Rechoir is a harmonising delay, which means each echo can come back at a different pitch. That is a strong tool for ambient guitars, synth arps and vocal textures, and also a fast way to make a mess if you set it wrong. Below is a scenario-based guide: build a shimmering guitar bed, then a vocal harmony, then a set of rules for keeping pitched echoes in key. I am describing the technique for this category of effect; check the developer's page for what Rechoir specifically offers.
Rule zero: pitched echoes must match your key
Common intervals and how they sound:
| Interval | Semitones | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Octave up | +12 | Shimmer, bright halo |
| Fifth up | +7 | Open, spacious, safe in most keys |
| Fourth down | -5 | Dark, grounded |
| Octave down | -12 | Weight, sub-ish texture |
| Third (major or minor) | +4 or +3 | Only if the third fits the chord |
Octaves and fifths are safe over almost any chord in the key. Thirds change the chord quality, so use them when the harmony is stable.
Scenario 1: shimmering clean guitar
- Play sustained open chords, one every two bars, at around 70 BPM.
- Put Rechoir on an aux send, 100% wet.
- Delay time: dotted 1/8. Feedback: 40 to 50%.
- Pitch: +12 on the first repeats, or +7 if you want something less glassy.
- Filter the return: high-pass at 250 Hz, low-pass at 7 kHz to soften the top.
- Raise the send until the shimmer blooms after each chord change.
Scenario 2: a quiet vocal harmony
- Choose a single word or short phrase at the end of a line.
- Use a +7 or +4 shift only if the underlying chord supports it.
- Keep it low: -14 to -18 dB below the lead, panned wide.
- Add a bit of modulation to blur the timing and reduce metallic artefacts.
Feedback: where things go wrong
Each repeat moves further from the original pitch. At high feedback with a +12 shift, echoes rise through several octaves and can turn harsh. Keep feedback modest, filter the top, and automate the send off between sections. If the sound becomes shrill, drop feedback by 10% first, then lower the low-pass.
Scenario 3: rhythmic synth arp
Take a 1/16 arpeggio in the middle register. Set Rechoir to a 1/8 dotted delay, pitch +12 on one channel and -12 on the other if it allows separate settings, feedback around 35%. The arp now gets an upper answering line and a low shadow, moving against the original pattern. Keep the wet level low, about -10 dB, so the original still leads. If the pattern feels busy, mute the octave-down side and keep only the shimmer.
Mixing pitched delay
- Put an EQ after the plugin and cut 200 to 400 Hz by 3 dB to remove boxiness.
- Add a soft compressor triggered by the dry signal so echoes recede while the part plays.
- Check in mono. Wide pitch effects sometimes cancel and lose body.
- Automate the send at section starts, and mute it for the drop so the impact stays clean.
Troubleshooting
- Repeats sound out of key: check the interval against the chord, and try octaves only.
- Warbling or metallic tone: shorter delay times can worsen pitch-shift artefacts; use longer times with less feedback.
- Muddy mix: the low end of pitched-down repeats builds fast. High-pass the return.
- Delay drifts off the grid: switch to tempo sync.
Sound design idea
Freeze a single synth note, feed it through Rechoir with 60% feedback, then resample the result. Cut the best two seconds and use it as a transition riser, reversed. Pitched-delay resampling is a low-effort way to produce unique textures nobody else has.
A/B test for pitched echoes
- Print eight bars of your part with a plain delay at the same time and feedback.
- Print the same section with pitched repeats, +7 semitones first, then +12.
- Match the wet levels, then play each in the full arrangement.
- Choose the one that adds movement without changing how the chords feel.
Genre tips
Ambient and post-rock welcome long, high-feedback shimmer. Pop works best with one quiet fifth on a single phrase. Lo-fi beats can use a -12 semitone repeat, low-passed hard, for a woolly halo behind the keys.
Session habit worth keeping
Name the return track with the interval and key, for example Rechoir +7 Am, and save the plugin state as a preset. When you return to a song months later you will know why the echoes sound the way they do, and a key change in the arrangement will remind you to update the pitch settings too.
FAQ
Can I use it on drums?
Rarely. Pitched echoes on unpitched percussion sound odd, but on tuned toms or a bass drum tail it can work as an effect.
Mono or stereo source?
Either. Mono sources give you full control of the width you add through the delay.
Is Rechoir free right now?
It was released as a free download, but availability can change, so confirm on the official page before you plan around it.
Pair it with Valhalla Supermassive for a deeper wash, compare timing tricks in Wasser, and keep the return levels sensible with gain staging.
Get Rechoir from igorski
