A great sounding reverb is arguably one of the most important factors in achieving a full and atmospheric mix, and with that in mind, the SoundSpot® team set out to create a reverb that can deliver to the demands of modern production. After many months of development we are proud to announce the arrival of the Oracle Algoverb.
The Oracle is a one stop shop for all your creative reverb needs, and can be used on any sound source to great effect. From adding a sense of depth to piano melodies, to making synthesised soundscapes sound huge, the Oracle has it covered.
Key Features
- Intuitive, easy to navigate user interface.
- Designed to work flawlessly with touch controllers such as the Raven by Slate Media.
- Stereo imaging controls for accurate placement in the stereo field.
- Analogue style compressor with visual waveform feedback.
- Bandpass filter to sculpt the sound and remove unwanted frequencies.
- LFO effect to create movement to the amplitude of the signal.
- Flanger effect to keep your reverbs interesting.
- Saturation effect to add warmth or distortion to the signal.
- Preset manager to save & share your own reverb designs.
REVERB
As modern music can be a highly complex affair, with the layering of software instruments common place in most productions, the need for a CPU efficient reverb is increasingly important. As impulse response reverbs, otherwise known as convolution reverbs can be highly CPU intensive, we decided that developing an algorithmic reverb was the way to go, and set out to create a signal that was sonically pleasing, but lightweight and versatile.
We happily succeeded in the dsp department, but felt there must be a better way to visualise the signal, so we created the Sinescope. The Sinescope reacts to the signal in a way that sound waves would if they were reflecting off a surface, with the initial wave dissipating over time. The Sinescope visualisation allows you to monitor the tail of the reverb, and make accurate mixing decisions based on other sounds in the mix.
IMAGING
Having a great sounding reverb is a wonderful thing, but things can quickly become messy when the available space in the stereo field is limited, so it’s important to have the tools to place the reverb signal in the perfect place. With this in mind we included our best selling mono/stereo maker algorithm which allows you to narrow or widen the reverb, depending on your goals. But we didn’t stop there. We realise that once you have the perfect width, you will need to pinpoint a position in the stereo field with the reverb, so we included our best selling mid/side panning algorithm as well, to help you get the precision placement you need.
FILTER CUT
No reverb would be complete without the ability to shave off areas of the signal to prevent muddying the mix, so we included the analogue style filters from our Overtone plugin to remove any unwanted frequencies without affecting the original signal. The filter section allows you to select the low and high frequency range with slope controls from 12dB to 48dB octave and also see visual feedback from the spectrum analyser.
SATURATION
Saturation is that age old technique that adds that little something extra to your sounds, and as many producers add saturation after the reverb on their signal chain, we felt it only right to include this into the Oracle. But we haven’t added just any saturation… We’ve taken the same algorithm found in our powerful Halcyon plugin along with the unique FFT graph which clearly displays the additional processed signal in the the red graph. We’ve also included the attack and release parameters, so you can have hard distortion to warming and everything in between.
LFO
Adding movement to your sounds will keep listeners tuned in and engaged with your music. After this feature was so well received on our Halcyon plugin, we decided to experiment with LFO and reverb, and we’re so glad we did. The LFO function auto syncs with your DAW, as can do everything from gradually build the reverb signal over time giving a sense of tension and anticipation to your sounds, to ducking the kick drum keeping your mix tight and atmospheric. The LFO feature has 4 wave shapes which can be inverted to produce a variation to the effect, whilst the time sync ranges from 1/32 to 32 bars, so there’s a setting for all requirements. The range control allows you to choose the depth of the effect, from pumping to subtle.
FLANGER
The flanger combined with the other effects in the Oracle, allows you to really make something unique. This effect can be used to add a unique touch to your sound, and works especially well on percussive instruments and sound effects. You’ll find familiar controls of rate, depth, feedback and mix, along with the ability to switch between mono and stereo. Plus the visual display allows you to see what the effect is doing.
COMPRESSOR
Last but not least is the compressor settings. We knew that most producers add a compressor after their reverb insert to help make the signal more audible in a busy mix, so we added a compressor with a visual display that allows users to actually see what is happening to the waveform.
Simply pull down the threshold bar to the desired level and adjust the ratio, attack & release to see in realtime how the sound is being altered. The grey area shows the amount of compression taking place, making it simple and accurate to dial in just the right amount of makeup gain.
