PSP Wobbler Review

You might be familiar with PSPaudioware thanks to their popular PSP Vintage Warmer plugin, a compressor/limiter lauded for its realistic analog qualities. Their latest plugin, PSP Wobbler, is another plugin emulation of a classic piece of hardware. This time, a recreation of the Frequency Translator, a unique modulation device that was used by Grammy award-winning producer and engineer, Alan Parsons.

Parsons used the original Frequency Translator on Pink Floyd’s Time, most notably to add a sense of movement to the backing vocals later on in the track. There’s no denying how great the original device sounds in this context, but how does PSPaudioware’s software emulation sound?

In this review, we’re putting PSP Wobbler through its paces, identifying its strong points as well as where we think it could be improved.

What is PSP Wobbler?

Unlike some modulation effects, PSP Wobbler uses frequency shifting to change an audio signal according to a particular frequency. This is a non-harmonic process, and as such, isn’t directly comparable to many other time-based modulation effects. Instead, PSPaudioware says PSP Wobbler sounds like a hybrid between a rotary speaker, phaser, and flanger.

With a handful of core controls, some additional parameters for refining your sound, plus over 109 factory presets for various purposes, PSP Wobbler is designed for use on just about any instrument or audio signal you can think of. Let’s find out how the plugin performs in practice.

Wobble

It seems fitting to kick things off with Wobbler’s core functionality, which is its ability to add modulation to any audio signal. Once you’ve added PSP Wobbler to an audio channel, it’s as simple as increasing the Rate to introduce a satisfying and musical modulation effect. The Pulse light in the center of the plugin’s interface gives a useful visual representation of the modulation being applied.

By default, PSP Wobbler is in Rate mode, allowing you to set the speed of modulation in Hz. Alternatively, you can use Note mode to set the rate to a division of the initial song tempo, or Sync mode to continue to follow the project’s tempo.

The Feedback control routes the processed signal back into itself for a more extreme effect, and the Wobble control acts as a mix amount. This is particularly useful if you’ve found a modulation setting you like, but want to dial it back slightly or automate the overall strength of the effect.

Adding Character

In addition to the modulation parameters, PSP Wobbler lets you saturate your signal using the Drive parameter, with the Age dial granting you control over the character of the saturation. You can even choose whether to apply the saturation to only the wet signal, or both the dry and wet signal. This is achieved using the Aging buttons below the main saturation controls.

The Wobble parameter controls the mix level of the saturation as well as the mix level of the modulation. Combining this control with the Drive, Age, and Aging parameters, it’s possible to achieve some really interesting and usable types of saturation. In fact, with the Rate set to 0, you can essentially bypass the modulation effect and use only the saturation circuit.

Additional Controls and Features

To further refine your sound, PSP Wobbler boasts a few extra bells and whistles that expand its flexibility. The Drift control simulates voltage drift resulting, in a less stable modulation rate, while the Glide control slows down the speed at which changes to the rate take effect.

To the right of the plugin, the Spread control adds phase variation between the left and right channels, resulting in a wider stereo field. Be warned, though, that combining high Spread and Wobble values can cause the plugin to output a signal with a negative phase, thus impacting its mono compatibility.

You also get Hi and Lo controls which act as low and high-cut filters, and control which frequencies are affected by PSP Wobbler. If you’re applying modulation to a bass sound and want to keep the low-end dry, or want to dial back the effect on particularly bright audio signals, this can be achieved right within the plugin.

By default, PSP Wobbler automatically shows you tooltips when you hover your cursor over a control. We found this especially helpful for understanding the plugin parameters and how they interact with one another. Additionally, PSP Wobbler gains an extra mark for usability thanks to its fully resizeable GUI.

Potential Improvements

With its modulation shape fixed as a sine wave, PSP Wobbler really lends itself to more subtle undulations, although you can get more extreme results with high Rate, Feedback and Wobble values. The addition of some more modulation shapes would open the plugin up to even more sound design opportunities.

While common in phase-based modulation effects like PSP Wobbler, there is a noticeable reduction in output level when the plugin is engaged. This can be compensated for using the Output control, but an auto-gain feature could be a nice addition in a future plugin update.

The Verdict

Ultimately, PSP Wobbler is a simple yet effective modulation plugin with a few neat tricks up its sleeve. The wide range of presets encourages you to explore a variety of unique modulation effects, but tweaking or creating your own presets doesn’t take much effort either.

If you want to add movement, character, and stereo width to a signal, but want to achieve a different flavor than with traditional choruses, flangers and phasers, PSP Wobbler by PSPaudioware might be the answer. Check out our video below, which explores three unique ways you can use PSP Wobbler in your productions.