The Sauce

Name: The Sauce
Price: 39 USD
Author: Swivel Audio

by Swivel Audio · Multi-FX · Vocal chop multi-effect

Not rated yet

The Sauce is a creative vocal multi-effect from Swivel Audio that combines pitch and formant shifting, saturation, modulation, compression, reverb and delay.

Effects can run across three user-set frequency bands; it is $39 on sale from Swivel Audio (list $149).

Best for: Vocals, Drums, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Pop, Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM, R&B & Soul.

Keywords: vocals, rhythmic, samples & loops, creative, drums, multi-band, synths, wide, chorus, circuit-modelled, convolution, flanger, hall, impulse-response based, live performance, mixing, overdrive, parallel processing, ping-pong, plate, pumping, room, sidechain input, sound design.

What it does

The Sauce is DJ Swivel's "all in one vocal chop plugin": a chain of pitch, distortion, modulation, compression, reverb and delay effects in one window. It is aimed at vocals but works on drums and instruments too.

Flavor: real-time pitch and formant shifting and modulation, for mono or polyphonic audio; this is the vocal-chop core.
Spice: harmonic saturation or overdrive, with Mild and Hot variants.
Sugar and Spread: chorus or flanger, plus a stereo widener.
Squeeze: two parallel compressor options (Dab and Pump), with a sidechain input.
Smoke: three convolution reverbs (small room, medium plate, large hall); it can run 100% wet as an FX return.
Drip: a modulated delay and echo with high- and low-pass filters and a ping-pong option.
Multiband: run every effect on the whole signal or separately in three user-defined bands.

It works at 44.1 to 192 kHz. A demo is available.

Source: Swivel Audio product page

When to use it

The Sauce is a fast way to get chopped, pitched and heavily coloured vocal effects without building a chain by hand. Compared with Soundtoys Little AlterBoy it adds distortion, compression, reverb and delay around the pitch and formant shift. Compared with Kilohearts Multipass it gives far less routing freedom, but its fixed chain and macro-style knobs get to a finished sound quicker. Unlike Baby Audio Transit 2 or Sugar Bytes Effectrix2, it is not built around tempo-synced transitions or step sequencing; it is a vocal colour box first.

Best for: vocal chops, pitched hooks, ear-candy throws and creative textures on vocals, drums and synths.
Genres: pop, hip-hop, EDM and R&B.
Look elsewhere if: you need clean vocal processing or pitch correction (a dedicated EQ, compressor and Auto-Tune or Melodyne), or a modular effects rack (Multipass).
Tip: start in full-band mode for quick results, then switch to multiband to treat only the top or bottom of a vocal.

What producers say

Reviewers see it as an original, easy-to-use effects box rather than another signature emulation.

Sound On Sound (Sam Inglis, 2020) said it's not "just another 1176 or Pultec emulation", praised the multiband processing and a reverb that adds size without muddiness, and found it can also do conventional vocal treatments.
Criticisms: Sound On Sound noted a premium price at the time, no conventional EQ, and a multiband setup that is less immediate than full-band use.

Sound On Sound review

Where to buy

Swivel Audio: $39 (regular $149)

Tutorials and reviews

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