What is daycore?
Daycore is the informal name for the style you get by slowing a track down and dropping its pitch — the mirror image of nightcore's sped-up, higher-pitched sound. People also search for it as "anti nightcore" or simply "the opposite of nightcore," and all three point to the same idea: take a familiar recording, stretch it out, and let the pitch sink with it. The result usually sounds heavier, calmer, and more distant than the original, sometimes layered with reverb to push it further into that hazy, spacious feeling.
It is a listening style built by editors and internet audio communities, not a fixed technical standard, so there is no single "correct" amount of slowdown. What defines it is the direction: down in speed, down in pitch, away from the bright, sped-up energy of nightcore. Because it is a style rather than a spec, two daycore edits of the same source can sound quite different depending on how far the speed drops and how much reverb sits underneath it.
Daycore vs. nightcore: how they are actually opposite
The clearest way to see the relationship is side by side. Nightcore pushes speed up, which — in its classic form — drags pitch up with it. Daycore pushes speed down, and pitch follows it down.
| Nightcore | Daycore | |
|---|---|---|
| Speed range | 100–150% | 50–100% |
| Pitch in Classic mode | Rises with speed (linked) | Falls with speed (linked) |
| Pitch in Independent mode | −12 to +12 semitones, set separately | −12 to 0 semitones, set separately |
| Typical mood | Bright, energetic, high-pitched | Heavy, calm, deeper |
Linked vs. independent pitch: two different ways to slow down
Both the nightcore maker and the daycore maker offer a Classic mode and an Independent mode, and the difference matters for how predictable your result is. Classic mode is linked varispeed: speed and pitch move together, the same way a vinyl record or a cassette sounds lower and slower when the motor runs down. It is a single control, and it always produces the "correct," proportional pitch drop for whatever speed you pick.
Independent mode decouples the two. A time-stretch algorithm changes playback speed without touching pitch on its own, then you dial in a separate pitch drop, from 0 to −12 semitones, on top of it. That gives you exact control — you can slow a track down by 20% and only drop it two semitones, instead of the roughly four semitones linked mode would apply — but it asks more of the algorithm, and very large independent shifts can start to sound processed on some material.
The math behind the pitch drop
In linked mode, the pitch shift in semitones for a given speed follows a simple formula: semitones = 12 × log2(new speed ÷ original speed). The table below shows what that works out to for common daycore speeds. Half speed is a useful anchor point — it always drops a track exactly one octave, no matter what the original pitch was.
| Speed | Pitch drop (linked) |
|---|---|
| 90% | ≈ −1.8 semitones |
| 85% | ≈ −2.8 semitones |
| 80% | ≈ −3.9 semitones |
| 75% | ≈ −5.0 semitones |
| 70% | ≈ −6.2 semitones |
| 60% | ≈ −8.8 semitones |
| 50% | −12 semitones (one octave) |
How to make a daycore edit
Open the daycore maker, load a track with Open file or Try a demo, and pick Classic mode for the traditional linked slowdown, or Independent mode if you want to set the pitch drop yourself instead of letting speed decide it. Set speed anywhere from 50% to 100% — the Classic daycore preset starts at 75%, which the table above shows works out to about −5 semitones. From there, add reverb mix (0–80%) and decay to taste; a moderate amount is usually enough to give the edit some depth without turning it into a wash of echo. Beyond the default Classic daycore preset, the Deep and Dreamy presets push the speed and reverb further in different directions — Deep leans into a heavier, lower-pitched sound, while Dreamy favors a longer, softer reverb tail. Render a preview, compare it against the original with the Original/Processed toggle, and download once you are happy with it.
A track playing at 75% speed also runs about a third longer: a 3-minute song becomes roughly 4 minutes at that setting, since duration scales inversely with speed.
What to expect
Very slow settings, especially combined with a large independent pitch drop, can make vocals harder to understand and start to sound processed rather than simply slower — this is a real limitation of any pitch or time-stretch algorithm, not something specific to one tool. If a result sounds unnatural, try pulling the pitch drop back a semitone or two, or lean on Classic mode, which tends to sound more natural at moderate speeds since it mirrors how analog playback actually behaves. As with any edit of someone else's recording, changing the speed and pitch does not change who owns the underlying song — only use audio you have the rights to work with.
Frequently asked questions
What is the opposite of nightcore called?
It is commonly called daycore, sometimes "anti nightcore." It slows a track down and lowers its pitch, the reverse of nightcore's sped-up, higher-pitched sound.
Is daycore the same as slowed and reverb?
They share mechanics — both slow a track and often add reverb — but they come from different framings. Daycore is built as the deliberate inverse of nightcore, typically with a clear linked or independent pitch drop; slowed + reverb is a broader, more atmospheric style that does not necessarily position itself against nightcore at all.
Does daycore always lower the pitch?
In Classic (linked) mode, yes — pitch and speed always move together. In Independent mode you set the pitch drop yourself, from 0 to −12 semitones, so you could slow the speed down while keeping the pitch change smaller than linked mode would apply, or leave pitch alone entirely.
How much should I slow a track down for daycore?
There is no fixed rule, but 70–85% speed is a common range that keeps vocals reasonably clear while still sounding noticeably slower and deeper. Slower than that starts to test intelligibility, especially on dense vocal passages. The built-in presets, including a 75% Classic daycore setting, are a reasonable starting point to adjust from.
Can I add reverb to a daycore edit?
Yes. The daycore maker includes a reverb mix control from 0 to 80% plus decay, which is commonly used to give the slowed-down sound extra space and depth.
Am I allowed to use someone else's song for a daycore edit?
Slowing and pitch-shifting a recording does not change who owns it. Only use tracks you have the rights to work with, such as your own recordings or audio explicitly cleared for reuse, before sharing an edit publicly.