NOMN

A sound in space is never spectrally uniform. Different frequencies arrive from different directions, reflect off different surfaces, decay at different rates. The perception of spatial life in audio — the sense that a sound is in a place rather than merely from a speaker — arises from these spectral asymmetries. In acoustic environments they happen automatically. Convolution and spatialization tools reproduce and model them. CHAKRABOOST lets you compose with them — not toward realism, but as raw material for effects that have no acoustic equivalent.

Multiband phasers have existed since the 1970s. Split a signal into frequency bands, phase-shift each one, recombine. The topology is old. What hasn't been done is treating each band as a complete processing channel — its own phaser, its own compressor, its own position in space — all driven by the same modulation source so the whole thing breathes as a single organism but behaves differently across the spectrum.

CHAKRABOOST takes this to a curious domain. 8 frequency bands, each with a vactrol-modeled phaser, an adaptive parallel compressor, and a spatial panner with LFO-driven orbits. Your low end can sit still while your upper mids sweep left, your air frequencies orbit in a wide circle, and the whole thing pulses with a single unified rhythm. Or each band does its own thing entirely.

This is an effect! It will not clean up your mix. It will make a static pad feel like it's alive and rotating around the listener. It will turn a drum bus into something that phases and breathes in ways that shouldn't work but do. It will make a vocal sound like it's being transmitted through eight different rooms simultaneously. At low dry/wet settings (15–30%) it adds subtle spatial movement. At high settings it's a full reimagining of the source material.

Worth saying directly: this is not a mono-compatible effect. Splitting frequencies across the stereo field means phase cancellation in mono is part of the deal. If your output needs to survive a mono fold, use it on sends or committed prints, not across a master bus.
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## How It Works

Audio enters a true stereo linear-phase FIR crossover (255-tap, Blackman window) that splits it into 8 phase-coherent frequency bands spanning the full audible range, 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Each band passes through three processing stages in series:

Phase modulation. A 4-stage all-pass phaser where each stage is controlled by an independent vactrol model. The vactrol's asymmetric response (fast ~3.5ms attack, slow 150–1500ms release with thermal memory) creates the organic, breathing sweep that defined classic analog phasers like the Ibanez FP-777 Flying Pan. Soft-clipped tanh feedback for resonance without runaway.

Adaptive compression. Parallel (NY-style) compression with program-dependent timing. A crest-factor analyzer continuously measures the signal's dynamic character and adjusts attack/release accordingly: dynamic material gets slower attack and faster release to preserve transients; compressed material gets faster attack and slower release for consistent control. This keeps each band's level stable as the phaser reshapes it, without the compression fighting the modulation.

Spatial panning. Each band's position in the stereo or surround field is independently controllable. The phaser LFO simultaneously drives a spatial orbit, with configurable X and Y depth, orbit angle rotation, and per-band modulation locking. In surround mode (Quad, 5.1, 7.1), VBAP-style panning distributes each band across the speaker array.

The LFO system includes standard waveforms (sine, triangle, square, saw, random) and a Neural mode, a proprietary modulation system that produces organic, non-repeating curves with more natural, evolving character than periodic waveforms.

All bands recombine and a global dry/wet mix blends the processed result with the original signal.
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## When To Use It

On a synth pad or drone. Slow LFO rates, moderate depth, wide spatial orbits. The pad develops internal motion, different harmonics drifting to different positions. Feels three-dimensional without being obviously effected.

On drums or percussion. Faster LFO, low feedback, subtle spatial depth. Adds a rotating, breathing quality to the transient tail. The adaptive compressor keeps the attack intact while the phaser works the sustain.

On a vocal (committed, not live). Gentle phaser depth on the mid and upper bands only, with spatial movement. Creates a diffuse, spatialized quality without the obvious swoosh of a traditional phaser.

On a full mix bus (with caution). Dry/wet at 10–20%, slow Neural LFO, minimal spatial movement. Adds micro-variation across the spectrum. Not for every mix. Not for anything that needs to be mono-safe.

As a sound design tool. Crank everything. Fast LFO, high feedback, wide orbits, aggressive compression. Turn a field recording into something unrecognizable. This is where the deep per-band control earns its keep.
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## The Engine

True stereo processing, independent crossover banks for left and right channels. 8 parallel processing chains running simultaneously with per-band solo, mute, and bypass. ~127 samples latency (~2.9ms at 44.1 kHz) from the FIR crossover, no additional latency from the phasers, compressors, or panners (all IIR/sample-based).

Every parameter is fully automatable from your DAW. The visualization maps DSP state directly to a spinning rosette display: spin speed from LFO rate, expansion from depth, ghosting from feedback, horizontal drift from pan position.
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## Parameters
Global: Input/output gain, dry/wet mix, bypass.

Per-Band Phaser (×8): Depth, feedback, mix, LFO rate. Standard waveforms or Neural mode with rhythm, articulation, and temperature controls.

Per-Band Spatial (×8): Pan position, orbit depth (X/Y), orbit angle. Supports stereo through 7.1 surround with configurable LFE routing.

Per-Band Compression (×8): Threshold, ratio, attack, release, parallel mix. Adaptive timing adjusts automatically to program material.

Per-Band Utility (×8): Gain, solo, mute.
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## Features & Formats
Key Features:
- 8-Band Spatial Processing: Full-spectrum frequency splitting with per-band phaser, compressor, and spatial panner.
- Vactrol Phaser Modeling: Authentic LED/LDR optocoupler simulation with asymmetric attack/release, thermal memory, and logarithmic resistance curves.
- Neural LFO: Proprietary modulation system producing organic, non-repeating curves as an alternative to standard periodic waveforms.
- Adaptive Parallel Compression: Crest-factor analysis drives program-dependent timing per band. NY-style parallel mix for transparent dynamics.
- Spatial Panning with Orbits: Per-band stereo/surround positioning with LFO-driven orbital paths, quadrature Y modulation, and modulation locking.
- Surround Support: Stereo, Quad, 5.1, and 7.1 speaker layouts with VBAP panning and configurable LFE routing.
- True Stereo FIR Crossover: Linear-phase, phase-coherent 8-band splitting and recombination. ~2.9ms latency at 44.1 kHz.
- Full DAW Automation: Every parameter across all 8 bands.

Compatibility:
Formats: VST3, Audio Unit (AU), Standalone.

OS: macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows.