Chief Chorus

Name: Chief Chorus
Price: 49 USD
Author: Audiority

by Audiority · Chorus · BBD chorus pedal model (CE-2 style)

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Chief Chorus is a BBD chorus plugin that simulates the Boss CE-2 pedal from the late 70s, built around the MN3007 chip.

It adds tempo sync, stereo spread, blend and rate/depth trimmers, for $49.

Best for: Guitars, Bass, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Rock & Indie, Pop, Electronic & EDM.

Keywords: chorus, 70s, BBD, wide, bass, electric guitar, spacious, tempo-synced, 80s, classic, dark, hardware emulation, keys, metering, mixing, resizable UI, sound design, synths, utility, vintage, warm.

What it does

Chief Chorus is Audiority's model of the Boss CE-2, the late-1970s compact chorus pedal built around the MN3007 bucket-brigade (BBD) chip. The developer calls it a "faithful simulation of the Boss CE-2", and it keeps the reduced bandwidth that gives the original its warm, slightly dark tone.

BBD chorus core: a simulation of the CE-2's MN3007 delay line, including the narrow bandwidth of the original circuit rather than a cleaned-up digital chorus.
Rate and Depth: the two front-panel controls of the pedal, each with a trimmer that sets its maximum, so you can widen or limit the usable range.
Tempo sync: the modulation rate can lock to the host tempo, which the hardware could not do.
Stereo spread: turns the mono pedal into a stereo effect with adjustable width.
Chorus blend trimmer: sets how the wet chorus sits against the dry signal inside the circuit, alongside a separate Mix control.
Gain staging: pre and post gain controls with level meters, so you can drive the input and match the output.
Interface: a resizable pedal-style window.

The current version is 1.0 (January 2024). A demo is available; in demo mode the plugin outputs 3 seconds of silence every minute.

Source: Audiority product page

When to use it

Chief Chorus is the pick when you want the guitar-pedal chorus sound: the dark, gentle CE-2 wobble on a clean guitar or bass. Compared with TAL-Chorus-LX and Chorus JUN-6, which model the Juno synth chorus with its fixed modes and wide stereo, it gives free Rate and Depth control and a mono pedal character that you widen with the spread control. It is much narrower in scope than TriceraChorus or Syntorus 2, which offer multi-voice and ensemble effects, but it is simpler to dial in. Unlike Studio D Chorus or Chorus DIMENSION-D, it is a true pitch-wobbling chorus rather than a subtle widener. It sits in the middle of the price range, while TAL-Chorus-LX is free.

Best for: classic late-70s and 80s chorus on clean guitars, fretless or fingered bass, and electric pianos.
Genres: rock, indie, new wave, pop, funk and 80s-style music.
Look elsewhere if: you want a synth-style stereo ensemble (TAL-Chorus-LX or Chorus JUN-6), lush multi-voice chorus (TriceraChorus), or a subtle Dimension-style widener (Studio D Chorus).

Where to buy

Audiority: $49
Plugin Boutique: $49

Tutorials and reviews

Audiority Chief Chorus - Quick Demo

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