PerforModule has announced the release of a new Ableton Live Pack of effects that are safe for usage in parallel.

So one day i got it in my head to figure out which of Ableton Live’s Effects are the best to use in parallel. What is the criteria for this? Simply, which processes alter the phase of audio passing through them, either to the least degree, or in a nicely summable way.

Why does this matter? Because phase offsets, when summed in parallel with the original signal, will inevitably cause changes to the frequency contour. Sometimes slight amounts of this phase offset can add a nice creamy touch to the sound of things (and pretty much all analog gear causes it to some degree), but when being surgically technical like during the finalizing stages of a track, they are generally just not helpful.

ParallAux contains 5 distinct racks providing combinations of the most parallel-friendly native effects, optimized for specific purposes with maximal versatility of application.

  • ParallAux Eroded Tube: Use it subtly for adding a touch of source-reactive lo-fi grit to the mix. Or you can push it a bit harder to blend in some sound of analog signal clipping without mangling the original material.
  • ParallAux Gate-Expander: By particular routing using phase-inversion gimmickry, it is possible to gate tracks via a Return Track. Weird, huh?
  • ParallAux Reverb Analog: Go-to aux reverb for when you want a more retro vibe, juiced up with easily adjustable tube, tremolo, subtle erosion, analog compression, and a clipper.
  • ParallAux Reverb Digital: Go-to aux reverb for when you want a more modern vibe, juiced up with easily adjustable reflective surface, VCA compression, unique tight prescient gate, and a limiter.
  • ParallAux Smash: Dual analog/digital compressors (in parallel with each other, of course) with thresholds and ratios slammed to their utmost. You feed signal into that slammation for added parallel “oomph”.

Available for Ableton Live 10 Suite or higher, ParallAux is free to download until March 2022.

More information: PerforModule