What it does

PhaseBreaker is an open-source audio plugin designed to cause intentional comb filter effects by mixing the input signal with a delayed and modulated version of itself. This creates a unique sound that can add interesting character to things like guitars, synths, and vocals. PhaseBreaker is built in C++ using the JUCE framework, and can be built as a VST3, AU, or standalone plugin.

How it works

PhaseBreaker's signal flow is unique in that the processing (filters and phase invert) only apply to the delayed signal before being added to the input signal. This means that the dry/wet mix controls how much of the affected signal is added to the original input, not how much of the input signal is passed through unaffected. It also means that the HPF and LPF controls only affect the delayed signal, which allows you to limit the frequency range of the comb filtering effect. Likewise the phase invert button inverts the delayed signal before being mixed back in, which can create some interesting changes in the depth of the sound.

Personal use cases

I like to use PhaseBreaker on harsh vocals to add a widening effect using a 15-30 ms delay time. It's also great at adding some high-end crunch to guitars that may be too dark or heavy and need to cut through the mix. For guitars that may need a little low-end kick, I find that using a short delay time (2-5 ms), setting the LPF around 2-4 kHz, and inverting the phase creates an interesting "punch" in the low-mids that adds some very unique depth to the sound.