Overview

Cluster Delay is a multi-tap delay with controls designed for quickly creating complex rhythms and spatial effects. It features an effect slot with six routable effects and integrated ducking to maintain clarity in your mix.

Both the standalone plugin and effect rack version include presets ranging from retro tape delays to modern soundscapes.

1. Time & Feedback Controls

TIME RANGE: Choose how you would like to set the delay time. FREE mode is in seconds, while the other options sync the delay time to the current BPM.

TIME: Set the delay time in seconds or as a BPM-synced value.

SPREAD: Offset the TIME for the two delay channels to create interesting stereo effects. This can be used to create subtle stereo-width or wide alternating patterns.

SPREAD SYNC BUTTON: When active, SPREAD will be synced to divisions of the current delay TIME.

FEEDBACK AMOUNT: Adjust how much of the delay line is fed back into itself. More feedback will result in longer delays, and at 100%, the delay will sustain nearly indefinitely.

ANALOG MODE: When active, the delay line will use analog-modeled processing inspired by vintage delays. Try using this with high feedback and lowpass filtering to get a rich tape-like delay.

CROSSFEED AMOUNT: Adjust how much of the left channel's feedback is sent into the right channel's delay line and vice versa. This can be used to create ping-pong delay effects when combined with SPREAD.

2. Display Controls

TAP COUNT: Set the current number of delay taps. TAP COUNT can be thought of as the number of beats in a rhythmic sequence where each beat's length is the current TIME setting. This means that more taps will result in a longer delay effect. For example, if the delay time is set to 1/4 note and you have four taps, then the sequence length will be four quarter notes (one bar) long.

STEREO MODE: Choose between stereo and mid-side modes. Mid-side mode can be useful for creating complex spaces that preserve the stereo image.

3. Tap Controls

TAP SPACING: Create rhythmic delay patterns by shifting the tap times forward or backward in time. The overall sequence length is determined by TIME and TAP COUNT and will always be preserved.

SPACING SNAP: When active, each tap time will snap to the nearest division of the delay TIME. This way you can create perfectly synced rhythmic delay sequences.

TAP RAMP: Create sweeping gain changes in the tap sequence. Positive RAMP settings will make each tap quieter than the last, while negative settings will start quiet and become louder.

TAP SCATTER: Pan each tap to create stereo movement within the delay sequence.

HIGHPASS CUTOFF: Adjust the frequency of the highpass filter in the delay line. This can be useful for removing low-end buildup, or more creative effects.

LOWPASS CUTOFF: Adjust the frequency of the lowpass filter in the delay line. This can be useful for creating warm, naturally-decaying effects.

CLEAR DELAY: Clear the current delay line and feedback. This can be used to stop out-of-control delay lines but it's also useful when adjusting a very long tap pattern.

4. Delay Effects

EFFECT TYPE: Choose from a variety of delay effects to add character and tone to the delay.

• WOBBLE: Add time modulation similar to tape wow and flutter to the delay line. This is great for vintage-style delays.
• DIFFUSION: Add reverb-like diffusion that blurs the delay line in time. Try using this for ambient delay effects.
• CHORUS: Add rich detuning to the delay line for lush, unison-like effects.
• PHASER: Add sweeping phasing effects to the delay line.
• FLANGER: Add subtle to extreme flanging to the delay line.
• FREQUENCY SHIFT: Shift the delay line up or down using inharmonic frequency shifting. This is great for sound effects and swirling barber-pole effects.

EFFECT ROUTING: Choose where in the delay line the effect is placed.

• INPUT: The effect will be applied to the input signal. This results in a layered effect that matches how the delay layers your input material.
• FEEDBACK: The effect will be applied within the delay's feedback loop. This option makes the delay effect more intense each time the tap sequence repeats, but it can also cause the delay to get out of control.
• OUTPUT: The effect will be applied to the delay's output. This results in the cleanest effect and will not interact with the other delay settings like the other routing options.

EFFECT DEPTH: Set the depth of the currently selected delay effect.

EFFECT RATE: Set the rate of the currently selected delay effect.

DIFFUSION SIZE: Adjust how large of a space the DIFFUSION effect creates.

DIFFUSION MODULATION: Adjust how much modulation is applied to the diffusion. This can create chorus-like detuning effects.

FREQUENCY SHIFT: Adjust how much the delay is frequency shifted up or down. Try combining this with FEEDBACK routing to get cascading pitch effects.

EFFECT MIX: Adjust the balance between the dry delay signal and the effect's output.

RATE SYNC: Enable BPM sync for the effect's RATE.

EFFECT WIDTH: Adjust the stereo width for the currently selected effect.

5. Ducker

DEPTH: Adjust how much the dry input signal will duck the wet delay signal.

This can be very useful for preventing long delays from mixing with the dry signal.

TIME: Adjust the release time of the auto-ducker.

Less time will result in abrupt gain changes while higher values will create intense pumping effects.

6. Utility Controls

INPUT GAIN: Adjusts the gain sent into the effect.

INPUT SEND BUTTON: When active, the input gain will only affect the signal being sent to the effect, leaving the dry signal unaffected. Try combining this with automation or modulation to send only specific parts of your input through the effect.

Try combining this with automation or modulation to send only certain parts of your input through the effect.

DRY WET: Adjusts the balance between the processed (wet) signal and the unprocessed (dry) signal.

OUTPUT GAIN: Adjusts the gain at the end of the effect's processing chain, useful for compensating gain changes or adding creative effects.

OUTPUT SOFT CLIP: Enables a soft-clipping "glue" limiter that prevents output levels from exceeding 0 dB, with the following modes:

• OFF: Limiter is disabled.
• PURPLE: Gentle limiting and saturation, useful for preventing overs while keeping a smoother sound.
• ORANGE: Punchy soft clipping, ideal for more aggressive sounds.