Chow Matrix

Name: Chow Matrix
Author: Chowdhury DSP

by Chowdhury DSP · Delay · Tree-based multi-tap delay

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Chow Matrix is a delay built from an "infinitely growable" tree of delay lines, each with its own feedback, panning, distortion and other controls.

With internal modulation, pitch-shifting and diffusion it can produce complex multi-tap echoes or reverb-like spaces, and it is free.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Guitars, Vocals, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Ambient & Cinematic, Rock & Indie.

Keywords: free, multi-tap, sound design, pitch-shifting, ambience, randomize, cinematic, evolving, mixing, modular, open source, resizable UI, rhythmic, vocals.

What it does

Chow Matrix is a free delay built as "an infinitely growable tree of delay lines". Instead of a fixed set of taps, you grow a network node by node, and each node delays the audio coming from its parent.

Delay tree: Shift-click the delay diagram to add a node; if a node is selected, the new one branches from it. There is no set limit on the number of nodes.
Per-node controls: delay length, feedback, panning, high-pass and low-pass filters, and distortion, with pitch-shifting and diffusion as well.
Insanity: a global control that slightly randomises each node's delay length; the tree diagram sways and moves as you turn it up.
Randomise: a button that fully randomises the parameters of every node, for quick new starting points.
Global controls: dry/wet mix, delay interpolation mode and sync mode.
Interface and presets: a freely resizable window with a node overview alongside the tree diagram, and built-in preset management for saving your own networks.

Version 1.3.0 (December 2021) is free and open source under the BSD 3-clause license. A user manual PDF is available from the developer's site.

Source: Chowdhury DSP product page

When to use it

Chow Matrix is the pick for sound design, when you want echoes that branch, drift and build into dense, reverb-like spaces. Compared with EchoBoy or ValhallaDelay, it has no classic delay models or quick tempo-synced presets, and KVR users found it slower to dial in. Compared with Eventide's UltraTap, which spreads many taps along one line, Chow Matrix lets each node have its own filtering, panning, pitch and distortion, so the result can be far more complex. It is free, but it is not a bread-and-butter delay.

Best for: sound design, evolving ambient textures and complex, unpredictable rhythmic echoes.
Genres: ambient, experimental, cinematic and electronic music.
Look elsewhere if: you want a simple slapback, tape echo or tempo-synced throw; EchoBoy, ValhallaDelay or Timeless 3 are faster to set up.

What producers say

Users like the original concept and the sound, but find it harder to use than a standard delay.

KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from 3 reviews (2020), praising the "very interesting concept" and calling the design "brilliant".
Bedroom Producers Blog called it "the SimCity of delay plugins" and liked how the tree view keeps a modular delay from getting cluttered.
Criticisms: one KVR user found it "quite hard to use" with a cluttered interface; another missed presets, a manual and a bypass switch in version 1.

Where to buy

Chowdhury DSP: Free
Plugin Boutique: Free

Tutorials and reviews

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