Phantom Sounds has taken the wraps off their latest freebie, Orbit, a reverb plugin that’s about to change the game. This AU, VST3, and AAX format plugin is compatible with both macOS and Windows, making it accessible to producers worldwide.
Orbit’s twist is its spatial reverb with a rotating wet signal, giving it a character that standard reverbs just can’t match. The interface features a beautiful planetary-orbit graphic that provides visual feedback on the reverb movement, while the four controls – Spin, Distance, Gravity, and Mix – allow you to fine-tune the effect.
Spin adjusts the orbit speed, with the option to sync to your DAW; Distance changes the size of the orbit; Gravity alters its shape between round and oval. As for Gravity control, it’s a way to add more variation to the motion, bringing it closer at certain points in the orbit. Finally, Mix blends the dry and wet signals, as you’d expect.
While Orbit is versatile enough to be used on any source, I find myself reaching for it most often when processing guitars and keys playing sparse melodic lines or ambient chords. Even at slower speeds, I’m not mad about using it on vocals – it’s not that it’s bad, just not where you get the best out of Orbit.
But with melodic lines or chords that aren’t too busy, you get just enough shimmer and movement to make them interesting without needing to add anything else. If you have a sound that needs a little help but don’t want to add obvious panning or tremolo, etc., Orbit is a nice option. In those scenarios, you can push the Spin (speed) as far as you like, and in most cases, the effect remains tasteful and musical.
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