W.A. Production’s Orchid chorus plugin is currently available as a free download for a limited time via VST Alarm. The plugin normally sells for $39.90, so this one is clearly aimed at anyone who likes grabbing bigger commercial effects while the price drops to zero.
A Chorus Plugin That Goes Well Beyond Basic Thickening
Orchid is pitched as a chorus effect inspired by the wet, wide studio sound of the 1980s. That alone is not unusual, but the plugin goes further than a standard chorus by using four-way chorus processing instead of the usual doubled signal approach.
The result should be a thicker and more exaggerated effect, especially on synths, basses, guitars, vocals, and drums. If lighter chorus plugins can sometimes feel a bit polite, Orchid seems built for the opposite approach.
More Than Speed and Depth
The usual Speed and Depth controls are here, along with Feedback and Spread for adjusting the intensity and stereo image. From there, Orchid opens up into a broader effects processor with Shimmer, Space, Delay, and Filter controls.
Shimmer adds harmonics up to two octaves above the source, which should help brighten the signal and add a bit of sparkle. Space adds reverb to each chorus module, while Delay can push the processed signal back by up to 100 ms to create more separation from the dry sound.
The filter section rounds things out with high-pass and low-pass controls, which is a practical addition if you only want the chorus to affect certain parts of the spectrum.
Parallel Control, Metering, and Presets
Orchid also includes a central Mix control for blending the effect in parallel, plus a Mute Source option for monitoring only the processed signal. That is always useful on a plugin like this, especially when the effect can get pretty dense.
There is also live visual feedback in the center of the interface, along with click-free bypass for easier A/B checking. On top of that, W.A. Production includes a good selection of presets for guitars, bass, drums, synths, vocals, and more extreme special effects.
Features
- Free for a limited time via VST Alarm
- Usually priced at $39.90
- Four-way chorus processing
- Speed, Depth, Feedback, and Spread controls
- Shimmer for added harmonics and top-end lift
- Space control for chorus-linked reverb
- Delay up to 100 ms
- High-pass and low-pass filtering
- Mix control and Mute Source monitoring
- Live visual feedback
- Click-free bypass
- Factory presets and PDF manual
Plugin Overview
Orchid looks like a good fit for anyone after chorus, with a bit more attitude than usual. It can obviously handle classic widening and thickening, but the extra controls suggest it gets more interesting once you start pushing it into shimmer-heavy, phasey, and more obviously processed territory.
Free Download
Orchid chorus plugin is available as a free download for a limited time via VST Alarm.
