modulation suite · the manual, first draft
Tide
Four swirls share one feedback loop, and the loop is allowed to sing.
Phaser, flanger, chorus and doubler in one instrument of tides. Slow, deep movement with feedback that is allowed to sing.
soft.systems · VST3 / CLAP / AUv3 · macOS & Windows & iPadOS
01the plugin
overview
Damping and drive sit inside the loop, and the low end takes its own path around it, so heavy settings stay solid underneath.
The sweep runs free, follows the tempo, or restarts on transients, on the bar or from MIDI notes. The big display in the middle is also an XY pad.
This manual is a draft. The full manual, control by control, comes with the release.
02the plugin
activation
sign in once
- In the plugin's licence panel, choose sign in. Your browser opens this website with a short code.
- Sign in if you aren't already, then approve the code.
- The plugin installs its licence. From then on it checks the licence on this computer, offline.
One licence covers 3 computers at a time. To free a computer, deactivate it from the plugin or from your account page.
computers without internet
The plugin shows a machine ID. Paste it on your account page, download the licence file, and load it in the plugin. The file uses one of your 3 computers.
staying offline
When the plugin happens to be online, it refreshes its licence about every 60 days. If it can't reach the website, it keeps working.
03controls
modes
| control | what it does |
|---|---|
Flanger |
delay, feedback and damping; classic, hollow or diffuse; through-zero |
Chorus |
one to three voices with bucket-brigade darkening |
Doubler |
no feedback here: it doubles, it doesn't comb |
Phaser |
up to 42 notches; modern, classic, or an endless barber-pole rise |
04controls
motion
| control | what it does |
|---|---|
LFO |
eight shapes, from sine to sample-and-hold and a smooth glider |
Rate |
in hertz or locked to the tempo |
Phase L/R |
offsets the two channels for width |
Env |
the input's envelope pushes the sweep |
Restarts on |
free, on transients, on the bar, or on a MIDI note |
05controls
tone and output
| control | what it does |
|---|---|
Drive |
saturation inside the feedback loop |
Lows |
keeps the low end out of the swirl |
Width |
stereo width, with cross-feed and detune |
Oversampling |
1x to 8x, for clean extreme settings |
XY pad |
the display drives any two of 22 parameters |
06reference
design notes
the display is the controller
Each mode draws its own live view, and dragging on it moves the two parameters you pick.
sweeps that land on time
Restart the LFO on transients, bar lines or MIDI notes, so the swirl follows the music.
a phaser that never ends
The barber-pole model rises forever without ever arriving.
07reference
specifications
| spec | value |
|---|---|
| formats | VST3 · CLAP · AUv3 |
| platforms | macOS · Windows · iPadOS |
| licence | 3 computers at a time, checked offline |
| status | in development |
08reference
questions
how many computers can i use it on?
Three at a time. Sign in once from the plugin and it checks its licence on that computer without going online again. Deactivating a computer, from the plugin's settings or from your account page, frees its slot.
my studio computer is offline. can i still activate?
Yes. The plugin shows a machine ID; paste it on your account page and download a licence file for that computer. It counts as one of your three.
do updates cost anything?
Not within the version you bought. Download them from your account page.
still stuck?
Write to hello@softsystems.app with your system, your host and the plugin's version. If it crashed, attach the crash report.
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