D16 Syntorus 2

Chorus has proven to be a tricky effect to create in plugin form. Let’s see if this upgraded classic hits the spot

Polish developer D16 produce some of the finest analogue emulations available, ranging from the Roland-inspired Drumazon and Nepheton drum machines right through to hardware emulating effects such as their Antresol flanger, Repeater delay and Redoptor tube distortion.

A decade ago they released their original chorus plugin, Syntorus. This captured the classic analog chorus sound you’d find on synths, pedals and beyond and needless to say we loved it and still do. But ten years is a long time, and so it’s great to see this excellent processor finally getting an overhaul.

So what’s new?

Syntorus 2 (VST, AU, AAX) builds on version 1 in a number of ways. The big news is you now have three rather than two delay lines and three rather than two LFOs. This simple though the significant change has necessitated a layout redesign, and what you now have are two panels, one for delay Lines and one for LFOs, with the red LEDs acting as selectors for the processor you want to edit. A third Mixer panel provides a level, pan, and metering for each delay Line, and a Configuration panel gives you three options that dictate how the LFOs control the delays. These include an Independent setting with LFOs simply controlling their respective delays, a Summed option and a combination of the two (Mixed). Overall the redesign works excellently and the new panning option is particularly handy for creating stereo effects or simply tweaking the stereo image.