PSPaudioware Wobbler

Fancy some modulation from the Dark Side? The enticingly‑named Wobbler plug‑in, which supports all the mainstream Mac/Windows plug‑in formats and is authorised using an iLok account, was inspired by some of the effects that producer/engineer Alan Parsons used on Dark Side Of The Moon, one of Pink Floyd’s best‑loved classic albums (and, I’m told, an album that had a profound impact on PSP’s Antoni Ozynski, making this a particularly important project for him). The original effect used what Alan called the Frequency Translator, which was hand‑built by Keith Adkins and based on frequency‑shifting, rather than the time‑ or phase‑shifting that was generally used in popular modulation effects. Apparently, the effect featured on the Floyd track ‘Time’.

Though it sets out to recreate that vintage effect, Wobbler has an enhanced feature set. It includes the frequency‑shifting elements that are necessary to create non‑harmonic phase effects — these can sound similar but not identical to phasing, flanging or a rotary speaker, depending on the settings. However, there’s also a section dedicated to creating an ‘aged’ effect, with controls for Drive, Ageing, Drift and Spread, as well as a pair of filters — perfect for creating lo‑fi sounds. Ageing can be applied just to the wet signal or to the overall wet/dry mix, as you prefer, and the control affects both the bandwidth and the saturation characteristics. Drive controls the amount of saturation. The modulation section is dominated by the large Rate and Feedback knobs, with further knobs controlling the amount of Wobble (essentially a wet/dry mix) and the output level. Drift adds some rate fluctuations to emulate ageing components and thermal effects, while Drift controls the speed at which the rate changes when moved abruptly between two settings, rather like a rotary speaker’s ramp‑up/down time.

Three buttons, Rate, Note and Sync, set the Rate mode. Rate is a manual setting, while Sync and Note both sync to the DAW tempo (anything from 64th to 8th notes, including dotted notes and triplets). The key difference between them is that Sync mode synchronises the modulation phase with the start of the track in the DAW, which ensures that the modulation phase remains consistent at any given point in the track every time it is played back. However, this synchronisation makes it impossible to achieve smooth transitions between modulation frequencies, and prevents the simulation of temperature‑induced frequency drift, so the Drift and Glide controls are darkened in Sync Mode. In Note mode both those things are possible.

Phase adjusts the start phase of the modulation, with shifts of up to ±180 degrees possible. Spread introduces phase differences between the left and right channel wet sound for an enhanced stereo effect. That just leaves the conventional low‑ and high‑cut controls.

There’s a lot of scope to explore here, with treatments that don’t just add interest but also seem to help some sounds sit better in a mix.

Though a fairly simple idea, it’s very effective, and there’s a huge selection of presets. These include some created by Alan Parsons himself, and range from subtle stereo enhancement or aged tape, via subtle modulations that are somewhat reminiscent of a Dimension D, up to watery wobbles, faux rotary speakers, phasers and chorus‑like effects, some with dramatic stereo impact. Some lift out bass frequencies, while others can sound seriously trippy. There’s lots of scope to explore, with treatments that don’t just add interest but also seem to help some sounds sit better in a mix. There’s a 30‑day free trial, so if you’re growing bored of your usual modulation toys, give Wobbler a try!