Polaris

Name: Polaris
Price: 45 USD
Author: Audiority

by Audiority · Reverb · Early digital echo and reverb with shimmer

Not rated yet

Polaris is an early digital echo and reverb with shimmer, inspired by late-70s hardware such as the Ursa Major SST-282.

It offers programmable early reflections and diffusion taps, echo modes, a feedback EQ, sample rate reduction and swell, for $49.

Best for: Vocals, Guitars, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Electronic & EDM, Lo-Fi.

Keywords: digital classic, shimmer, digital delay, 70s, inspired by, sample-rate reduction, sound design, vocals, ambience, chorus, electric guitar, hardware emulation, multi-tap, smooth, synths, 80s, cinematic, creative, lo-fi, mixing, ping-pong, pitch-shifting, pads, tempo-synced, vintage, wide.

What it does

Polaris is Audiority's "Early Digital Echo / Reverb with Shimmer". It is inspired by late-1970s digital reverbs such as the Ursa Major SST-282, which built their sound from one multitap delay line instead of chains of comb and allpass filters.

Multitap engine: a single multitap delay line with its own pre-delay, which gives the grainy, slightly unreal character of early digital units.
Early reflections: 8 programmable taps that shape the first part of the space.
Diffusion: 16 programmable taps, each modulated, that smear the reflections into a reverb tail.
Echo modes: Ms (free time), Sync (host tempo), Tuned and Long, with echo modulation and a Modulation Boost for deeper movement.
Tone and space: a 3-band equalizer in the feedback path, sample rate reduction for a lo-fi edge, and a Stereo Width control that can turn the echoes into ping-pong.
LFO: sine, triangle or random shapes, set in Hz or synced to tempo.
Shimmer and Swell: Shimmer adds a pitch-shifted halo to the tail; Swell smooths transients so the effect fades in.

The current version is 1.9 (September 2023). A demo is available; in demo mode the plugin outputs 3 seconds of silence every minute.

Source: Audiority product page

When to use it

Polaris is a character effect, not a realistic room. VintageVerb also covers the sound of old digital reverbs, but across many polished modes; Polaris goes further into the grain and quirks of one early design and mixes echo and reverb in the same engine. Supermassive and Blackhole make bigger, smoother ambient washes than Polaris, and Pro-R 2 is cleaner and more precise for natural spaces. Polaris is a cheap extra for sound design next to a main reverb.

Best for: shimmering ambient echoes, chorus-like textures and odd spatial effects on synths, pads, guitars and vocal FX.
Genres: ambient, cinematic, electronic and lo-fi.
Look elsewhere if: you want a realistic main reverb (Pro-R 2 or Valhalla Room), or a faithful SST-282 copy (Space Station UM282 is closer to the original).
Tip: Computer Music found it weaker on sharp transients, so use Swell or keep it on sustained sounds.

What producers say

Reviewers like Polaris as a creative, good-value effects reverb, but agree it is not a main or realistic reverb.

Computer Music (via MusicRadar, 2016) said it "combines retro soul with modern functionality", praising the presets and its echo and chorus-like effects, but called it "not very realistic" and "a bit grainy", and weak on sources with sharp transients.
KVR users rate it 4.5 out of 5 from 2 reviews, calling it "phenomenal for sound design" and good value.
Criticisms: one KVR user found it can "get bit out of control" without careful settings, and wanted more presets.

Where to buy

Plugin Boutique: $45
Audiority: $49

Tutorials and reviews

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