Delay plugins seem to be the flavor of the week right now, as we’re covering a second new release in as many days, with the latest being Quantum Delay Lite – a free vintage-inspired delay with advanced modulation from GS DSP.
Of course, now that I’ve mentioned it, we won’t see another delay plugin for years.
The thing these plugins have in common is that they are not your typical delay effects.
Delay Rings 8-Bit pays homage to Japan’s retro-gaming legacy with nostalgic digital imperfections.
Quantum Delay Lite offers something different by going deep into modulation.
Quantum Delay Lite is available in AU, VST3, and AAX formats for macOS (10.13 or later) and Windows (10 or later).
You can also download an iOS version from the Apple App Store (iOS 12 and later).
I’ve been trying to download the plugin for a little while now, and the FastSpring checkout gateway won’t process my order. It seems to be a FastSpring issue, not a GS DSP issue, so I’ll keep trying.
Hopefully, you don’t experience the same issue with what would otherwise be a speedy process.
Quantum Delay Lite has two modes/algorithms: Tape and Fade.
When you adjust the delay time in Tape mode, you’ll hear pitch-shifting as the playback speed changes.
In Fade mode, you won’t hear those pitch effects when making adjustments, as the change of delay time is immediate.
It’s nice to have the more characterful Tape mode, plus the option to keep things cleaner with Fade mode for different sound design/performance needs.
The Delay knob, when synced to BPM, displays the usual options, triplets, dotted notes, and even quintuplets, which is a nice addition.
With sync to BPM off, you can adjust the delay time in seconds and milliseconds, using the Fine control for subtle micro-timing.
Before getting into the modulation potential, the last of the more typical controls include a low-pass filter and a feedback knob.
The full version of Quantum Delay ($49.99) offers more features, including variable filter types, phase invert, and pan/width controls.
The good news is that the free version offers the same advanced modulation system, and that makes this delay special.
You have eight modulation slots and various modulators, including:
- LFO
- Random
- Followers
- 2D LFO
- 2D Random
- 2D Dynamical Systems
- Macro
- MIDI Control
- Camera
- 3D Motion
Assigning a modulator to any parameter is as simple as a drag-and-drop operation.
You can get so much out of assigning a simple LFO or pitch follower to various parameters, but you can go even further with cross modulation.
Quantum Delay Lite offers a second layer of eight modulation slots to modulate the first layer.
From a performance point of view, I love the idea of triggering modulation with aftertouch or pitch bend; I’m looking forward to playing around with that.
As far as free delay plugins go, Quantum Delay Lite looks like a keeper.
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Last Updated on January 28, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
