Nightcore maker

What nightcore is

Nightcore is the high-energy cousin of slowed + reverb. Instead of dragging a song down, you speed it up, so the beat gets quicker and the vocals jump up in pitch. The result is bright, bouncy and a little cartoonish, which is a big part of its appeal.

The name is usually traced back to a Norwegian duo in the early 2000s who released sped-up versions of trance and dance tracks, typically somewhere around 25–30% faster than the originals, under the name Nightcore. The idea spread online, and over time “nightcore” came to describe any song sped up in that way, whatever the original genre. On YouTube, nightcore uploads became known for pairing the audio with anime-style artwork, a visual habit that is still common today.

You don’t need a DAW or plugins to make one. This nightcore generator applies the speed change, raises the pitch and adds a small amount of reverb in one step, and you can hear every adjustment live before you download.

Typical nightcore settings

The key number is the speed. Because the pitch follows the speed (just like playing a record at the wrong RPM), every step up in tempo also lifts the key. Here is how the common nightcore speeds compare, using a 120 BPM song as an example:

The pitch shift follows a simple rule: semitones = 12 × log2(speed). That is why 1.25× lands close to four semitones up, and why going past 1.3× quickly starts to sound unnatural on vocals. The tool shows an estimated BPM for your song along with the new tempo after the change, which is handy if you are matching the edit to a dance or a video cut.

What the Nightcore preset does

Loading this page starts you on the Nightcore preset: 1.25× speed with the pitch following, a light plate reverb (10% amount, 1.5 s decay), a small treble lift of +1.5 dB and +1 dB of bass. The plate reverb is short and bright, so it adds a bit of sheen without blurring the faster rhythm the way a long hall would. If you want a completely dry edit, set the reverb amount to 0%.

Tips for a cleaner nightcore edit

Keep the highs from getting harsh

Speeding up a song pushes everything up the spectrum. Cymbals, hi-hats and “s” sounds that were comfortable in the original can turn piercing at 1.25×. Two quick fixes: lower the treble (a 6 kHz shelf) by 1–3 dB, or bring the high cut down from 20 kHz to somewhere around 14–16 kHz. Use the Original button (or press B) to flip between your edit and the source and check that you haven’t dulled it too much.

Leave the limiter on

The limiter is on by default, and it is worth keeping it that way. A brighter, faster mix with extra bass can clip on loud choruses; the limiter catches those peaks. When exporting, you can also normalize to −1 dB peak so the file comes out loud without distortion.

Don’t forget the bass

Raising the pitch moves the bass line up too, so nightcore can sound thin. A few dB on the bass control (a 100 Hz shelf) puts some weight back. For a much heavier low end, the bass booster has its own starting point.

Want the pitch to stay put?

Switch the pitch mode to Set separately and the speed only changes the tempo. That isn’t traditional nightcore, but it is useful if a singer sounds too squeaky at 1.25×. You can then raise the key by a smaller amount, say +2 semitones, and turn on “Natural-sounding vocals” to keep the voice from sounding thin. The pitch changer covers this kind of key change in more detail.

Making a nightcore video

Because nightcore is so closely tied to YouTube uploads with anime-style art, the video export is a natural fit. In the download panel choose Video, then:

• Pick 16:9 for a regular YouTube upload, 9:16 for Shorts, TikTok or Reels, or 1:1 for a square post.
• Use the song’s cover art, choose your own image (such as an illustration you have the rights to use), or fall back to a gradient.
• Add a title and subtitle, and turn on the audio visualizer if you want movement on screen.

The result is a 1080p MP4 (H.264 video with AAC audio). Video export works in Chrome, Edge and Safari; in Firefox it depends on your platform. For a walkthrough of formats and posting, see our guide to posting edits on TikTok and YouTube.

Nightcore vs sped up vs daycore

These names get used loosely, but there are some useful distinctions:

• Nightcore is usually around 1.25× or faster, pitch up, often with a bright mix and anime-style visuals.
• Sped up edits are often gentler, around 1.1–1.2×, and are associated with short-form clips. Our sped up song maker starts at 1.2× with no reverb.
• Daycore flips the idea: slower and lower, with a soft reverb. Try the daycore maker to hear the opposite direction.

If you want the full comparison, including how each relates to slowed + reverb, read nightcore vs daycore vs slowed.

Private and free

The whole edit happens in your browser tab. Your song is decoded, sped up and encoded on your own device, so nothing is uploaded and there is no queue or file-size cap beyond your device’s memory. Exports keep the title, artist and cover art from the original file. It is free, with no account and no watermark.

One honest note: a nightcore edit is still someone else’s song. Make edits of music you own or are allowed to remix if you plan to publish them, and check each platform’s rules before posting.