HALATION
FEEDBACK PITCH ECOSYSTEM
by Ament Audio · VST3 · AU · CLAP · Standalone
HALATION splits your audio into up to 8 parallel delay paths, each pitch-shifted by a configurable interval and fed back into itself at a controlled rate. At zero feedback it's a lush harmonic doubler. Turn the Bloom knob up and it becomes a self-generating ambient texture — the plugin becomes an instrument.
Named after the photographic bloom effect. Designed for shoegaze, ambient, drone, and experimental music.
WHAT IT DOES
FEEDBACK PITCH PATHS
Up to 8 parallel delay paths, each pitch-shifted by a configurable musical interval and fed back into itself at a controlled rate.
BLOOM CONTROL
The central feedback knob. Zero feedback = lush harmonic doubler. Above 0.7 the plugin becomes self-sustaining — generating sound even after your input stops.
INTERVAL PRESETS
Six harmonic configurations: Unison, Octaves, Fifths, Harmonic Series, Chromatic cluster, and Custom. Switch mid-performance.
STAGGER
Spreads path delay times from 20ms (tight chorus) to 180ms (arpeggiated cascade). High stagger turns a single hit into a bloom of harmonics.
SPECTRAL TILT
Per-cycle brightness shift applied in the feedback loop. Positive = shimmer. Negative = warmth and tape-like darkness.
CHAOS
Slow independent pitch drift per path (±15 cents). Low values add organic life. High values let paths wander apart into beating clusters.
PER-PATH MATRIX
Individual level, pan, and interval control for each path. Sculpt the harmonic balance — attenuate lower octaves to keep the mix clean.
FACTORY PRESETS
Six starting points: Bloom Clean, Wall of Fifths, Shimmer Cloud, Dark Drone, Cluster Frost, and Init. Each captures a distinct character.
STARTING POINTS
Shimmer reverb send
Fifths · 4 paths · Bloom 0.5 · Stagger 0.6 · Tilt +0.1 · Chaos 0.1 · Mix 1.0
Put HALATION on an aux, blend to taste.
Self-generating drone
Fifths · 6–8 paths · Bloom 0.85 · Stagger 0.4 · Tilt −0.15 · Damping 0.5 · Chaos 0.2
Hold a note, then mute input — it lives on.
Harmonic doubler
Octaves or Fifths · 4 paths · Bloom 0 · Stagger 0.3 · Mix 0.4–0.6
Subtle thickening, zero feedback.
Cluster frost
Chromatic · 6 paths · Bloom 0.3 · Stagger 0.7 · Chaos 0.5 · Mix 0.5
Chromatic shimmer, unpredictable movement.
GET IT
FACTORY PRESETS
| NAME | INTERVALS | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Init | Unison | Flat default state. All paths unison, zero feedback. |
| Bloom — Clean | Fifths | 4 paths, zero feedback, wide stagger. Pure harmonic doubler. |
| Wall of Fifths | Fifths | Medium feedback, slightly dark tilt. Dense shoegaze shimmer. |
| Shimmer Cloud | Harmonic Series | 8 paths, medium-high feedback, high chaos. Evolving overtone cloud. |
| Dark Drone | Octaves | High feedback, heavy damping, negative tilt. Self-sustaining dark drone. |
| Cluster Frost | Chromatic | 6 paths, low feedback, high chaos. Unpredictable microtonal movement. |
SPECS
| FORMATS | VST3 · AU · CLAP · Standalone |
| PLUGIN TYPE | Effect |
| I/O | Stereo in → Stereo out |
| PATHS | 2 – 8 parallel feedback paths |
| LATENCY | ~2048 samples (~46ms @ 44.1kHz), reported to host |
| CPU | ~15% on M1 Mac @ 44.1kHz / 512 samples / 8 paths |
| PITCH SHIFTER | Phase vocoder — 2048-pt FFT, 75% overlap, Hann window |
| DELAY RANGE | 20ms – 180ms per path (set by Stagger) |
| CHAOS LFO | 0.1 – 0.5 Hz sine, ±15 cents per path |
| REQUIRES | macOS 11+ · Windows 10/11 · Ubuntu 20.04+ · 64-bit DAW |
| PRICE | $19 |