Effective FX is an independent, experimental audio tech studio based in Baltimore, Maryland. Their latest release is Poltergeist, a free experimental modulation effect for macOS and Windows.
Poltergeist is a multi-stage effect that definitely fits the experimental category.
The plugin generates fractal-like phasing patterns using the incoming audio at multiple stages. That short description already tells us that we have something capable of being incredibly transformative and even running wild if we aren’t careful.
Poltergeist offers everything from subtle depth and texture to chaotic evolutions or the reimagining of traditional analogue effects.
Frostwave Audio is a developer taking a more direct approach to recreating vintage analogue effects with its recent freebie, Tubeshifter; if you haven’t already, check it out.
The various modulation stages of the Poltergeist effect are Dr, P, Tx, C/a, and C/b.
With Feedback and Delay controls, the Dr (Drive) stage stretches the signal and drives the following stages. The Feedback control allows you to set the foundations for ghostly echoes.
The P stage is next in the chain, which drives phase shifts in the output. It includes controls for Range, Period, Center Frequency, and Layers. The Range control sets the range of P-stage modulation in octaves, determining the movement amount in the phase shift effects.
You can fine-tune the shifting effect further by adjusting the Center Frequency from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
The C stages (C/a and C/b) are parallel and symmetrically offset. These two stages modify the complexity of the effect with Delay, Feedback, Mod Depth, and Mod Period controls.
You can bypass one or both of these stages to understand the previous stages better before the effect gets more complex. The Mod Period control adjusts the cycle time of the delay from 10 ms to four seconds.
Varying the cycle time produces interesting results, ranging from subtle timbre changes to wobbles and slowly evolving soundscapes.
Last up is the Tx (Texture) stage; the Tx stage impacts everything that comes before it, besides the Dr stage. The OSC button is an LFO on/off switch; turning it off allows much cleaner effects without stereo modulation.
Enabling the LFO allows much more complex effects and lets you make better use of the Stereo button to create a wide panning effect. The Feedback Texture control rounds or sharpens the audio’s texture to adjust the sound’s impact.
The developer encourages using Poltergeist on synths, guitars, bass, drums, vocals, or entire mixes.
Ross Wallgren, the man behind Effective FX, has posted some videos demonstrating how Poltergeist can help your hi-hats stand out and how it sounds when used on every track.
Poltergeist is available in AU and VST3 formats for macOS and Windows.
Download: Poltergeist (FREE – email required)
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