AberrantDSP is the maker of some of our favourite software tools, and we're not the only ones partial to their processors: Billie Eilish's producer (and brother) FINNEAS is a noted fan of Aberrant's SketchCassette tape emulation plugin. So when we heard the company was announcing a new product, we had high expectations, and Aberrant hasn't let us down.
Described as an "occult reverberator", Lair is one of the weirdest reverb plugins we've come across in a very long time - this is without a doubt the only plugin release we're aware of that's been accompanied by a mysterious short story that describes the maker of the plugin sacrificing his ring finger in order to gain access to an interdimensional portal.
Beyond the occult theme, Lair is a pretty capable reverb plugin, equipped with three reverb modes: Artifact is a spring reverb, Mirror offers something similar to a plate reverb, while Rift is something else entirely, generating "mystical echoes from other planes". Each reverb mode has two unique modifiers that apply effects to the sound such as pitch-shifting and parameter randomization.
You'll also find tone controls to filter the reverb that behave differently in each reverb mode, and a modulation control equipped with three waveforms. There's also a drive module with three different modes, one of which is said to incorporate a "broken compressor" and the other applying a heavy flavour of distortion to the output.
In addition, Lair is equipped with the global controls you'd expect from a reverb plugin, including mix, reverb level, sparsity and pre-delay, alongside various controls for stereo width and ducking. Plus, there are 77 factory presets onboard with some rather imaginative names, such as Dusted Artifact, Secret Stairway and Mithril Foundry.
Priced at a discounted $24, Lair is available now for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
