and reverb version of a song on Windows

A lofi or slowed and reverb version is not a filter you drop on a song. It is a handful of small changes to speed, pitch, tone and space, made in proportion to the song you start with. Get the proportions right and the result feels like a new mood for a track you already love.

What each style really changes

Slowed and reverb plays the song slower, usually by 10 to 20 percent, and lets the pitch drop with it, the way a record does when it turns more slowly. Long reverb then fills the gaps the slower tempo leaves, so the song feels wide and dreamy instead of simply sluggish.

Lofi is about texture more than speed. The top end is softened so cymbals and vocals lose their edge, the low end is kept warm, and a little noise, wobble and gentle compression suggest an old tape or a worn record. Many lofi edits also slow the song a touch.

Nightcore and sped up versions do the opposite of slowed: faster, with the pitch rising, which brightens the mood and shortens the track.

Doing it by hand

Any audio editor with speed, filter and reverb controls can make a basic version. Work in this order:

1. Start from a good copy. Every step that follows exaggerates flaws in the source, so begin with the best quality file you have rather than a low quality stream recording.
2. Change the speed first. For slowed and reverb, try 85 to 90 percent speed with the pitch allowed to fall. Go further and vocals start to sound unnatural.
3. Shape the tone. For lofi, roll off the highest frequencies with a low pass filter and trim the deepest bass slightly so the warmth does not turn boomy.
4. Add space last. Reverb goes on after the speed change. A long, soft hall suits slowed versions; a short room suits lofi.
5. Check the level. Reverb and bass add up quickly. Leave headroom at the top so the export does not clip.

Why most quick versions sound muddy

• The same settings on every song. A slow ballad and a fast dance track need very different amounts of slowing and reverb. One preset for everything is why so many uploads sound alike.
• Too much reverb on the low end. Reverb on the bass blurs the beat. Keep the reverb on the vocals and higher instruments.
• No comparison. After a few minutes your ears adjust and the change stops sounding like a change. Flip back to the original often, at the same loudness.
• Losing the groove. If the drums smear, the song stops feeling like music. Slowed versions still need a clear kick and snare.

Changing the beat underneath

The next step beyond tone and speed is changing the rhythm itself: laying new drums under the song or replacing its drums with a different feel. To do that without the result drifting, the software has to know the song's tempo, where each bar starts and which key it is in, so the new beat lands on the old one. That is the difference between a remix that grooves and a loop played over the top.

What you can share

Making a version of a song for your own listening is one thing. Uploading it is another: the recording and the song itself usually belong to the artist, label and publisher, and platforms may mute, remove or claim edits of commercial music. Share remixes only of music you have the right to use, such as your own tracks, royalty free music or songs whose licence allows it.

How XLUNA DJ Elite handles this

XLUNA DJ Elite reads a song before it changes it, measuring its tempo, tone and drum hits, so One-click lofi, Slowed + Reverb, Club Edit and its other style mixes are set to suit that song rather than one preset for all. An intensity control sets how far each style goes, you can switch between the original and the new version at any moment, and the result saves as WAV, MP3 or AAC. Beat Remix lays new drums under a song or swaps them in one of 23 genre feels, locked to its tempo. Everything runs on your PC, and your music never leaves it.