Ricochet User’s Guide Audio Damage, Inc. Release 1.
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Introduction Thank you for purchasing Ricochet, Audio Damage’s multi-tap delay plug-in. Ricochet combines a sophisticated and novel multi-tap delay architecture with a simple user interface. Ricochet includes an EQ-like input filter, separate resonant multi-mode filters on each of its five output taps, and a chorus processor. Ricochet can create a wide variety of effects from simple delays and filters to stereo choruses and ping-pong delays, complex rhythmic repeats, simple reverberation, and more.
Installation Double-click the Ricochet Installer icon and follow the instructions. During the installation process the installer will ask you to enter your registration code. Your registration code uniquely identifies your purchase, and you will need it if you need to reinstall your plug-in (for example, after upgrading to a new computer). Keep a copy of the code in a safe location and please don’t share it with your friends.
Operation Ricochet can be used in either a stereo or mono context in your host DAW software. If you use a stereo input, the left and right channel separation of the input signal is preserved in the output signal (assuming that some amount of the unprocessed signal is present in the output; see the description of the MIX knob below).
1. Filter The FILTER knob controls a filter that the input signal passes through before entering the pre-delay. The filter is not a simple fixed-response tone control, but instead is an equalizer-like pair of shelving filters, one low-cut filter and one high-cut filter. The FILTER knob is bidirectional. At its center “12 o’clock” position, the filters have a flat response and do not affect the sound of the signal.
3. Feedback The FEEDBACK knob controls how much of the delayed signal is fed back into Richochet’s input. With no feedback, each of Ricochet’s five output taps will produce a single delayed copy of the input signal. Feedback sends some amount of the delayed signal(s) back into Ricochet’s input, producing a decaying series of copies. Like the FILTER knob, the FEEDBACK knob is bidirectional, and causes different things to happen depending on the direction that you rotate it.
The horizontal position of a tap dot expresses the tap’s delay time relative to its horizontal location on the grid, and as a fraction of the time represented by the grid. This time is set by the GRID SIZE knob. If the tap dot is at the far left side of the grid, its delay time is zero. If the tap dot is at the horizontal center of the grid—that is, the position marked “08” at the bottom of the grid, or halfway across the grid—its delay time is half of the time set by the Grid Size knob.
On the left of the panel are three vertical sliders, labeled PAN, FRQ, and RES. Click and drag on them to move them up and down. The PAN slider moves the tap’s output between Ricochet’s left and right output channels. Move the slider upwards (from its center position) to move the tap’s output towards the right, move it downwards to move the tap’s output to the left. Obviously if you’re using Ricochet in a mono-output context, the PAN slider has no effect.
The MODE switch to the right of the sliders chooses the response mode of the filter. The modes are: LPF: low-pass filter. This mode causes the filter to attenuate or reduce signal frequencies higher than its operating frequency (set by the FRQ slider) and pass unchanged signals lower than its operating frequency. Low-pass filters are the most commonly used filters in synthesizers and effects processors. HPF: high-pass filter.
5. Grid Size The GRID SIZE knob sets the maximum time of Ricochet’s main, multi-tap delay. If the SYNC switch at the bottom of Ricochet’s window is off, the grid size is set in units of milliseconds. If the SYNC switch is on, the grid size is calculated from the current tempo of your host sequencer and the GRID SIZE knob operates in simple fractions of the duration of one measure. In either case the delay time is displayed as you move the knob.
The maximum delay length for any of the tap outputs is four seconds. This means that the 2-measure setting of the GRID SIZE knob is mostly useful at tempos above 120bpm, since two measures equals four seconds at this tempo. 6. Mix The MIX knob controls the relative amounts of the original, unprocessed (dry) signal and the processed (wet) signal in Ricochet's output. Use this knob to control the overall amount of the effect.
The RATE slider sets the speed with which the chorus effect is modulated (changed) by a low-frequency oscillator (LFO). As you move this slider upwards the modulation rate increases. The RATE control has a range of 0.05 to 1Hz. Note that if the DEPTH slider (described next) is set to zero, you won’t hear any change in the output when you move the RATE slider. The DEPTH slider determines how much the chorus effect is modulated by the LFO.
The SOFT SAT slider controls the amount of soft-saturation distortion created within Ricochet’s feedback path. The distortion section has two purposes: first, it prevents feedback signals from growing without limit; second, it imparts a variable amount of analog-like distortion. This distortion can help repeated signals seem to break up or decay and become less distinct. Moving the slider upwards increases the amount of distortion.
MIDI Controllers The VST version of Ricochet responds to MIDI continuous controller messages. You can use hardware MIDI controllers, such as MIDI slider boxes or the knobs found on some MIDI keyboards, to adjust Ricochet’s parameters. Ricochet has a simple “MIDI Learn” mode for assigning its controls to MIDI controllers. To assign a control to a MIDI controller: First, hold down the SHIFT and CTRL keys on your PC’s keyboard, or SHIFT and CMD keys if you’re using a Mac, and click once on the control.
Ricochet’s MIDI controller assignments apply to all presets and instances of Ricochet, in all host applications that you use. The MIDI assignments are stored in a special file on your hard drive. The contents of this file are read when Ricochet is loaded by your host. If you have two or more instances of Ricochet in use at once, any MIDI assignments you make will not be propagated to the other instances until the next time that your host loads the plug-ins.
