Vector Delay is a polyphonic delay
with a unique modulation system controlled by a 2D particle simulation.
In this video, we'll explore how to process sounds with Vector Delay
and how to use the particle simulation to control elements within the sound.
On the left of the device is the 2D particle system.
This displays particles that are used to affect elements of our sound.
On the right-hand side of the device are additional controls
and three tabs we'll use to adjust parameters of the delay, as well as parameters
that control the behavior of particles within the simulation.
In the first tab of Vector Delay are the delay controls.
Here you'll find the usual controls you'd expect from a conventional delay,
like Time, Feedback and a Multimode filter.
There are a few novel controls as well: Pitch lets you re-pitch only the delayed signal.
Recycle feeds the re-pitched repeats back on themselves to create a cascade of rising pitches.
You can also play each repeat in reverse.
At the bottom of the Delay Parameters tab are five particle attribute controls
that allow you to map attributes of the particle simulation to elements within the delay.
The first control uses the horizontal position of a particle within the display to effect an element of the delay.
Let's map this to control Pan.
At the moment, there is only one particle active, but you can use the Voices control
to set anywhere between 1 and 16 voices.
Because Vector Delay is polyphonic, each particle represents a totally separate delay line
with its own independent settings affected by the corresponding particle's position within the display.
The second particle attribute uses the vertical position of a particle within the display
to affect the element of the delay.
Let's map this to Pitch.
When an attribute is mapped to Pitch, you can use the Scale setting
to quantize the re-pitched values to particular scales or intervals.
Let's go with 7 semitones.
The third attribute control uses a particle's distance from the center to affect elements of the delay.
Let's map this to Time.
So the delay time of each delay line will change based on its distance from the center of the display.
The fourth control uses a particle's Speed to affect an element of delay.
Let's map this to Gain.
The fifth control uses a particle's Mass to effect an element of the delay.
In the simulation, a particle's Mass is represented by its size.
You might have noticed that the Size, or Mass, of each particle isn't currently changing.
Let's first map Mass to affect Feedback.
And then head over to the third tab where we'll find some controls for the particle's system attributes.
Here we find the Emitter, which is used to create and destroy particles.
When the Emitter is enabled, new particles will be created at a rate set by the Rate control
and they will last for a length of time set by the Life control.
I'll increase Life to 4 beats and Rate to 2 notes,
so particles are being created at a slow rate.
The maximum number of particles that can exist simultaneously is always set by the Voices control.
So, Voices, Rate and Life work in tandem to control how many particles will exist at any one time.
You might start to notice that each new particle's Mass is slightly different.
You can set the mass at which new particles will be created using the Mass control.
And you can define a random mass for new particles using the Random Mass control.
Let's head over to the second tab where we can control settings for the forces that move the particles.
At the center of the display is what is known as the Attractor.
Particles are attracted to, or repelled from, the Attractor based on the Strength control.
The Mass of a particle also affects how much it is attracted to or repelled by the Attractor.
Particles can also be positively or negatively charged, indicated by blue for a positively charged particle
and yellow for a negative one. You can set whether the Attractor attracts both positive and negative particles
or only one or the other using the Attract setting.
Magnetism can be used to set how much oppositely charged particles attract or repel one another.
You'll notice that very small adjustments to these controls can have quite drastic results.
And each element of the simulation interacts with the others in particular ways.
So start by making small adjustments to these controls and noticing how they interact.
Vector Delay is excellent at creating delays that are complex and organic
and works well for any style that benefits from textured, evolving sound design.
There are many other controls we haven't discussed, but remember that you can use
Live's Info View to discover more about the controls in Vector Delay.
Click the toggle in the bottom-left of Live's window to open the Info View,
then hover over any parameter within Vector Delay to learn more about that control.
Also, be sure to explore some of the included Vector Delay presets
to get an idea of the range of sounds possible with Vector Delay.