Matrix Delay

Parameters

Delay Base — Base delay time in ms, 1–2000. The reference time from which all four delay lines derive their actual delays (multiplied through delay_ratio and the gain matrix). Short values (5–50 ms) produce comb-filtered/flanger-like character; mid (100–300 ms) classic delay-line territory; longer (500–2000 ms) for spaced repeats.

Delay Ratio — Ratio between the four delay lines, 0.5–4.0. The four lines have delays in the ratio 1, ratio, ratio², ratio³ × delay_base. 1.618 (golden ratio) is the default — produces irrational, non-periodic delay relationships that feel naturally diffuse. 2.0 gives octave-related delays (more pitched/harmonic). 1.0 makes all four lines the same time (degenerate; the matrix collapses). Try 1.5, 1.618, or 1.75 for various dispersive characters.

Feedback — Global feedback amount, 0–0.95. Routes each delay line’s output back into the matrix according to the gain matrix’s diagonal/cross-coupling. Higher values produce longer tails; with the matrix’s cross-coupling, high feedback creates dense, reverb-like tail clouds rather than discrete echoes.

Tone — Per-tap tone shaping, −1 to +1. Negative values darken the delays (lowpass character on each tap); positive values brighten (highpass-like character). 0 is neutral. Useful for “dark dub delay” (negative tone) or “bright slap” (positive tone).

Shimmer — Pitch-shifted feedback amount, 0–0.5. Adds a pitch-shifted (typically octave-up) signal to the feedback path, similar to Shimmer Reverb. 0 = no shimmer (normal matrix delay). Higher values produce cascading octave clouds in the tail. Subtle settings (0.1–0.2) add sparkle without dominating; full values produce dramatic shimmering.

Rotate — Rotation of the gain matrix, 0–360°. The matrix is rotated by this angle, which redistributes signal energy across the four delay lines. Different rotations produce different “feels” of cross-coupling — some emphasize early reflections, some emphasize a more diffuse tail, some produce clearly stereo-spread results. Subtle parameter that interacts heavily with the other matrix controls.

M Tilt — Matrix tilt, −1 to +1. Biases the matrix energy distribution. Negative values emphasize one set of delay lines; positive values emphasize the other. Use to bias the tail toward “early” or “late” delay characteristics.

Scatter — Random per-tap scatter, 0–1. Adds random variation to each tap’s delay time and/or gain. 0 = clean mathematical relationships. Higher values introduce per-tap randomness — produces a more “organic,” less mathematical feel; close to a “small room” character at high settings.

Sparsity — Sparsity of the delay output, 0–1. 0 = dense (all four lines fully active). Higher values progressively mute random taps over time, producing sparser, more clearly-articulated delays. Useful for “thinning” an otherwise dense matrix delay, or for generative-style delays where the rhythm becomes unpredictable.

Mix — Equal-power blend between dry (0) and matrix delay output (1). Labeled “Wet/Dry” in the UI.

About Matrix Delay

Matrix Delay is a 4-delay-line FDN (feedback delay network) with a 4×4 gain matrix that controls how each line feeds into the others. This topology is the basis of many algorithmic reverbs (it’s the structure inside Dattorro and many high-end algorithmic reverbs), but exposed here as a delay effect with rich, interconnected feedback. The 4×4 gain matrix widget at the top lets you draw the cross-coupling pattern manually — making the node both a creative delay tool and a “build your own algorithmic reverb” sandbox. Use it for: complex rhythmic delays (set delays at musical ratios via delay_ratio), dense tail clouds (high feedback + high sparsity = 0), reverb-like ambience without committing to a reverb node, sound-design where you want the delay character to be matrix-controlled rather than predetermined. Compare with Native Delay (simpler stereo ping-pong) and MultiTap Delay (manual per-tap control).

Generated 2026-05-05 from K2K_Dev@96730bdc by scripts/gen_lexique.py. Edit _intros/ or _overrides/, not this file.