Waver
Tape warble, inspired by tape machines that have seen better days.
Waver is the gentle, seasick movement of old tape: Wow, Flutter and slow Drift, each on its own control. Perfect for lo-fi, nostalgia and making clean sounds feel human.
The controls
- Wow
- Slow pitch movement, like a stretched tape.
- Flutter
- Fast, subtle pitch shimmer.
- Rate
- How fast everything moves.
- Drift
- Slow, random wandering: the most natural-sounding movement.
- Mix
- 100% is pitch movement only; lower gives a chorus-like blend.
Best for
- Lo-fi beats: the classic wobble
- Keys and pads: a nostalgic, worn feel
- Vocals: a subtle, vintage texture
- Guitars: tape-machine character
Starting points
Load Waver, set these, then adjust by ear. In the plugin, Level match helps you judge the sound, not the loudness.
Lo-fi keys
Wow 50, Flutter 25, Rate 100, Drift 40, Mix 100%
Subtle age
Wow 15, Flutter 10, Rate 80, Drift 25, Mix 100%
Seasick
Wow 80, Flutter 40, Rate 150, Drift 60, Mix 100%
Hints and tips
- A little goes a long way: Wow 10 to 20 adds life without sounding out of tune.
- Drift sounds the most natural: use it before Wow on vocals.
- Waver after Spoolhaus makes a complete old tape machine.
Chains it works best in
Every Original works in a chain with the others and with members' hardware. These are good places to start.
- Spoolhaus then Waver: a worn tape machine
- Waver then Cellar: a dreamy, lo-fi space
- Kerb then Waver: crunchy, warbly lo-fi drums
Watch out for
- Lots of Wow on vocals with pitch correction: they fight.
Waver is free
Like every DigMusiK plugin, Waver is free for registered members: it's part of the platform, so the chains you hand on and send for approval play the same for everyone. Try it in your studio, on your own mix.