Dubstation 2 is a dub delay plugin by Audio Damage for macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS, and a studio standard for more than 20 years. It is built on Audio Damage's bucket-brigade delay model, where the top end rolls off as the delay time gets longer, the way it does in real analog delay hardware, and it covers everything from short slapback to long, saturated repeats and runaway dub sirens. Two delay lines share one time or run two independent times from 4 ms to 1 second, or up to 2 seconds with the x2 switch, set freely, synced to host tempo, or tapped in from the front panel or a MIDI note or CC, and a Ping-Pong switch bounces the repeats between left and right. Saturation and low- and high-cut filters sit in the feedback path, an LFO modulates the delay time for chorus and pitch sweeps, and Reverse and Loop modes turn it into a reverse delay or an infinite looper. Available as VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP for desktop, and AUv3 for iPhone and iPad. Priced at $29 USD with no DRM, no subscription, and a perpetual license.

Platforms & Downloads

Fully functional demo. 20-minute session timer, save disabled.

Features

• Bucket-brigade delay model. Audio Damage's BBD algorithm, refined since 2002, with the high-frequency roll-off that real analog delays develop at long delay times.
• Two delay lines. Single mode runs both channels at one delay time, dual mode gives each channel its own, and the Ping-Pong switch bounces the repeats between left and right in either mode. Times run from 4 ms to 1 second, or up to 2 seconds with the x2 Time switch.
• Tempo sync and tap tempo. Lock to host tempo in values from 1/32 to a whole note, including dotted and triplet values, or set Sync Source to Tap and tap three times on the front-panel button, or from a MIDI note or CC chosen in the Settings panel.
• Feedback and saturation. Feedback from -30 dB up to 0 dB for runaway repeats, through an analog-style saturation stage that goes from subtle warmth to outright distortion.
• Filters in the feedback path. Low cut from 100 Hz to 1.5 kHz and high cut from 4 kHz to 8 kHz shape every repeat, for classic dub filter sweeps and control over runaway feedback.
• LFO. Rate from 0.01 to 5 Hz and a depth control modulate the delay time for chorusing, doubling, vibrato, and pitch sweeps.
• Reverse and Loop. Reverse turns Dubstation 2 into a reverse delay. Loop holds what is in the delay line as a clean, infinite loop.
• Drive, width, and Mix Lock. Input drive from -80 to +3 dB, output level from -40 to +3 dB, a Width control from mono to full stereo, and a padlock beside the Mix knob that keeps your wet/dry balance when you change presets.
• Preset browser. 39 factory presets, 30 of them added in version 2.4, with folders, favorites, copy and paste, import and export of single presets or whole folders as ZIP files, and random name generation.
• Universal preset system. Cross-platform XML-based presets compatible across all plugin formats and operating systems, including the iOS edition. Save over the Default preset to start every new instance from your own settings.
• Resizable vector UI. HiDPI and Retina aware, scales cleanly from a laptop panel to a large display, and new instances open at the size you last used.

Sound Design Ideas

Set Sync Source to Tap, tap in a quarter note, and ride the Feedback knob up toward 0 dB for live dub sirens. Run dual mode with a dotted eighth on one side and a quarter note on the other, or switch on Ping-Pong, for wide bouncing patterns. Put a guitar through single mode with Saturation around 25 percent, the Low Cut near 200 Hz, and a slow LFO for warm, chorused slapback. Pull the High Cut down to 4 kHz, use a long delay time, and push the feedback for a dark wash that degrades with every repeat. Hit Loop on a vocal phrase and sweep the filters for an evolving texture, or reverse a snare hit for fills. Engage Mix Lock to audition the factory presets without losing your balance.

Frequently Asked Questions