Fabfilter timeless link to preset manual#

Fabfilter timeless link to preset manual#

There is plenty of scope for creative manual effects in the tape-style pitch mode, ripe for capture as DAW automation. Back in default mode, you can drag the tap bars horizontally to adjust delay offset (50% to 200%) and vertically to alter feedback. You can also place taps, set levels and pan to your heart’s content, but if that’s all a bit hands-on, there is also a menu of tap patterns, factory and user. There are two tap display modes: the default shows the two delay lines (left/right or mid/side) over multiple repeats, and a second allows tap editing within the time division, be it tempo sync or milliseconds. Part of the appeal of Timeless 3 is the playability afforded by the tap and filter grids, and with the full-screen mode engaged, there is no need to squint as you sculpt and tweak the delays. Like the controls they are nested with, nearly all these parameters are possible destinations for the modulators below. Similarly, the Feedback and Wet controls are flanked by related parameters, with cross mix and L/R channel phase inverters for the former and stereo width and mix for the latter. The last of these toggles between a tape-style pitch change as the delay time changes and the digital stretch mode where pitch remains constant. Once modulation is involved, these lines provide an invaluable representation of how Timeless 3 is working.Ĭlustered around the central Delay knob are four icons that access delay freeze, ping-pong, tempo sync and Read Mode. This visual guide is far more intuitive than the numerical data shown at the knobs. As you alter these parameters, the displayed delay tap lines change position and length to reflect the effect of the changes. The three main controls, Delay, Feedback and Wet, come in dual-concentric rotary form with the centre setting offset, percentage and level, respectively, while the outer rings adjust panning balance. Still, considering the detail available within the modulation parameter edit boxes that you can summon over any control, this is a good UI design choice. These are a subtle guide rather than hard data presentation. The modulators, once connected to their control destinations, create a glowing, hazy colour-coded trail.

There are plenty of visual aids to link what you see to what you’re hearing, such as pulsating delay tap lines, the filter section spectrograph, and any filter modulations. Dark and spacious, Timeless 3 is gentle on the eyes, which is vital as it can easily grab your attention for long periods of experimentation. The lower portion of the UI splits vertically, with the upper half housing the controls, such as delay time, feedback, effects and mixing, while the lower half is devoted to modulation. The upper portion displays the delay taps to the left and the feedback filtering to the right, both of which are as animated as they are editable.

The redesigned Timeless 3 interface presents a lot of information, but it’s so clearly laid out that coaxing pleasing tape echo sounds is immediate and intuitive. While it challenges the best analogue delay emulations, Timeless 3 also packs in parameters and modulations that allow careful sculpting and deep, often wild excursions from the original sound. Timeless 3 is billed as a vintage tape delay, but this categorisation is more a jumping-off point than raison d’etre. A fully featured filter section that's as sweet as it is nasty.

Original and intuitive tap and feedback editing.

Easy-to-use interface for a deep and powerful toolset.

Verdict - FabFilter has successfully blended sonic quality with a comprehensive set of delay and modulation tools, all within an easy to use and peruse interface. This updated vintage tape delay plug-in pushes even further beyond the capabilities of its IRL forebears to produce a comprehensive time-warping effects engine.