Valhalla Delay
Echoes of the past, present and future.
Valhalla Delay is our take on classic and modern delay and echo units. Tape echo, BBD, old-school digital, pitch shifting – we’ve got you covered.
ValhallaDelay offers the classics, and expands them into new dimensions, with the unique Ratio and Quad delay styles, the Ghost mode (which adds frequency shifting), and a powerful diffusion section that can create anything from smeared echoes to ethereal reverbs.
Set the controls for the heart of the sun with ValhallaDelay.
New in version 2.5.0: RichPitch Mode!
Just updated to 2.5.1 for Mac: Intel/M1/M2/M3 native Mac builds – ready for Sonoma
Plugin UI
Modes
Overview
Tape
Hi Fidelty (HiFi)
Bucket Brigade (BBD)
Digital
Ghost
Pitch
Reverse Pitch
BBD Duck
Clarity
DuckTape
PitchDuck
LoFi
Quartz
Phaser DDL
RichPitch
The MODE Control in Valhalla Delay is a high-level control, that allows you to switch between different echo and delay algorithms. Click on the MODE control in the lower left corner to select the active algorithm. Selecting a new MODE can change the controls visible on the screen. Only the parameters that are active in a given MODE will be visible in the GUI.
A detailed model of a tape delay with variable motor speed, based upon the RE-201 and RE-301 with all the beloved features and quirks found in the old hardware. The wow/flutter rate, wow/flutter depth, and overall equalization of the delay are a function of the delay time, as found in physical tape delays. The MOD Wow and Flutter controls act as scales on the wow and flutter depths, in order to dial in the amount of “wear” on the tape. Age controls the amount of asperity noise, as well as the depth of the tape splice artifacts. ERA switches between different modeled tape echoes. The Past and Present models are darker and dirtier, with more of a pronounced high frequency oscillation for short delay times. The Future model is somewhat more “refined.”
A higher fidelity tape echo similar to that rigged up with reel-to-reel decks in a studio. It's designed to give you the ability to precisely sculpt sound with more control over mod rate/mod depth/EQ. The MOD Rate/Depth control the rate and depth of a random wow & flutter modulator. These rates are not a function of the delay setting, as they are in the Tape mode. Age controls asperity noise. No splicing artifacts in the HiFi mode.
A dark, low fidelity bucket brigade delay model, complete with compander artifacts, BBD noise, and a limited high frequency response. This is a dark and dirty delay model. MOD Rate/Depth control a smoothed triangle LFO, for adding subtle vibrato or pitch slews to the signal. Age controls the amount of the noise in the BBD. This will vary according to signal level, due to the action of the compander. ERA switches between darker BBD models, and a somewhat brighter Future model.
A cleaner, higher bandwidth delay based upon 1980s delay units with “floating point convertors” for a sound that had a bit of grit and a smooth delay. Gives you the ability to dial in digital dirt. MOD Rate/Depth control a smoothed triangle LFO, for adding subtle vibrato or pitch slews to the signal. Age controls the bit resolution of the model, with higher values of Age corresponding to lower bit depths. Age at 50% corresponds to a 12-bit delay. ERA switches between different frequency responses and saturation types.
A Valhalla DSP original combining the tape model from the HiFi mode with frequency shifting and a unique diffusion algorithm. These sounds can split your skull in two. FREQ Shift controls the overall frequency shift of the signal in hertz. FREQ Detune creates a slight offset between the frequency shifts in the left and right channels. ERA switches in different types of diffusion. Past is the standard diffusion, heard in the rest of the plugin. Present adds some “frequency dependence” to the diffusion, so that some frequencies are heard before others. Future has far more frequency dependent diffusion. Perfect for ghostly voices from the beyond.
A digital delay with added pitch shifting. Perfect for micro-shifting vocals, adding harmonies to synths, creating vast shimmering soundscapes, or shrieking sounds forever spiraling up or down. PITCH Shift controls the overall pitch shifting of the signal in semitones. PITCH Detune allows the left and right channels to be detuned from each other in cents. Perfect for micropitch and doubling. ERA switches between different types of filtering and saturation.
A delay that reverses and pitch shifts the input signal. Everything going in comes out reversed. The DELAY parameters control the “splice size” of the output signal. PITCH Shift controls the overall pitch shifting of the signal in semitones. PITCH Detune allows the left and right channels to be detuned from each other in cents. Excellent for big, spacy feedback delays that turn into psychedelic washes of sound.
A brighter BBD model, with brightness that tracks the delay time (shorter delays are brighter, while longer delays are darker). Based on our analysis of some beloved rack mounted BBD units from the early 1980s. A single knob ducking control has been added to the algorithm to create warm delays that are program dependent.
A clean “digital” delay, with a program dependent limiter, so you can SLAM the drive gain without getting distortion. Bandwidth determined by the Age control. Deep and wild modulation waveforms, selected by the Era control. Clarity can be nice and polite, or can get as crazy as you want, all with a 1-knob ducking control.
A tape delay with built-in companding noise reduction, as found in tape echoes from the late 1970s. Similar to the existing Tape mode, but brighter and virtually noise-free. Also with ducking.
Combines the base delay sound of the Pitch mode, with our unique one-knob ducking control, that allows the input signal to control the feedback gain and output volume in a smooth and continuous manner. Useful for lush delays and reverbs, as well as the unique “adaptive shimmer” when combining ducking, pitch shifting and diffusion.
A delay designed to create the effect of a broken tape, such that any signal added to it can disappear into a haze of noise and fuzz. The mod rate, mod depth and age controls allow you to dial in the amount of artifacts, and the Era control allows you to switch between 3 different levels of brightness, from murky old tapes to a more modern full-frequency sound. Perfect for emulating tape echoes on the verge of breaking down, fuzzy reverbs that add a halo of noise to your sound, swarms of bees, subtle wobbles to the mix bus, and adding a patina of dusty age to any sound source.
Quartz is a delay mode as transparent as its namesake. The Quartz mode takes the filtering out of the feedback loop, and incorporates a nearly colorless limiter, so your repeats can be as bright and shiny as you want them to be. Perfect for looping, clean echoes, bright flanging, and all sorts of pristine sounds.
PhaserDDL incorporates a digital delay with a 4/6/12 stage phase shifter on the outputs. The phase shifters are in the feedback loops, which results in psychedelic echoes with long delays. Turn the delay time and delay feedback down to zero, and PhaserDDL is a great stand-alone phaser. The Age knob is swapped out for a Res knob, to control the phase resonance.
- Single: same modulation for left and right channels
- Dual: quadrature modulation (0 degrees in left, 90 degrees in right)
- Ratio: antiphase modulation (0 degrees in left, 180 degrees in right)
- PingPong: antiphase modulation (0 degrees in left, 180 degrees in right)
- Quad: 4 separate phase shifters, each running at a different rate, and each with antiphase modulation (0 degrees in left, 180 degrees in right). Select two or more Taps for a lush combination of phase shifting, or all 4 for a dense phase shifted stew.
A digital delay that combines lush detuned chorusing with smooth pitch shifting. The PitchMix knob controls the amount of detuned delayed signal versus pitch shifted signal. Great for echos with harmonic overtones, lush shimmer reverbs, detuned delays, crazy repeating pitch patterns, thick chorusing, and all sorts of sounds ranging from subtle to bombastic.
Styles
Overview
Single
Dual
Ratio
Ping Pong
Quad
The STYLE control is one of the most powerful features of Valhalla Delay. It controls the relationship between the left and right delay channels, and the number of delay voices in each channel. The STYLE control also affects the visibility of other controls in the Valhalla Delay GUI, so only the relevant controls are exposed for any given style. You can find the STYLE control in the lower left portion of the GUI.
The same delay time is used for the left and right delays, and the left and right channels use the same modulation waveform. This is essentially a “mono” delay, except that it processes left and right channels separately to preserve the stereo image of your input signal. The SPREAD control allows for a slight offset between the left and right delays, which can create a wide, 3D sound from mono inputs.
Separate delay controls for left and right channels, called DELAY L and DELAY R. Each channel feeds back on itself, so there is no cross feedback. The modulation waveform is different between the left and right channels. The Dual Style is essentially two delays in parallel.
The DELAY knob controls the delay time of the left channel, while the right channel’s delay time is set as a ratio of the left delay time using the RATIO control. The feedback paths of the left and right channels are combined via a unitary matrix. If RATIO is set to any value less than 100%, this results in a gradual build of echo density with higher feedback values. Setting RATIO to 61.8%, and turning up the feedback, results in a cool pseudo-reverb sound.
The left and right inputs are summed, then sent into the left delay. The feedback of this goes into the right delay. The right delay’s feedback goes into the left delay. The left delay’s feedback goes into the right delay again. And so on. This produces the classic ping-pong delay sound. You can set DELAY L and DELAY R to different values, for different ping-pong rhythms. If you want to have the “ping” come out of the right channel at first, just set the WIDTH control to -100%.
Models the multi-head tape echoes of the 1960s and 1970s, with up to 4 delay taps on tap. TAP A/B/C/D are used to switch on/off individual tape heads. The TAP buttons control pairs of delay reads – one for the left channel, one for the right. The SPACING control allows you to adjust the spacing between TAP A/B/C/D, as well as the spacing between left and right channels. The REPEAT/SWELL button changes the feedback behavior of the Quad mode.
Other Features
Overview
Delay Lengths
Beat Sync
Age
Diffusion
Era Control
Ducking
We spent a ton of time modeling vintage hardware delays, but we didn’t stop there. Valhalla Delay adds a comprehensive Diffusion section, so any delay Mode can be transformed into a smeared delay, or a massive reverb. The Age and Era controls are used to dial in the right amount of mojo, so you can have bright, sparkly delays or crusty old noisy echoes. The Drive control is a quick way of dialing in subtle warmth, crunchy repeats, or screeching feedback echoes. The delay range has been extended from <1 msec all the way to 20 seconds, so Valhalla Delay can get short flanging sounds all the way to massive looping delays.
Delay lengths ranging from 0 msec to 20 seconds. Dial in choruses and flangers, slapback echoes, longer delays, or long Frippertronic loops.
Sync the delay to the beat, with straight/dotted/triplet options. Or, control the length via milliseconds.
Age controls the noise level, as well as the depth of the tape splice artifacts. It gives you the ability to get clean and shiny, warped and dusty, or anywhere in between. Want a clean delay? Turn Age down to 0%. Want some cruft in there? Crank up that Age knob.
With Diffusion, any delay Mode can be transformed into a smeared delay, or a massive reverb. It can be used to smooth out the attacks of delays or as an amazingly smooth and lush reverb in its own right. Two controls: Amount and Size. Amount controls the coefficients of the diffusors. The larger the coefficient, the longer the decay of the diffusors, and the shorter the attack. Size controls the length of the diffusion network, as a percentage of the delay length for each channel. No on/off switch. Hardwired modulation depth. DENSE diffusion. HUGE size with up to 20 seconds of diffusion time possible.
ERA switches between different modeled tape echoes. The Past and Present models are darker and dirtier, with more of a pronounced high frequency oscillation for short delay times. The Future model is somewhat more “refined.”
A 1-knob ducking control in BBDuck/Clarity/DuckTape/PitchDuck/LoFi modes. Gives echo level track the input signal volume without threshold/attack/release controls. Just turn up the ducking knob to introduce feedback and output ducking that "just works."
Overview
Sean Costello and Don Gunn break down the various functions and settings in ValhallaDelay.
Hear it in action
See what people are saying
Specifications
Current Version: 2.5.2 Windows / 2.5.2 Mac (updated June 26th, 2023)
Changes since:
2.5.1
- Authorization window changed to native OS format (only matters for full versions of plugins, so demos haven’t been updated)
2.5.0 (Mac only):
- M1/M2 Native AAX
2.1.2
- Added RichPitch mode, new Shimmer presets
2.1.0
- Fixed authorization issue in macOS Ventura and Apple DAWs (Logic, GarageBand, Final Cut Pro)
- Updated installer to remove dependency on Rosetta
- Rebuilt plugins to work in OS X 10.11/10.12 (there was a weird bug that happened when people on those machines updated their iPhones)
2.0.8
- Fixed project recall issue with VST3 in Studio One and FL Studio
1.8.2
- Added Quartz and PhaserDDL modes
- Mac version built for Intel and ARM (ready for M1 Macs)
1.6.3
- Added LoFi & PitchDuck modes
1.5.2
- Signed/notarized Mac installer for Big Sur
- Signed installer for Windows
- VST3
- 64-bit only
1.1.2
- Three new modes: BBDuck, Clarity, DuckTape.
- Ducking control in the three new modes
- Catalina notarized installers for Mac
1.0.6
- Lower noise floor with feedback values <100%. More info here.
- Fixed bug where some PT users would experience AAE 9173 error when adding the plugin to a project with the transport running
1.0.5
- Improved sound in Ping Pong Style with low values of feedback
1.0.3v2
- VST3 now shows up w/proper channel configurations in Reaper, Bitwig, Cubase 10, Studio One, FL Studio
- VST3 feedback no longer cuts off after 12 seconds when playing 1-shot sample in Cubase
- Much lower memory footprint for the plugin. I’ve basically cut it in half, if not more
- Fixed bug introduced in 1.0.4v4 beta, where VST 2.4 was mono
1.0.1
- Reduced feedback noise in BBD mode. For minimum noise, turn Age down to 0%.
- Fixed bug in VST3 / Cubase 10 with loading presets
- New Windows installer, with improved default VST 2.4 installation locations, and the ability to select VST3 installation location.
Valhalla plugins are self documenting. Just roll over the controls to read the tool tip on the bottom left of the plugin.
For each plugin, I also write blog posts (see below) with product overviews, tips and tricks. Here are the blog posts:
ValhallaDelay: The Mode Control
ValhallaDelay: The Style Control
ValhallaDelay Updated To 1.1.2: Improved Noise Floor
ValhallaDelay Update: Three New Modes and Ducking
ValhallaDelay Updated To 1.1.2: Improved Noise Floor
ValhallaDelay 1.8.2 Update: LoFi Mode
ValhallaDelay 1.8.2 Update: PitchDuck Mode
ValhallaDelay Updated to 2.5.0. New Mode: RichPitch!
If you have questions not answered by the blog posts, please head to Support.
Compatibility:
- Windows: Windows 7/8/10
- Plugin formats: 64-bit VST2.4/VST3/AAX
- Mac: OSX 10.9/10.10/10.11, macOS 10.12/10.13/10.14/10.15, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma
- Mac processors: Intel/M1/M2/M3
- Plugin Formats: 64-bit VST2.4/VST3/AAX/AU