Shimmering echoes have their origin in echo and delay plugins. These two are basically the same thing, although their roots are different. First, delay tends to be purely digital; second, echo usually refers to as analog tape-based delays. Echo adds feedback and regeneration to a specific mix. Moreover, when a flexible amount of delayed sound mixes into a specific audio signal, multiple echoes emerge.
By definition, echo is an audio effect included in the whole music production spectrum. Musicians have used it in all genres throughout the years and it works with all types of instruments.
Shimmering Echoes: the H-2000 Harmonizer
Many years ago, a group of sound engineers created the H-2000 Harmonizer®. This device had a specific algorithm: the Reverse Shift. People didn’t use this algorithm often. However, someone later realized that, by using it in combination with feedback and delay, crystal-like echoes and shimmering effects came to life. These unique sounds were amazing to the human ear, especially when produced by a guitar.
Crystallizer
Soundtoys, the company behind world-famous H-2000 Harmonizer, created a plugin device that simulated the sound produced by this algorithm. It did so by tuning an instrument in a specific way. This new plugin, known as Crystallizer, also added new features to the unit. One of these features is mix control, which musicians employ to balance the sounds resulting from it and the unaffected audio signal.
Other features include, for instance, a pitch control. This control allows the user to adjust the pitch of the audio signal, which then creates upward or downward spirals. In addition, it has a splice control that helps determine the length of a specific audio section. Moreover, there’s a delay control which permits the user to apply delay between the original signal and the resulting signal. Finally, the recycle control (or feedback control) lets the user to send the output of the effect signal back into the input. This last control produces repeating and spiralling effects.
