Leit Audio has released Widelay, a free stereo delay for VST3 and Audio Unit that takes a different approach to the traditional echo trail: instead of primarily sending repeats deeper into the background, Widelay spreads them outward across the stereo field.
As the delay trail develops, later echoes open progressively wider around the source. The repeats do not become progressively darker, filtered or saturated. Their tonal balance stays consistent, while the attacks are softened slightly and the stereo image expands outward.
Leit Audio describes the result as a delay built around width instead of depth — useful for vocals, delay throws, drums and percussion, guitars, keys, synths and lead instruments.
Widelay keeps the interface to three main controls: DELAY, TIME and MIX:
- DELAY shapes the entire echo trail from a single control. It determines how many echoes are heard, how quickly they decay and how the stereo spread develops along the trail.
- TIME can run freely from 1–1000 ms, or switch to tempo sync with 14 note values ranging from 1/32 to 1/1, including dotted and triplet divisions.
The widening is created from slightly time-offset left and right copies of each echo. Which side arrives first alternates between repeats, helping the trail remain balanced while adding subtle movement within the stereo field. A slow drift between the two sides also introduces a small amount of chorus-like pitch movement.
Features include:
- Stereo delay built around width rather than depth.
- Echoes that spread progressively outward across the stereo field.
- One DELAY control for echo count, decay and stereo spread.
- Free delay time from 1–1000 ms.
- Tempo sync with dotted and triplet divisions.
- Smooth delay-time changes.
- Consistent tonal balance across the echo trail.
- Built-in attack softening on the repeats.
- Subtle stereo drift and chorus-like movement.
- Zero-latency processing.
- Mono-to-stereo and stereo-to-stereo operation.
- 64-bit internal processing.
Widelay is designed for use on a stereo track or stereo FX channel. Because its width is created with inter-channel timing differences, the widened echoes are not mono-compatible.
Availability
Widelay is available as VST3 for Windows, macOS and Linux, with Audio Unit for macOS.
The plugin is free to download and use. A free Leit Audio account is required for downloads; there are no trial periods, subscriptions or in-plugin activation.
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