AIR Music Tech AIR Delay Pro: What is it?
For those of a certain age, the name Wizoo Sound Design might ring some (dusty) old bells. The German software company was at the forefront of plugin design back in the early days.
Subsequently hoovered up by Digidesign and folded into Avid’s Pro Tools, many members of that original team went on to form AIR Music Technology.
It’s a team that has subsequently spawned some incredible wares, including the recently released ’80s-leaning softsynth, the Jura (that we’ll be spending some time with shortly).
Today though, we’re taking a look at the company’s newest effect plugin, AIR Delay Pro; an adaptable delay that promises a great deal more than you might initially expect from first glance.
Firstly, the UI is a neat, colour-coordinated affair, with the current delay rates and time divisions visible at the top half of the plugin, along with the option to switch from Digital to Analog modes.
There’s a nice rendering of the circular environment, which visualises any changes made in real-time. Rotary controls for modulation and LFO are on the bottom left-hand side, while EQ settings and input/output controls sit on the right, alongside limiter, distortion controls and a shimmering chorus effect.
There’s also a stereo widener which can increase or decrease the enveloping nature of the delay across your mix. So far, we’re on fairly standard ground, but AIR Delay Pro’s triple-headed selling point is its platter of neat, unique, capabilities.
AIR Music Tech AIR Delay Pro: Performance and verdict
The first of these three abilities is Diffusion, an effect that allows you to smear the rougher edges of your delay and place it almost akin to a reverb.
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Controlled by a simple on/off switch, a master rotary stereo widener and a fader that increases or decreases the virtual space, Diffusion offers a brilliant method of making those kinetic delays feel more organic, and less like a layered-on effect. The reflections feel very realistic, and those more animated delays sound as if they’re running around actual spaces.
Next, there’s Autoclear, which instantly cuts the delay when another note is hit. It’s a godsend for those of us who struggle with wrangling massive delays which then bleed out over quick-fire chord sequences or slinky melodies.
With Autoclear, the delay abruptly ceases, then triggers again in simpatico with the next notes. It’s something we didn’t really consider before, but now we’ve experienced it, we can imagine using this a lot more frequently, particularly when tracking live instruments.
The third flagship selling point of AIR Delay Pro is a process called Envelope Follow. Essentially a way of manipulating the time, feedback and delay amounts based on the ceiling you’ve set in an envelope window, three corresponding sliders adjust the elements you want to evolve over time.
Again, this isn’t something we’ve previously considered to this degree, but the results can lift a sub-par delay and make it contort in ways akin to a synth. While individually well worth interrogating, these elements work to build out AIR Delay Pro as a substantial delay-crafting toolkit.
Take it to the bank
As is typical with today’s effect plugins, a range of presets are available. We were quite impressed by the quantity and variety of the pre-sculpted delays on offer here, from the straightforward instrument-aligned fare (Guitar, Keys, Drums, Bass) to the more audacious sound-transforming settings found within the Atmos and Mod pages.
Some of those lured us in by their geeky labels (‘Tardis or FX’ and ‘Yowl’ in particular) but we stayed for the new inspiration to really go to town on some of our stock samples.
As with all presets, these should essentially be considered as starting points – or perhaps lightly dialled in to a track element rather than going fully wet with any of them. It’s a solid first port of call, and a fun way of surveying the massive breadth that AIR’s Delay Pro is capable of.
Expect delays
Delay Pro is also available within MPC standalone and desktop systems, so if you’re an Akai-hog, integration is seamless (both Akai and AIR Music Tech are part of the InMusic brand).
AIR Delay Pro isn’t just a checklist of isolated unique features, the experience of using it for a variety of studio tasks results in a plugin far greater than the sum of its parts.
Whether used as a tempo-synced beat augmenter to create dotted delays or as a way of creating ghostly after-echoes of chiming guitar chords, lifting synth washes into a new domain or widening a bass sound, it will deliver.
MusicRadar verdict: With three innovative additions at its heart, AIR Delay Pro is a transformative delay.
AIR Music Tech AIR Delay Pro: The web says
"The more you dig in, the more creative potential you discover."
Sound On Sound
AIR Music Tech AIR Delay Pro: Hands-on demos
AIR Music Tech
Production Expert
SampleKings
AIR Music Tech AIR Delay Pro: Specifications
- Mac OS 11.7 Big Sur - macOS 13.2 Ventura (Apple Silicon compatible – check Specific MPC Models for Driver Support). Dual-core 2.5GHz CPU. VST 2/3 Plugin compatible host. AAX plugin compatible host. AU plugin compatible host.
- Windows 10 (21H2) - Windows 11 (21H2). Dual-core 2.5GHz CPU. VST 2/3 compatible host. AAX plugin compatible host.
- 2GB free disk space (20GB for all content recommended). 4GB RAM (8GB recommended).
- Designed to run on standalone MPC systems running 2.11 or later, and FORCE systems running 3.2 or later, including: MPC One, MPC Live, MPC Live II, MPC X, MPC Key 61, FORCE.
- CONTACT: AIR Music Tech
