PSP Audioware Wobbler Modulator

PSP Audioware Wobbler Modulator

By Barry Rudolph

PSP's Wobbler is based on an experimental hardware modulation device built by Keith Adkins for producer/engineer Alan Parsons who used it on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Called the Frequency Translator, the PSP Wobbler plug-in sounds like a cross-mixture between a wah-wah pedal, a phaser, flanger, or a Leslie speaker.

A notable part of the sound is a narrow Q peaking EQ--a resonant filter similar to a wah-wah pedal or an Uni-vibe unit. But as you get to know the PSP Wobbler, you can sculpt the sound using this filter along other interesting features, settings and interconnections.

All the controls are interactive in different ways depending on how the other controls are set. The helpful pop-up explanations of each control and button are excellent help for learning PSP Wobbler. The PSP Wobbler relies on a frequency shifting processor that mixes the original dry signal with the processed output. When the PSP Wobble control is straight up at the 12 o'clock position, it is a 50/50 mix.

PSP Wobbler is controlled by a choice of three different modulation sources. The Note button sets the effect to follow the tempo of the music in any subdivision; it's displayed in a window with the tempo tracked and tempo changes followed. Sync also tracks tempo with the same resolution except now, modulation phase will be in sync with the song's position in time. Finally, the Rate mode is like using an LFO modulating wave. It has a range of -25 to +25Hz. Negative values are phase flipped.

The Feedback parameter controls the intensity of the whole effect by regulating the amount of feedback in the frequency shifter's path--higher values will go into resonance. I especially liked the Drive control; it is for driving a saturator to smooth out resonant peaks that come with higher Feedback settings. Drive works with the Age control to set the bandwidth of saturation for the dry or wet signals or both together. A cool feature is the Glide control that sets the time it takes to change the Rate or Note control from one setting to a new setting. I liken this to switching from a fast-spinning Leslie speaker down to a slower speed on a Hammond organ's rotary speaker.

With a stereo instance of the PSP Wobbler, the Spread and Phase offset controls the Wet signal only. I fed a pair of (double-tracked) electric guitar tracks into the stereo inputs for modulating and they immediately took on an almost science fiction quality with a very wide stereo character! And the stereo width and depth did not cancel out when that track was summed to mono.

PSP's Wobbler is random, quirky and full of fun surprises and accidents! I use it whenever I'm out of ideas and looking for a customized, special effect to fit into my mix. I like to wander around it to get an effect I would have never thought would ever fit or be possible otherwise to create with any other plug-ins or combinations of plug-ins.

Wobbler Costs: $99.95 MSRP

More info at: PSP Wobbler

Back To Home Page

Top