Valhalla DSP has released ValhallaShimmer, a new algorithmic reverberation plug-in designed to produce BIG sounds, from concert halls, to the Taj Mahal, to the halls of Valhalla. Initially it's available for Mac OS X in VST, AU and RTAS effect plug-in formats. Windows VST and RTAS versions are coming soon. It costs $50.
At its core, ValhallaShimmer is a high quality reverberator, designed to produce a smooth decay, that is both dense and colorless. There are several reverberation modes available, to allow the user to dial in reverb decays of different sizes, ranging from smaller rooms to vast ambiences.
- By adjusting the Feedback, Diffusion and Size controls, the attack, sustain and decay of the reverb signal can be fine tuned.
- The modulation controls can be set to produce subtle mode thickening, glistening string ensemble-esque decays, and the distinctive random modulation of the older Lexicon hall algorithms.
- Two tone controls and the Color Mode selector allow the timbre to be adjusted from bright and glistening to a more natural dark decay, similar to that produced by air absorption in large spaces.
In addition, ValhallaShimmer has the ability to pitch shift the feedback signal. There are 5 pitch shift modes available:
- Single, where the feedback is shifted up or down by the Shift value.
- Dual, where the feedback is shifted both up and down (in parallel) by the Shift value.
- SingleReverse, where each grain is reversed before it is pitch shifted. This results in a smoother pitch shifting sound than the Single mode.
- DualReverse. Similar to the Dual mode, but with reversed grains, for a smoother pitch shifting sound.
- Bypass, which turns off the pitch shifting (useful for "standard" reverb sounds).
By setting the Shift amount to +12 semitones, and the Feedback to 0.5 or greater, the classic "shimmer" sound is produced, as heard on Eno / Lanois productions for U2 and others. A wide variety of other sounds can be created by the algorithm, ranging from spring-esque reverbs to "reverse" reverbs, to glistening pitch shifted pads that are usually associated with high end hardware processors.
ValhallaShimmer has been designed to be tweaked in real time. All of the sliders have a smoothed response, to avoid clicks when changing settings or automating the controls. At the same time, the algorithm has been highly optimized, so you get a huge reverb sound without straining your CPU.
The algorithms in ValhallaShimmer are the results of over a decade of research into both reverberation algorithms and pitch shift algorithms.
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