Blue Cat's PolyVibe
by Blue Cat Audio · Modulation · Vibe pedal emulation
Not rated yet
PolyVibe recreates and extends 1960s "Vibe" pedals, covering chorus, phaser, rotary and wah-like sounds.
It has classic, reverse and phase filter modes, swing and stereo width controls, and LFO sync; it costs $79.
Best for: Guitars, Keys & Synths, Vocals. Genres: Rock & Indie, R&B & Soul, Lo-Fi.
Keywords: classic, hardware emulation, 60s, keys, vocals, wide, electric guitar, reverse, chorus, phaser, rotary, vintage, MIDI-controllable, undo/redo, extreme, flanger, flat UI, inspired by, lo-fi, mixing, modern, piano, preset-driven, resizable UI, smooth, pads, subtle.
What it does
PolyVibe is Blue Cat Audio's virtual vibe pedal. It starts from the classic 1960s Uni-Vibe sound and adds modern controls, so it works on vocals, keys and other sources as well as guitar.
- Vintage basis: a recreation of the original vibe pedal, with its throbbing, phase-like sweep.
- Three filter modes: Classic for the original sound, Reverse and Phase for different sweep characters, from subtle to extreme.
- Shape and motion: control over the filter shapes and how they move, plus a Swing control that changes the feel of the oscillator.
- Sync and control: the LFO can follow the host tempo, be automated, or be driven by a MIDI expression pedal, like rocking a real pedal.
- Stereo width: spread the effect across the stereo field instead of a mono pedal sound.
- Presets and Tone Maps: around 100 presets, and a Tone Maps explorer that blends between presets to find new settings.
- Workflow: full MIDI control with MIDI Learn, undo/redo, smooth bypass, a resizable UI and no CPU use on silence.
KVR lists version 1.04; the developer's version history shows 1.02 as its latest entry. The demo is limited to 5 instances per session and bypasses the effect for half a second every minute.
Source: Blue Cat Audio product page
When to use it
PolyVibe is the pick when you want the Uni-Vibe sound itself, with more control over it than a stompbox gives. Compared with PhaseMistress, it is built around the vibe's lumpy, throbbing sweep rather than a general-purpose phaser, though its Phase and Reverse modes reach into phaser, chorus and flanger-like sounds. MicroShift is a fixed-character widener, while PolyVibe moves and can sync its sweep to tempo. Next to ShaperBox 3 or Portal it does one job, but costs less and is quicker to dial in.
- Best for: Uni-vibe tones on guitar, Leslie-style throb on electric piano and organ, and slow, moving textures on vocals and pads.
- Genres: classic rock, blues, soul, psych, funk and lo-fi.
- Look elsewhere if: you want a broad phaser (PhaseMistress), stereo widening without motion (MicroShift), or multi-effect modulation in one plugin (ShaperBox 3 or Portal).
- Tip: use Tone Maps to click between presets and land on in-between settings, then fine-tune the depth.
What producers say
The one full review found is very positive, praising the sound and the range of tones beyond the classic vibe.
- Andrulian (2023) called it "brilliant software" with an authentic Uni-Vibe character, and said it also covers many phaser, wah, chorus and flanger-type sounds.
- Ease of use: the same review praised the clean interface, the large preset library and the Tone Maps feature for finding a sound quickly.
- Criticisms: none were raised in that review; there was little other user feedback to draw on.
Where to buy
- Best Service: $74.27
- Blue Cat Audio: $79
- Plugin Boutique: $79
- PluginFox: $79
- AudioDeluxe: $79
Tutorials and reviews
- Blue Cat's PolyVibe: Classic Vibes And Beyond With A Plug-In
- Blue Cat Audio - Blue Cat's PolyVibe Demo
- Classic Vibe and so much more! Blue Cat Audio POLYVIBE Review
- MMTV: Blue Cat Audio - PolyVibe and an Epic Rise
- Let's talk live!... Blue Cat's PolyVibe
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