Rate, depth, mix, and mono compatibility explained. Settings by genre for guitar, bass, synths, and vocals.
The chorus effect combines your dry signal with one or more pitch-modulated copies. Each copy uses a short delay (5-30ms) whose time is continuously swept by a low-frequency oscillator (LFO). The slight pitch and timing difference between the dry and wet copies makes a single instrument sound like multiple players performing together.
| Rate | Use | Sound Character |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1-0.3 Hz | Very slow swirl | Barely perceptible movement. Subtle shimmer on sustained pads and strings. Works well under vocals without distraction. |
| 0.4-0.8 Hz | Classic chorus | The iconic 80s and 90s chorus sound on clean electric guitars, bass, and synths. Natural, musical, and never distracting. |
| 0.9-2.0 Hz | Vibrato zone | Pitch modulation becomes clearly audible. Sounds like a Leslie speaker or tape wobble. Works on organ and vintage keys. |
| 2.0-5.0 Hz | Fast / seasick | Very obvious pitch wavering. Useful for special effects, lo-fi, or tremolo-like movement. Rarely used at full depth. |
| Depth | Label | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-20% | Subtle | Thickening only | Pitch modulation is almost inaudible. Just adds a slight stereo width and thickness. Good for mix bus or subtle ensemble widening. |
| 21-40% | Light | Classic clean guitar chorus | Mild pitch variation. The Knopfler/Flea sound. Musical without calling attention to itself. |
| 41-60% | Medium | 80s electric guitar, bass | |
| 61-80% | Heavy | Synth leads, dramatic effect | Pronounced pitch wavering. Works on solo synth or intentionally lush pads. Risky in dense mixes. |
| 81-100% | Max | Flange-style / special effect | Strong modulation. Borders on flanger territory at high depth. Use sparingly. |
| Parameter | Chorus | Flanger | Vibrato |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delay range | 5-30ms | 1-10ms (very short) | Similar to chorus |
| Feedback | None or low | High negative feedback | None |
| Dry signal | Mixed in | Mixed in | Removed entirely |
| Sound character | Thick, wide, shimmery ensemble | Jet whoosh, comb filter sweep | Pure pitch wobble, no original |
| Typical use | Guitar, bass, pads, vocals | Dramatic sweeps, intro effects | Organ leslie sim, surf guitar |
| Mono compatible? | Partial (comb filtering) | No (heavy comb filtering) | Yes (pitch only, no panning) |
| Famous examples | Message in a Bottle, Come As You Are | Barracuda, Eruption (intro) | Hammond organ, MXR M68 |
| Genre / Instrument | Rate | Depth | Mix | Pro Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Electric Guitar (80s) | 0.5-0.7 Hz | 40-60% | 40-60% wet | The classic Andy Summers / The Edge clean guitar chorus. Stereo chorus into clean amp or DI. |
| Bass Guitar | 0.3-0.5 Hz | 20-40% | Parallel: 20-30% wet | Mix in parallel to preserve low-end punch. Flea (RHCP) and many 80s pop bass tones use chorus. |
| Synth Pads | 0.2-0.6 Hz | 30-50% | 50-80% wet | Adds movement and stereo width to static synth pads. Slow rate sounds organic; fast rate sounds dramatic. |
| Vocals (Doubles) | 0.4-0.8 Hz | 20-35% | 25-40% wet | Thickens lead vocals and creates artificial harmonics. Lighter than guitar chorus. Watch mono compatibility. |
| Acoustic Guitar | 0.3-0.5 Hz | 15-30% | 20-35% wet | Subtle chorus widens acoustic without sounding artificial. Avoid heavy depth that makes acoustic sound electric. |
| Organ / Keys (Leslie sim) | 0.8-1.5 Hz | 40-70% | 60-100% wet | Faster rate simulates a Leslie speaker cabinet rotation. Classic Hammond sound in a box. |
| Lo-Fi / Bedroom Pop | 0.4-0.8 Hz | 50-70% | 50-70% wet | Chorus plus tape saturation and slightly de-tuned pitch creates the lo-fi bedroom dream pop aesthetic. |
Chorus is a stereo effect. When summed to mono, the panned wet copy interferes with the dry signal, causing comb filtering that varies as the LFO sweeps. The result is a volume pumping or tone-changing artifact in mono.
Chorus uses delay times of 5-30ms internally. Use the delay calculator to find BPM-synced ms values for your tempo, or calculate slapback, Haas, and reverb pre-delay times.
The chorus effect combines a dry signal with one or more pitch-modulated copies. Each copy uses a short delay (5-30ms) whose time is continuously varied by an LFO. The slight pitch and timing difference makes a single instrument sound like multiple players performing together, creating a rich, wide, shimmering ensemble sound.
For classic clean guitar chorus, use 0.5-0.7 Hz rate and 40-60% depth. For subtle pad widening, use 0.2-0.4 Hz rate and 20-35% depth. For bass, use a slow rate (0.3-0.5 Hz) and low depth (20-40%) in a parallel chain to preserve low end. Start slow and low, then increase depth until movement is just perceptible.
Chorus uses 5-30ms delay with no or low feedback, creating a thick, wide ensemble sound. Flanger uses a very short delay (1-10ms) with high negative feedback, creating a jet-like sweeping comb filter. Vibrato removes the dry signal entirely, creating pure pitch wobble without any dry mix. All three use LFO-modulated delay, but the delay length and feedback setting determines which effect results.
Yes. When summed to mono, the panned wet copy interferes with the dry signal, causing comb filtering that changes with the LFO cycle. To minimize this: use parallel processing with the chorus at 20-30% mix, high-pass filter the wet copy at 200-400 Hz, and always check your mix in mono. Mono chorus plugins (single copy without panning) avoid this issue for mono sources.