Valhalla Super Massive

Best for Massive reverbs, harmonic echoes, space sounds

Make some space.

ValhallaSupermassive has been designed from the ground up for MASSIVE delays and reverbs.   Get ready for luscious clouds of reverb, otherworldly delays, and swelling waves of feedback unlike any you’ve heard before.

Supermassive has 20 out-of-this-world reverb/delay modes:

  • Gemini: Fast attack, shorter decay, high echo density.
  • Hydra: Fast-ish attack, shorter decay, low to high echo density (depending on the DENSITY control setting)
  • Centaurus: Medium attack, longer decay, medium to high echo density (depending on the DENSITY control setting)
  • Sagittarius: Slow attack, longer decay, high echo density
  • Great Annihilator: Medium attack, very long decay, medium to high echo density (depending on the DENSITY control setting)
  • Andromeda: Slowest attack, very long decay, very high echo density
  • Lyra: Fast attack, shorter decay, low echo density
  • Capricorn: Fast attack, shorter decay, medium echo density
  • Large Magellanic Cloud: Long reverb, LOOOONG repeating echoes, long decay, medium attack
  • Triangulum: Long reverb, VERY LONG repeating echoes, long decay, slow attack
  • Cirrus Major: Low/medium echo density, strange repeating patterns, fast attack
  • Cirrus Minor: Low echo density, strange repeating patterns, fast attack, smaller than Cirrus Major
  • Cassiopeia: Initially low echo density that quickly builds to long and lush reverbs, mysterious repeating patterns, fast attack
  • Orion: the much bigger version of Cassiopeia. Low echo density that can build to enormous reverbs, fast attack, strange resonances and repeating patterns.
  • Aquarius: a dedicated EchoVerb algorithm, with a strong audible echo/delay that can morph into a lush reverb with higher DENSITY settings
  • Pisces: the bigger sibling of Aquarius. EchoVerb, with even denser and lusher reverbs on tap than Aquarius.
  • Scorpio: Fast attack, shorter decay, high echo density, cross-channel feedback, and filtering in the feedback loop for more realistic reverb decay.
  • Libra: Medium attack, long decay, very high echo density, lush balanced modulation, and filtering in the feedback loop for more realistic reverb decay.
  • Leo (new in 3.0.0): Very slow attack, super long decay, very high echo density, filtering in the feedback loop for more realistic reverb decay.
  • Virgo (new in 3.0.0): Fast attack, short decay, very low echo density, filtering in the feedback loop, great for complex echoes.

All Valhalla plugins are self-documenting, so you can rollover the controls for the tooltip.

And it’s free.  No strings attached.   Just download to blow your mind and your music to new levels of consciousness and experience.

Update Notes:

  • Version 3.0.0 for Mac (Intel/M1/M2/M3 native Mac builds – ready for Sonoma) and Windows available
  • New Leo and Virgo modes

Plugin UI

 UI

Modes

Overview

Gemini

Hydra

Centaurus

Sagittarius

Great Annihilator

Andromeda

Lyra

Capricorn

Large Magellanic Cloud

Triangulum

Cirrus Major

Cirrus Minor

Cassiopeia

Orion

Aquarius

Pisces

Scorpio

Libra

Leo

Virgo

The MODE control is the most powerful Supermassive control, as the different algorithms have very different attack, sustain, and decay characteristics. For more details, head to the ValhallaSupermassive Modes blog post. Supermassive uses a variety of feedback delay networks, where each delay in the structure can be up to 2 seconds long. Combine these long delays with the unique WARP control, and the results range from echoes that slowly fade in, to cascading harmonic echoes, to lush reverbs, onwards to reverbs that decay way over the course of minutes.

This is the most “conventional” of the Supermassive modes. It has a very quick attack time, and a natural exponential decay. With the DENSITY parameter at maximum and WARP at 50% or more, you can get very smooth reverbs from Gemini. Turn down the DENSITY control, and the reverbs will become less dense as they decay away, which is nice for pointillistic effects.

This mode has a relatively fast attack time, and a very lush and long exponential decay. The Hydra mode is very sensitive to the DENSITY parameter. With DENSITY at 0%, Hydra can sound like a fairly simple echo. Turn up the DENSITY, and the echo density rapidly increases towards a complicated reverb/echo structure. The modulation can be very lush in Hydra.

A mode with a slower attack time, a shorter decay time, and a bit of “sustain” to the reverberation. The attack time in Centaurus is tied into the FEEDBACK parameter, with higher feedback values resulting in a faster attack (and longer decay). This slower attack can be used with lower values of WARP to create echoes that slowly fade in and out. Turn up the WARP parameter, and you have a reverb that slowly fades in, and hangs in space for awhile.

A reverb/echo with a VERY long attack time, depending on the setting of FEEDBACK. With FEEDBACK settings less than 70%, Sagittarius will slowly fade in, and fade out over a similar time period. Turn up FEEDBACK higher, and things will fade in more quickly and decay more slowly. Sagittarius can be viewed as having a fair degree of sonic “mass” or inertia: slow to get going, slow to go away. It is perfect for creating echoes that fade in over time, or massive slabs of reverberation with higher WARP values.

Similar to Centaurus, but MORE MASSIVE. Slow attack with a fair amount of predelay, and super long decay times.

A super massive variant of the Sagittarius mode. Very slow attack with a fair amount of predelay, and decay times that can range into thousands of seconds.

A more compact celestial object. Quick attack time, long decay time, and very low echo density. Even with DENSITY at max, Lyra spends a lot more time in the “echo” domain than the “reverb” domain. This can be really nice for spacey echoes that gradually diffuse over time.

A larger version of Lyra. Quick attack time, long decay time, and a medium size bowl of echo density. Useful for pointillistic reverbs, as well as for lush chorus effects.

A mode that can have VERY long initial delays with DENSITY set to zero, and the potential for looping delays or huge reverbs. The DENSITY control allows for extremely sparse reverbs when at 0%, or dense lush reverbs when set above 60%. Large Magellanic Cloud can be viewed as a cross between Centaurus and an oversized variant of the Lyra mode.

A delay mode that can act as a looper, as a gigantic lush reverb, or as a repeating delay with independent control over the individual repeats and the overall decay time. With the Triangulum DENSITY control at 0%, the result will be repeating echoes at 8X the displayed DELAY setting. DENSITY settings greater than 0% will introduce diffuse echoes at shorter delay lengths, that "fill in" the space of the longer echoes.

A lower density reverb/echo mode, with a mysterious pattern to the initial echoes. Ideal for sparse multitap delays, spacious echoes, and cold 80s reverbs.

Similar to Cirrus Major, but smaller and less dense. Strange repeating echoes, low initial density, significant predelay before the reverb. Turn up the size, turn down the density, and let the echoes evolve over time. Or crank up the density and turn down the size, for a perfect mid-80s digital room reverb.

A reverb/echo algorithm that has a fast attack and initially sparse echo density, but can build up into massively dense and long reverbs. The Density control is very sensitive on Cassiopeia, and can be used to create lush reverbs by itself. Setting Warp to 0% will result in a repeating echo pattern every 4th beat, which is useful for rhythmic delays and looping.

The larger version of the Cassiopeia algorithm. A reverb/echo that has a fast attack and initially sparse echo density, but can build up into massively dense and long reverbs. The Density control is very sensitive on Orion, and can be used to create lush reverbs by itself with a very long decay. Setting Warp to 0% will result in a repeating echo pattern every 8th beat, which is useful for rhythmic delays and looping. Strange resonances can be audible at some settings.

A dedicated EchoVerb mode, where the left and right outputs always have the same audible echo/delay (with a length that directly corresponds to the main DELAY length). Turning up DENSITY brings other delays into the feedback path, resulting in a lush reverb that always has a strong echo or predelay.

An EchoVerb algorithm, similar to Aquarius, but with a higher echo density as DENSITY is turned up. Very useful for lush echo/reverb combos, or reverbs with a pronounced predelay.

A more “conventional” mode, but far from boring! It has a very quick attack time, a natural exponential decay, and High and Low EQ filters in the feedback path of each day. With the DENSITY parameter at maximum and WARP at 50% or more, you can get very smooth and open reverbs from Scorpio. Turn down the DENSITY control, and a unique cross-channel feedback pattern can be heard. The High and Low EQ filters affect the reverb decay, and create a more "natural" sound than most other Supermassive modes.

A lush, dense, highly useful reverb. Medium attack, medium to long decays, and smooth balanced modulation. The High EQ and Low EQ filters are in the feedback paths of each delay, which allows for natural damping of the reverb decay, as well as shaving off the low frequencies for a less "boomy" decay. Perfect for synth reverbs, ethereal vocals, and just about everything.

The largest, densest, lushest mode in Supermassive. Leo has a very slow attack, a long to VERY long decay, a high echo density, balanced modulation, and lots of control over the high & low frequency decay. Perfect for big synthesizer sounds, as well as realistic cathedral sounds and other long reverbs.

The smallest and sparsest mode in Supermassive. Virgo has a fast attack, and basically sounds and behaves like a stereo delay until the Density control is turned up. Great for pointillistic echoes, spring-ish reverb sounds, and complex delays that create more space around your music.

Other Features

Overview

MIX

WIDTH

DELAY

Warp

Feedback

Density

MOD Rate

MOD Depth

EQ High Cut

EQ Low Cut

Preset

Tooltips

ValhallaSupermassive has been designed to get a lot of sonic complexity with a relatively simple set of controls.

Controls the wet/dry mix of Supermassive. 0% is a completely dry signal, 100% is only the reverb/delay signal, and values in between mix in different amounts of the reverb signal. Click on the MIX label above the control to lock/unlock the MIX control at the last value selected. This is useful when browsing through presets, or for using Supermassive on a send (when you want it set to 100% wet).

Controls the width of the reverb/delay output of Supermassive. 100% is maximum width, 0% is mono, and values less than 0% will reverse the left and right outputs. Some of the Supermassive sounds will spin around your head from left to right; setting WIDTH to -100% will reverse this direction.

Controls the length of the longest delay line in the feedback delay network, in milliseconds. Depending on the MODE and the WARP setting, you may or may not hear audible echoes at this setting. The Delay Sync combo box allow you to choose whether the delay is set in milliseconds, or as a factor of the project’s tempo.

Affects the lengths of the delays in the feedback delay network, relative to the DELAY setting. This can be used to transform a sound from simple echoes, to resonant echoes and smeared repeats, all the way to lush reverbs.

Controls the amount of feedback around the delays in the feedback delay networks. Larger values will result in longer decays. For some of the MODES, the FEEDBACK setting will also affect the initial attack time of the sound (see the Modes blog post for more info).

Controls the perceived number of echoes in the output.

Controls the rate of the delay length modulation, in Hertz. This controls a multi-phase sinusoidal oscillator, for lush chorusing and ensemble effects.

Controls the depth of the delay rate modulation. The depth also varies as a function of the MOD Rate, so you can have faster modulation without getting “out of tune.” A mod depth of 0% will result in a “drier” sound, and will also make some of the WARP artifacts more audible.

Controls the cutoff frequency of a -6 db/oct low pass filter that processes the output of the feedback delay networks. Useful in reducing the amount of high frequencies in the signal.

Controls the cutoff frequency of a -6 db/oct high pass filter that processes the output of the feedback delay networks. Useful in reducing the amount of low frequencies in the signal.

When the name of the active preset is clicked, the Preset menu comes up. This allows you to select, copy, and save presets.

The Valhalla plugins are self-documenting. Move your mouse cursor over a control, and the bottom of the GUI will display text describing what that control does.

Overview

Hear it in action

See what people are saying

“Valhalla Supermassive could be the best free reverb/delay plugin you download this year”

Read More
cdm

“I really want to play and compose with it, not just use it as a color on something finished.”

Read More
Music Tech

“"Other-worldly delays, lush reverbs and a vast spectrum of atmospheric goodness, all in a plug-in deep enough to be used as an instrument on its own."”

Read More
Production Expert

“New, brilliant and free!”

Read More

Specifications

Current Version: 3.0.0 (Updated November 21st, 2023)

New since 2.5.0:

  • New echo/reverb modes: Leo and Virgo
  • Fixed rendering issue in Reaper

New since 2.0.0:

  • New echo/reverb modes: Scorpio and Libra
  • M1/M2/M3 Native AAX

New since 1.5.0:

  • New echo/reverb modes: Aquarius and Pisces

New since 1.3.0:

  • New reverb modes: Cassiopeia and Orion
  • Expanded info in upper right of GUI, that shows plugin version, type (VST/VST3/AAX/AU), Intel/ARM on Macs

New since 1.2.0:

  • Fix for recalling saved projects using VST3 in Studio One and FL Studio

New Since 1.1.1:

  • Cirrus Major and Cirrus Minor modes

New Since 1.0.0

  • Triangulum and Large Magellanic Cloud

ValhallaDSP 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 for ValhallaSupermassive:

Introducing ValhallaSupermassive
ValhallaSupermassive: The Controls
ValhallaSupermassive: The Modes
The Philosophy Of ValhallaSupermassive
Why Is Supermassive Free?
ValhallaSupermassive Updated to 1.1.1
ValhallaSupermassive Updated to 1.5.0: Cassiopeia and Orion Modes
ValhallaSupermassive 1.2.0 Update: Cirrus Major and Cirrus Minor
ValhallaSupermassive 2.0.0 Update: Aquarius and Pisces Modes

ValhallaSupermassive 2.5.0 Update. Two new Modes: Scorpio and Libra!

Valhalla Supermassive Updated To Version 3.0.0. Two New Modes: Leo and Virgo!

 

If you have questions, please head to Support.

Compatibility:

  • Windows: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit Windows only)
  • 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