Learn · All Quick-Starts · 6 min
DRIFT
quick-start.
Set up a tempo-locked character delay with dub-style tone and ducking that stays out of the vocal's way.
6 steps · every control name is the real one · Delay
Pick MODE and STYLE
MODE picks the engine: TAPE for classic warmth, BBD for dark analog repeats, DIGITAL for clean, GHOST for frequency-shifted weirdness, PITCH for shimmering repeats, REVERSE for backwards throws. Each mode has five STYLE variants — audition a couple before dialing.
Sync the time
Set SYNC in the header, then pick a division on the DELAY ON GRID row (1/1 … 1/16; TAP taps it) — dotted 8th is the money setting for vocals and melodies. In TIME, DELAY / DELAY R (or RATIO) set the two sides, SPREAD offsets them, and you can drag the dots on the ECHO FIELD to shape taps directly.
Set FEEDBACK
In ENGINE, raise FEEDBACK for more repeats — 100% is the longest tail that still decays. DIFFUSE smears each repeat toward a wash and MORPH melts discrete echoes into reverb. SLEW (in TIME) controls how the time behaves when changed — in REPITCH mode the tail dives or rises like tape varispeed.
Add character
In CHARACTER, push DRIVE so the repeats inherit saturation grit, and raise AGE for mode-dependent wear — HF loss and noise on Tape/BBD, bit-crush on Digital. WOW and FLUTTER add tape-transport drift that never repeats; FREQ, PITCH and DETUNE feed the Ghost and Pitch engines.
Shape the tone
In TONE, set LOW CUT and HIGH CUT in the feedback path so repeats get darker and thinner as they decay — the classic dub move. Raise RESO for a resonant peak that builds over the repeats (it's bounded automatically at high FEEDBACK).
Duck under the source
In DUCK, raise DUCK so echoes tuck down while the vocal sings and bloom in the gaps; DUCK ATT / DUCK REL set how fast that happens. Finish in OUTPUT with WIDTH, MIX and OUTPUT.
Pro moves
Once it's working.
- The time mode matters: REPITCH glides like varispeed tape, FADE crossfades to the new time with no pitch bend, JUMP snaps. Automate time changes in REPITCH for dive-bomb transitions.
- FREEZE (in STATE) holds the buffer losslessly — the loop stops running through the filters so it never darkens. Use FEED to layer new material into a frozen loop.
- MOD RATE / MOD DEPTH in MOTION add slow pitch movement to the repeats; the dice button randomizes the whole patch — hit it a few times and A/B the accidents.
