Effects Reference
This page explains every effect you can add from the FX rack's + Node ▾ library — what each one does, and what each of its knobs actually changes — in plain language, no audio degree required. Add and arrange them on the FX tab.
All FX inserts are a Premium feature.
The channel's three core processors — Equalizer, Noise Gate and Compressor — have their own pages and are always available. This page covers the optional effects you bolt on yourself.
Controls you'll meet again and again
Many effects share the same kinds of knob. Learn these once and most effects explain themselves:
| Control | In plain words |
|---|---|
| Wet / Mix (%) | How much of the effected sound you hear versus the untouched original ("dry"). 0 % = effect off, 100 % = only the effect. |
| Threshold (dB) | The loudness line where a processor starts acting. Above it the sound is treated; below it is left alone (gates/expanders work the other way round). |
| Ratio (:1) | How hard levels are reduced once past the threshold. 4:1 = for every 4 dB over, only 1 dB comes out. |
| Attack (ms) | How fast the effect grabs the sound after it crosses the threshold. Short = snappy, long = gentle. |
| Release (ms) | How fast it lets go again afterwards. |
| Knee (dB) | How gradually the effect eases in around the threshold. Soft (bigger) = smooth, hard (smaller) = abrupt. |
| Range (dB) | The most the effect will turn the sound down. |
| Rate (Hz) | The speed of a sweeping/wobbling effect. Higher = faster. |
| Depth (%) | How strong that sweep/wobble is. |
| Feedback (%) | How much of the output is fed back into the effect — more repeats (delay) or a more intense, resonant character (chorus/flanger/phaser). |
dB = loudness · ms = milliseconds (1000 = 1 second) · Hz = cycles per second.
Dynamics — controlling loudness
📶 Gain
A plain volume trim you can drop anywhere in the chain to make the signal louder or quieter at that exact point — handy for feeding the next effect a healthier level.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| GAIN | Boost (+) or cut (−) the level. 0 = no change. | −24…+24 dB (0) |
🔒 Limiter
A firm ceiling for loudness: the signal can get as loud as the ceiling but never louder. Use it to stop a hot effect or a peaky source from spiking.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| CEILING | The hard maximum — nothing passes louder than this. | −30…0 dBTP (−1) |
| ATTACK | How fast it clamps a peak. Very short = catches everything; a touch longer = more natural. | 0.1…10 ms (0.5) |
| RELEASE | How fast it recovers after a peak passes. | 10…2000 ms (50) |
↔ Expander
The gentle opposite of a compressor: it makes quiet parts quieter, widening the gap between loud and soft. Great for pushing down low-level background noise without the hard cut of a gate.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| THRESH | Below this level the signal starts getting turned down. | −60…0 dB (−40) |
| RATIO | How aggressively quiet parts are pushed down. | 1…10 : 1 (2) |
| RANGE | The most it will turn the quiet parts down. | 0…60 dB (40) |
| ATTACK | How fast it returns to full volume when sound rises above the threshold. | 0.1…50 ms (5) |
| RELEASE | How fast it ducks back down when sound falls below it. | 10…1000 ms (150) |
🔉 De-esser
Tames harsh "s", "sh" and "t" sounds (sibilance) that bright microphones exaggerate. It listens to a narrow high band and only ducks when those sharp sounds appear.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| FREQ | Where the harshness lives — slide it until the "ess" sounds are caught. | 2,000…12,000 Hz (6,000) |
| THRESH | How loud an "ess" has to be before it's tamed. Lower = more de-essing. | −40…0 dB (−24) |
| RATIO | How hard the caught "ess" is reduced. | 1…20 : 1 (6) |
| RANGE | The most it will turn a harsh sound down. | 0…18 dB (12) |
🔊 Loudness Equalization
Keeps everything at a steady, comfortable volume — quiet passages are lifted and sudden loud moments are reined in. The same idea as Windows' "Loudness Equalization", but smarter and tuneable: it's built so a game's footsteps stay audible while the gunshots don't deafen you. Ideal for late-night listening and chaotic game audio where whispers and explosions live side by side.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| STRENGTH | How hard it pulls everything toward the target loudness. 0 = off. | 0…100 % (70) |
| TARGET | The comfortable level it aims to hold. | −30…−6 dB (−18) |
| ATTACK | How fast it turns down when things get loud. | 1…50 ms (5) |
| RELEASE | How fast it turns up when things get quiet. | 100…3,000 ms (800) |
| RMS WIN | The window it averages loudness over. Longer = calmer and steadier (a single burst won't duck everything); shorter = reacts faster. Either way it recovers quickly, so quiet detail returns promptly after a loud moment. | 100…3,000 ms (1,500) |
| MAX BOOST | The most it's allowed to lift quiet material. The lift is fairly even across the spectrum — only sub-bass is held back (~50 %) to avoid boom, while the mids lift nearly fully. The highs — where the direction cues live — are set separately by the AIR control. Lower this if quiet moments still get too loud. | 0…24 dB (24) |
| AIR | High-frequency emphasis. The highs carry the direction cues (which way an enemy is) — but also the harsh, sibilant top. Low = warm and safe; high = bright and precise (can sting). Dial it to your headphones — there's no universal "right". | 0…100 % (50) |
| BED REJECT | How much of the steady background to hold down. Each band learns its own noise floor; this sets how strongly sounds sitting at that floor (room tone, hiss, ambience) are kept from being boosted, while detail rising above it (footsteps) still lifts. Higher = less background, more contrast. | 0…100 % (70) |
Compressor — a built-in transient catcher that clamps the sudden loud peaks (the gunshots) so they're tamed instead of blasting:
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| KNEE | The level where the catcher starts acting on a peak. Higher = less of it. | −20…0 dB (−6) |
| RATIO | How hard it clamps those peaks once past the knee. | 1…20 : 1 (8) |
How the lift is shaped — the signal is split into five frequency bands (LR4 crossovers at 150 / 500 / 1500 / 4000 Hz), each with its own AGC and boost ceiling. The profile is kept fairly even — only sub-bass is held back to avoid boom — so the high-frequency direction cues survive the lift and footsteps stay locatable (the AIR knob sets how much of that high-frequency detail comes through). Each band also tracks its own noise floor (see BED REJECT) so the steady background stays put while footsteps cut through.
Three switches fine-tune the behaviour: BOOST QUIET (lift quiet material, not just duck loud), LIMIT PEAKS (add a final brick-wall so nothing slips through), and MONO ANALYSIS (judge loudness in mono so left and right rise and fall together).
EQ / Filters — shaping tone
〰 3-band EQ
A quick, three-knob tone shaper: bass, middle and treble. For detailed work use the channel's full Equalizer instead — this is the fast option mid-chain.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| LOW | Boost/cut the bass (a shelf at 100 Hz). | −12…+12 dB (0) |
| MID | Boost/cut the middle — where voices and most instruments sit. | −12…+12 dB (0) |
| HIGH | Boost/cut the treble (a shelf at 10 kHz). | −12…+12 dB (0) |
| MID FREQ | Which middle frequency the MID knob acts on. | 200…5,000 Hz (1,000) |
📊 Graphic EQ (10-band)
Ten sliders across the frequency range (31.5 Hz up to 16 kHz), like the equalizer on a classic stereo. Pull a slider up to boost that band, down to cut it — draw the shape you want.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| Each band (31.5, 63, 125, 250, 500 Hz · 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 kHz) | Boost/cut that slice of the spectrum. | −12…+12 dB (0) |
Repair & cleanup
🔇 Noise Suppressor
Removes steady background noise — hiss, hum, fan or air-conditioning — by learning the constant "noise floor" and ducking the signal down toward it whenever you're not actually making sound. Best for constant noise, not one-off bangs.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| AMOUNT | Overall strength. 0 = off, higher = more aggressive cleanup. | 0…100 % (60) |
| MARGIN | How far above the learned noise level your real signal must rise to count as "wanted". Higher = cuts more borderline-quiet sound (cleaner, but can clip soft tails). | 0…40 dB (12) |
| RANGE | How deep the cut goes when it does duck — i.e. how far the noise is pushed down. | 0…40 dB (24) |
⏤ DC Offset Remover
A clean-up filter that strips out inaudible ultra-low rumble and "DC offset" (a constant electrical bias some devices add) below the corner frequency. Set-and-forget; leaves the music untouched.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| CORNER | Everything below this frequency is removed. | 5…40 Hz (10) |
Time / Space — ambience and echo
🏛 Reverb
Adds the natural reflections of a room — from a small booth to a big hall — so a dry, close sound feels like it's in a real space.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| WET | How much reverb you hear mixed in. 0 % = bone dry, higher = more "in a room". | 0…100 % (30) |
| ROOM | The size of the space — bigger room = longer, more spacious tail. | 0…100 % (75) |
| DAMP | How quickly the echo's brightness fades. More damping = darker, softer tail (like a carpeted room); less = brighter and more lively. | 0…100 % (50) |
| PRE DLY | A short gap before the reverb starts, separating the original sound from its tail. A little makes speech clearer and the space feel bigger. | 0…100 ms (20) |
⏱ Delay
An echo that repeats the sound after a set time. A few repeats add depth; many create rhythmic echoes.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| WET | How loud the echoes are against the original. | 0…100 % (30) |
| TIME | The gap between repeats. Short = slap-back/thickening; long = distinct echoes. | 1…2,000 ms (250) |
| FEEDBACK | How many times it repeats. 0 % = one echo; higher = a longer trail (near 95 % = many). | 0…95 % (30) |
Modulation — movement and colour
These create motion by mixing the sound with slightly shifted copies of itself.
🌊 Chorus
Makes one voice or instrument sound like several playing together — richer, wider, "shimmering". Subtle on vocals, lush on synths and guitars.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| MIX | How much of the effect is blended in. | 0…100 % (50) |
| RATE | Speed of the shimmer. | 0.1…5 Hz (0.6) |
| DEPTH | How wide/strong the shimmer is. | 0…100 % (50) |
| FEEDBACK | Adds resonance for a more intense, swirly tone. | 0…95 % (10) |
〜 Flanger
A dramatic "whooshing, jet-plane" sweep. More extreme than chorus.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| MIX | How much of the effect is blended in. | 0…100 % (50) |
| RATE | Speed of the sweep. | 0.05…2 Hz (0.25) |
| DEPTH | How far the sweep travels. | 0…100 % (70) |
| FEEDBACK | Intensity of the metallic, resonant edge. | 0…95 % (50) |
🔄 Phaser
A smooth, swirling "underwater" sweep — gentler and more psychedelic than a flanger.
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| MIX | How much of the effect is blended in. | 0…100 % (50) |
| RATE | Speed of the swirl. | 0.05…2 Hz (0.4) |
| DEPTH | How pronounced the swirl is. | 0…100 % (70) |
| FEEDBACK | Sharpens the effect into a more resonant, vocal sweep. | 0…95 % (30) |
🎵 Pitch Shifter
Raises or lowers the pitch without changing the speed — drop a voice an octave for anonymity, or nudge it up a touch. (It's real-time, so big shifts can sound slightly grainy on sharp sounds.)
| Control | What it changes | Range (default) |
|---|---|---|
| SEMITONES | Coarse pitch in musical half-steps (12 = one octave up, −12 = one octave down). | −12…+12 (0) |
| FINE | Fine tuning in cents (100 cents = one semitone). | −50…+50 (0) |
| MIX | Blend of shifted vs original — keep some original for a doubling/harmony feel. | 0…100 % (100) |
Routing (placeholders)
⬌ Sidechain Receive and 🔌 VST3 Plugin appear in the library but aren't wired up yet — they expose no controls and don't affect the sound. They're reserved for a future release.