If you are a producer who appreciates fantastical, trippy sound design, the Eventide Audio Undulator Plugin may just be the tool you need. This latest unique effect plugin from Eventide Audio is inspired by the iconic sound of the legendary H3000 series. It is a programmable, modulated tremolo effect that adds movement to strings, pads, guitars, keys, and any other sounds that one might consider experimenting with. All in all, the Undulator proves to be a transformative tool in one’s sound design arsenal, often engulfing the listener in ethereal and far-out soundscapes with its tremolos and delays.
The Eventide Audio Undulator plugin comes from a family of renowned multi-purpose digital audio processing products that date back to the 1970s. Plugins like the Undulator, as well as the recent Crystals plugin, pay homage to the classic sounds of these breakthrough processors. They do so underneath the hood of very clean and straight-forward user interfaces.
With just a few parameters, the Undulator plugin works to generate a range of unique tremolo, feedback, rhythmic, and detuned effects. Using these, you can surely develop a more deeply-layered mix.
Main Parameters
Eventide Audio Undulator Plugin LFO Controls
The main LFO parameters control the basic shape and intensity of the tremolo effect:
- WET/DRY MIX – Blend the wet signal with the dry one.
- DEPTH – Control the tremolo depth.
- SPEED – Control the tremolo speed (either synced or un-synced to tempo).
- SHAPE – Control the shape of main LFO’s envelope.
- FEEDBACK – Increase for more accentuated effects or create infinite loops.
- SPREAD – Control the amount of detuning on the plugin delays for a wider sound.
Secondary LFO
A few additional parameters control the Undulator’s secondary LFO, which ends up modulating the main LFO. This lets you alter the rhythmic feel of the sound, and determines how fast the depth and speed modulation “wiggle” their targets:
- DEPTH AMOUNT – Create FM modulation; modulate the DEPTH parameter.
- SPEED AMOUNT – Create AM modulation; modulate the SPEED parameter.
- RATE – Change the secondary LFO rate.
- SOURCE – Choose the secondary LFO source.
Ribbon
The RIBBON links the different parameters of the plugin to a large, programmable macro slider bar that can be controlled with MIDI. This lets you ‘play’ the effect in real-time, providing dynamic morphology between your settings. I encourage linking the RIBBON to a MIDI keyboard modulation wheel if possible, for even truer playability.
Toggles
- ACTIVE/INACTIVE – Activate or deactivate the plugin.
- FAST/SLOW – Instantly switch into a “slow LFO” mode. Hold this toggle down to “brake,” or temporarily slow down the LFOs at a constant rate until released.
- TAP – Update the tremolo speed in real-time.
- MANUAL/SYNC TEMPO – Lock or unlock the modulated tremolo effect to your project’s tempo. If you are using manual tempo, you can set the BPM quite high to create specific kinds of ambiance with ultra-fast tremolo.
Eventide Audio Undulator Plugin Pricing and Availability
The Eventide Audio Undulator Plugin is available now for $19. You can also download a fully-functional 30-day demo from Eventide’s website. It is available for Mac and Windows as a VST, AAX, and AU plugin, and is also available on the App Store for iOS as a standalone app, AudioUnit v3 plugin, or Inter-App audio effect.
As Eventide Audio stands in solidarity with the Black community in the fight against systemic racism, all proceeds from the Undulator desktop plugin will be donated to the Equal Justice Initiative, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, two organizations that support justice and social change.
