WS-1

Name: WS-1
Author: Mercuriall

by Mercuriall · Chorus · Stereo chorus pedal

Not rated yet

WS-1 is a free stereo chorus stompbox from Mercuriall with depth, speed and mix controls and a mono/stereo switch.

It is free, as VST, AU and AAX for macOS and Windows.

Best for: Guitars, Bass, Keys & Synths. Genres: Rock & Indie, Pop, Metal.

Keywords: chorus, electric guitar, free, spacious, skeuomorphic, wobble, glassy, simple, AAX, bass, classic, clean, crunchy, enhancement, minimal controls, mixing, synths, thick, wide.

What it does

WS-1 is a free stereo chorus stompbox from Mercuriall, the developer of amp and pedal simulations. It is meant to sit in a guitar chain in front of an amp sim and thicken the sound, with the few controls of a real pedal.

Depth: sets how far the pitch is modulated.
Speed: sets the modulation rate, from slow shimmer to fast warble.
Mix: blends the chorused signal with the dry guitar.
Mono/Stereo switch: run it as a mono pedal or in stereo, with independent processing for each channel.
On/Off: a footswitch-style bypass, with a photorealistic pedal interface.

Version 1.0 is free.

Source: Mercuriall product page

When to use it

WS-1 is a simple, free pedal chorus for guitar rigs, not a studio chorus with modelled modes. Like TAL-Chorus-LX it costs nothing, but where TAL-Chorus-LX recreates the fixed modes of the Juno-60 chorus for synths, WS-1 gives you free Speed and Depth knobs in a pedal format. Compared with TriceraChorus or Chorus JUN-6 it has far fewer character options and no dimension-style modes. It fits naturally in front of Mercuriall's own free preamps and other amp sims.

Best for: classic pedal chorus on clean and crunch guitar, and stereo spread on a mono guitar.
Genres: rock, pop, indie and the clean parts of metal.
Look elsewhere if: you want lush vintage chorus for synths and mixes (TriceraChorus or TAL-Chorus-LX) or ensemble and dimension sounds (Chorus JUN-6).
Tip: keep Depth and Speed moderate for a shimmery chorus; cranking them makes it wobbly and woozy, which can work as an effect.

What producers say

Coverage is light, but the comments are positive about a simple, good-sounding free pedal.

Production Expert (Friday Free Plug-in, 2019) said it "sounds nice and shimmery when used sensibly" and gets "wobbly to woozy" when cranked, and liked the photorealistic UI.

Production Expert article

Where to buy

Mercuriall: Free

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

EHX Small Clone by MixWave · Analog chorus pedal model · $39
Efektor CH3604 Chorus by Kuassa · Chorus pedal · $25
DLYM by Imaginando · Chorus and flanger · $44.28
Analog Rack Chorus by Nembrini Audio · Analog chorus with tube preamp · Free
bx_bluechorus2 by Brainworx · Chorus pedal emulation · $29
Chief Chorus by Audiority · BBD chorus pedal model (CE-2 style) · $49
Efektor PH3605 Phaser by Kuassa · Phaser pedal · $25
Brigade Chorus by Universal Audio · Chorus pedal · $49
Yasha by Mercurial Tones · Spatial BBD chorus · $44.28
Medusa by Witch Pig · Chorus and flanger · Free

All chorus