BeeVerb Manual
BeeVerb is a graph-led multiband reverb and delay processor. It divides the input into active frequency regions, creates a dry and wet path inside each region, runs the wet path through a selected reverb or delay algorithm, gates that wet return from a detector, and mixes the result back with the dry band before the bands recombine.
The product should be read first as a routing instrument. A band defines where the source is split. An algorithm defines the character of the wet return. A detector defines what opens the wet return. The gate controls define how firmly the wet return closes. The mix controls define how much wet signal is allowed back into the recombined output.
Source basis: BeeVerb project Manual.md, Features.md, docs/parameter-map.md, docs/product-plan.md, and docs/reverb-algorithm-references.md. External references in this manual support general reverb, delay, filter, metering, and documentation vocabulary. They do not override the local product contract.
Notation
Band means an audible crossover region in BeeVerb. Path means the focused Stereo path, or the Mid or Side path when the focused band is in M/S mode. Gate Open is the detector level that opens the wet return. Gate Range is the maximum attenuation applied to the wet return while closed. Bloom is the rise timing of the wet return. Decay is the recovery and tail timing used by the focused wet path. Mix is the band wet-return blend, not compressor makeup gain.
Feature Inventory
BeeVerb contains these public capabilities:
- One to twelve active reverb bands with ordered crossovers, crossover slope chips, split and remove operations, focused band selection, and narrow-band inspector state.
- Per-band Stereo or M/S operation with independent Mid and Side path parameters.
- Per-band bypass, solo, algorithm selection, filter character, resonance and corner-shift state where supported by the shared band surface.
- Reverb algorithms: Room, Hall, Plate, Chamber, Spring, Bloom, Ambience, Schroeder Cloud, Moorer Chamber, Dattorro Plate, FDN Hall, Waveguide Mesh, and Velvet Room.
- Delay algorithms: Tape Echo, Ping-Pong, Diffusion Echo, and Swarm Delay.
- Wet-return gate controls: Gate Open, Gate Range, Gate Hysteresis, Bloom, Hold, Decay, Width, and Damping.
- Detector routing from Self, another active internal band, or the host External sidechain when the host provides one.
- External sidechain splitting through the same active crossover layout used by the audio bands.
- Advanced tabs for Verb, Delay, Gate, Tail, and Mod controls.
- Verb controls for Shape, Density, Input Diffusion, Early Reflections, Bloom Scale, Pre-delay, and Freeze.
- Delay controls for Delay Type, Delay Time, Feedback, Tap Spread, Delay Diffuse, and Delay Tone.
- Gate controls for detector mode, gate window, stereo link, external blend, gate lookahead where supported, and gate listen.
- Tail controls for Decay Scale, Tail Hold, Tail Tone, Bloom Response, Tail Response, and Freeze.
- Mod controls for Tail Motion and Motion Rate.
- Envelope editor relabeled for reverb operation: Bloom, Hold, Decay, Width, and Damping.
- Graph activity trace that reads wet-return activity rather than compressor gain reduction.
- FFT visualizer, Hi-Res 1/12-octave filter-bank view, spectrogram background, analyzer hold, bin and overlap controls, visual smoothing, brightness, and peak or band-energy telemetry.
- Input, output, and wet activity meter rail with right-click meter display modes where the shared editor provides them.
- Delta monitor for hearing input minus processed output.
- Factory and user presets, VST3-compatible preset files, host automation state, stable host parameter IDs, and recall compatibility with the shared graph surface.
- Deliberate omissions: no BeePressor Auto/Apply workflow, no ADAA editor control, no Custom transfer editor, and no public host tail-length report in the current contract.
The inventory is long because BeeVerb joins three different tasks: spectral placement, artificial space design, and return control. A light reading can stop after that distinction. A deeper reading should follow the signal path, then the detector path, then the algorithm tables and research references.
Gain and tail safety
Reverb can mask the dry source even when meters show conservative peak levels. Set band Mix and global Mix after the gate and tail behavior are correct. Leave enough post-roll when printing long tails or Freeze states, because the effect can continue audibly after source audio stops.
Scope and Terminology
BeeVerb is not a compressor, although it inherits a stable graph surface that was also used by dynamics products. The user-facing labels are reverb labels. Threshold is presented as Gate Open, ratio as Gate Range, knee as Gate Hysteresis, attack as Bloom, release as Decay, attack shape as Width, release shape as Damping, and makeup as band Mix. This mapping is a compatibility layer for host state and automation; it is not an instruction to think of the product as a compressor.
BeeVerb's first topology layer is the multiband split. It decides which part of the source can feed each independent reverb or delay return. The second topology layer is the wet algorithm. It decides whether the focused band behaves like a room, hall, plate, chamber, spring, bloom wash, ambience, delay, FDN, mesh, or velvet-noise space. The third topology layer is the wet-return gate. It decides when that return appears, how far it closes, and how it avoids chatter. The fourth layer is monitoring and visual diagnosis. It shows spectrum, activity, meters, and Delta without redefining the audio path.
Band count is part of the audio topology. Reducing band count removes active split regions from the audible graph, even if compatible stored state remains available for future recall. Crossover frequency and slope describe where adjacent wet paths begin and end. Gate Open and Mix describe what happens inside a focused region after the split has already been made.
The word algorithm means the chosen wet-return structure and character. Room, Hall, Plate, and Chamber name practical studio categories. Schroeder Cloud, Moorer Chamber, Dattorro Plate, FDN Hall, Waveguide Mesh, and Velvet Room name technical families grounded in artificial reverberation literature. Tape Echo, Ping-Pong, Diffusion Echo, and Swarm Delay are delay-family algorithms inside the same band and gate system.
Reading order
Read the manual in layers. First read the system path. Then read the control surface and interaction rules. Then read the algorithm and gate tables. Procedures make more sense after the ownership boundaries are clear: band placement changes what feeds a space, algorithm selection changes the character of that space, gate controls change when it is heard, and mix controls change how much of it returns.
System Description
The input is trimmed globally, split by active crossovers, and routed into parallel dry and wet paths for each active band. The wet path enters the selected reverb or delay algorithm, then passes through wet-return gating. The gated wet return is blended with the band dry path by band Mix. All bands recombine, global Mix is applied, output trim is applied, and telemetry is published to meters, graph activity, analyzer, and preset state.
The detector path is separate from the wet algorithm. Self keying measures the focused band. Internal keying measures another active band. External keying measures the host sidechain input when the host has enabled it. External sidechain material is split through the same crossover layout, so a focused high band reads the corresponding high external split rather than an unrelated full-band detector.
M/S mode gives the focused band separate Mid and Side wet paths. The Mid path can use a different algorithm, gate, decay, damping, filter, and mix from the Side path. This is useful when center ambience must stay short and stable while side ambience carries width, or when low-frequency ambience should remain mostly centered.
The activity graph is not gain reduction. It reads wet-return intensity after reverb shaping and gating. A high activity trace means the reverb return is active. A low trace means little or no wet signal is emitted. This matters because a closed gate can leave the dry source untouched while the activity view falls toward rest.
Control Surface
The main graph owns continuous spatial decisions: band focus, crossover placement, slope chips, split/remove controls, Gate Open, Gate Range, Hysteresis where visible, band Mix, activity display, analyzer layers, and focused band identity. The graph should be used to answer where the wet return belongs and when it opens.
The focused drawer owns detailed state for the selected band and path: algorithm, filter, gate, timing, envelope shape, path routing, and advanced controls. In Stereo mode it edits the stereo path. In M/S mode it edits the selected Mid or Side path.
The envelope editor keeps the timing model visible. Bloom controls wet-return rise after the gate opens. Hold keeps the gate open after the detector drops below the opening condition. Decay controls recovery and tail behavior. Width and Damping shape the rise and release curves. The preview is an editable timing view, not a measured impulse response.
The Advanced panel contains five tabs. Verb handles density, diffusion, early reflections, pre-delay, bloom scaling, and Freeze. Delay handles time, feedback, tap spread, diffusion, and tone for delay-family algorithms. Gate handles detector averaging, window, stereo link, external blend, lookahead where supported, and listen. Tail handles decay scaling, tail hold, tone, response curves, and Freeze. Mod handles slow motion and motion rate in the wet tail.
The visualizer drawer is editor analysis. FFT and Hi-Res views help place bands and read source energy. Analyzer Hold freezes the display; it is different from gate Hold. Bin, overlap, attack, release, smoothing, and brightness change display behavior, not reverb decay.
Table 1 defines the inherited control-language mapping. It is necessary because BeeVerb keeps host-compatible parameter identifiers while exposing reverb-specific meaning to the user.
| Shared parameter family | BeeVerb label | Meaning | Operational consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Threshold | Gate Open | Detector level where the wet return opens. | Lower values open more often; higher values require stronger source or key signal. |
| Ratio | Gate Range | Maximum attenuation while the wet return is closed. | 0 dB leaves the return effectively open; large values create obvious gated ambience. |
| Knee | Gate Hysteresis | Separation between opening and closing behavior. | More hysteresis reduces chatter near the open level. |
| Attack | Bloom | Wet-return rise time after opening. | Short bloom feels immediate; long bloom swells into the source. |
| Hold | Hold | Time the wet gate remains open after detector release begins. | Prevents short gaps from chopping the tail. |
| Release | Decay | Tail and gate recovery time. | Short decay clears space; long decay sustains ambience. |
| Attack shape | Width | Shape of the rise and width bias. | Changes how the return spreads as it blooms. |
| Release shape | Damping | Shape of recovery and high-frequency loss. | Higher damping darkens or calms tail behavior depending on algorithm. |
| Makeup | Mix | Band wet-return blend. | Sets how much gated wet signal returns to the recombined output. |
Interaction Rules
Click a band to focus it. Drag crossovers to change the split between adjacent bands. Drag slope chips to change crossover slope. Split a band when a frequency region needs a different algorithm, gate, or mix. Remove a band when two adjacent regions do not need independent space.
Drag Gate Open vertically to change the opening threshold. Drag the range handle or chip to set Gate Range. Increase Gate Hysteresis when the return opens and closes repeatedly around one level. Use Hold before using longer Decay if the problem is a gate that closes between syllables or drum hits.
Choose the algorithm before making small gate decisions. A Plate often tolerates a firmer gate because its density fills quickly. A Hall may need more careful Bloom and Decay. A Swarm Delay may require Delay Tone and feedback decisions before Gate Range can be judged.
Use Self keying when the same band should open its own reverb. Use internal keying when one part of the spectrum should open another band's space. Use External keying when another track should drive the wet return. External sidechain depends on host routing; if the host supplies no usable sidechain, BeeVerb falls back safely.
Use M/S mode when the middle and sides need different ambience. Keep low-frequency reverb mostly Mid when the side return makes the mix unstable. Use a shorter or darker Mid algorithm when the dry center must remain intelligible, and a wider Side algorithm only when width supports the arrangement.
Use Delta only as an inspection mode. Delta reveals what BeeVerb adds or removes relative to the input, but the final level and balance decision must be made from the normal output.
Example: cross-keyed high shimmer
Focus a high band and choose Bloom, Plate, FDN Hall, or Velvet Room. Set Key to a mid vocal band or to External if a vocal sidechain is available. Lower Gate Open until the vocal phrase opens the high wet return. Set Gate Range high enough that consonants and cymbal spill do not leave constant shimmer. Add Bloom and a little pre-delay so the high return follows the phrase without covering articulation.
Processing Reference
Artificial reverberation is a controlled pattern of early reflections, diffusion, feedback, filtering, delay, and modulation. BeeVerb exposes this through product categories rather than requiring the user to build a tank. Room, Hall, Plate, Chamber, Spring, Bloom, and Ambience are practical musical labels. Schroeder Cloud, Moorer Chamber, Dattorro Plate, FDN Hall, Waveguide Mesh, and Velvet Room point to technical families.
The gate is applied to the wet return. It is not applied to the source dry path. This distinguishes BeeVerb from a conventional gate placed before or after a reverb send. A pre-reverb gate decides what enters the reverb. A post-reverb gate chops the combined reverb return. BeeVerb gates each band's wet return inside the band topology, so dry sound, wet algorithm, and gate movement remain independently controllable.
Pre-delay affects clarity by separating dry attacks from the start of the wet field. Diffusion reduces the audibility of discrete echoes by spreading energy over time. Early reflections establish apparent boundary and room-size cues. Density changes how quickly a tail becomes continuous. Damping and Tail Tone change spectral decay. Motion reduces static ringing or adds audible modulation depending on amount and rate.
Delay-family algorithms behave differently from reverb-family algorithms. Tape Echo and Ping-Pong preserve clearer repeat identity. Diffusion Echo blurs repeats. Swarm Delay turns clustered repeats into texture. Gate and Mix settings that work for a dense Hall can feel too exposed on a delay algorithm because individual repeats remain easier to hear.
Filter character and band placement still matter. A low band with long Decay can mask kick and bass. A high band with bright Tail Tone can exaggerate sibilance or cymbals. A mid band with too much Density can crowd vocals and guitars. Use crossovers first, then algorithm, then Gate Open and Mix, then advanced tail shaping.
Table 2 describes algorithm families. The source column provides general research context; it does not assert that BeeVerb duplicates any paper verbatim.
| Algorithm | Family | Use for | Primary limits | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Room | Early-reflection and late-field room model. | Short spaces, source placement, natural depth. | Can sound boxy if low-band mix or early reflections are too high. | Allen and Berkley, Vorlander |
| Hall | Dense late-field reverb. | Longer musical sustain and broad spatial tone. | Can mask rhythm and diction unless pre-delay and gating are tuned. | Valimaki et al., Smith |
| Plate | High-density plate-like tail. | Vocals, drums, and bright sustained ambience. | Can emphasize sibilance or cymbals when Tail Tone is bright. | Dattorro, DAFX |
| Chamber | Early reflections plus controlled late response. | Body, boundary cues, shorter acoustic room impression. | Can crowd the midrange when early reflections are too strong. | Moorer, Kuttruff |
| Spring | Spring-inspired resonant delay behavior. | Narrower, characterful, damped spatial effects. | Less suitable for transparent room placement. | DAFX, Smith PASP |
| Bloom | Diffusion-biased swell and steady-state wash. | Pads, transitions, wide slow ambience. | Can hide attacks unless Bloom and pre-delay are controlled. | Schroeder, Schlecht |
| Ambience | Short compact environmental return. | Dry-source depth without long audible tail. | Can disappear in dense mixes if Mix is too low or Gate Range too high. | Allen and Berkley, Vorlander |
| Tape Echo | Damped feedback delay. | Rhythmic repeats and colored echo bands. | Repeats remain exposed when Gate Range is shallow. | DAFX, JUCE DSP |
| Ping-Pong | Alternating stereo delay. | Wide call-and-response echoes. | Can destabilize image if low-band or side mix is high. | DAFX, WCAG 2.2 |
| Diffusion Echo | Delay plus allpass-like diffusion. | Repeats that blur into ambience. | Can lose rhythmic identity at high diffusion. | Schroeder and Logan, DAFX |
| Swarm Delay | Clustered modulated delay. | Texture, movement, and band-limited echo clouds. | Can become busy if feedback and tail motion are high. | Jot and Chaigne, Schlecht and Habets |
| Schroeder Cloud | Multi-allpass diffusion cloud. | Dense early diffusion and compact cloud texture. | Can sound flat if density is high but damping is not shaped. | Schroeder, Schroeder and Logan |
| Moorer Chamber | Early reflection bank plus damped late field. | Chamber-like early boundary cues and controlled tail. | Early reflection level must be checked against dry articulation. | Moorer, Allen and Berkley |
| Dattorro Plate | Allpass diffusion plate family. | Stereo plate movement and dense musical decay. | Can over-brighten upper bands if damping is too low. | Dattorro, DAFX |
| FDN Hall | Feedback delay network hall texture. | Dense, stable late fields and broad halls. | Needs damping and motion checks on sustained material. | Schlecht and Habets, Schlecht thesis |
| Waveguide Mesh | Scattering or mesh-inspired network. | Compact, flutter-like, physically suggestive spaces. | Less neutral than conventional room or hall settings. | Van Duyne and Smith, De Sena et al. |
| Velvet Room | Sparse signed-tap and velvet-noise late texture. | Smooth late texture with low obvious echo density. | Can feel too grainy at unsuitable density or tone settings. | Fagerstrom et al., Valimaki et al. |
Gate behavior should be judged from threshold, range, hysteresis, hold, and timing together. Table 3 separates these controls from algorithm character.
| Control | Technical meaning | Useful range of behavior | Failure mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate Open | Detector level that opens the wet gate. | Lower for constant room, higher for hit- or phrase-triggered returns. | Too low leaves the return always active; too high prevents reverb from appearing. |
| Gate Range | Maximum attenuation when closed. | 12-24 dB for natural control, 48 dB or more for obvious gated effects. | Too little range muddies quiet passages; too much range chops tails. |
| Gate Hysteresis | Open/close separation around Gate Open. | Increase for sustained material or noisy sources. | Too little chatters; too much may hold the return longer than intended. |
| Bloom | Wet-return rise time and width bias. | Short for drums and tight ambience, longer for pads and swells. | Too short can click or feel abrupt; too long can hide rhythmic intent. |
| Hold | Minimum open time after detector falls. | Useful for phrase gaps, drum decay, or delay repeats. | Too long keeps ambience open between unrelated events. |
| Decay | Return recovery and tail time. | Short for cleanup, longer for space and transitions. | Too short sounds cut off; too long masks the dry track. |
| Width | Rise curve and spatial width bias. | Use after Bloom is in the right range. | Extreme width can move the image or soften attacks. |
| Damping | Release curve and high-frequency tail behavior. | Increase to calm bright tails or reduce sibilant wash. | Too much damping can make a space dull or small. |
Operating Procedures
Procedure: natural room from three bands
- Set the band count to three.
- Keep the low-band Mix low and choose Room, Chamber, or Ambience.
- Set the mid band as the main room band. Choose Room or Chamber and tune Gate Open from the source body.
- Use a short high-band ambience or plate only if the source needs air.
- Set Gate Range around 12 to 24 dB before making it more extreme.
- Tune Bloom and Decay while listening to the normal output, not Delta.
- Use Delta briefly to confirm that the added space is not mostly low-frequency smear.
Procedure: gated snare plate
- Split a mid/high band around the snare body and crack.
- Choose Plate, Dattorro Plate, or Ambience.
- Raise Mix until the return is obvious.
- Lower Gate Open until snare hits open the return.
- Set Gate Range to 48 dB or more for an obvious gated effect.
- Add Hysteresis if the return chatters around ghost notes.
- Use Hold to prevent the gate from closing before the useful plate body has sounded.
- Shorten Decay if the tail covers the next hit.
Procedure: vocal shimmer keyed from the mid band
- Use a mid band that follows vocal body as the detector key.
- Focus a high band and choose Bloom, Hall, FDN Hall, or Velvet Room.
- Set Key to the vocal mid band or to External if a vocal sidechain is routed from the host.
- Set Mix low, then lower Gate Open until phrases open the high return.
- Use pre-delay to keep consonants clear.
- Increase Damping or darken Tail Tone if sibilance becomes too strong.
- Use M/S mode when the high return should sit wider than the dry center.
Procedure: rhythmic delay band
- Split the source so only the intended range enters the delay band.
- Choose Tape Echo, Ping-Pong, Diffusion Echo, or Swarm Delay.
- Open Advanced, then Delay.
- Set Delay Time and Feedback before final Gate Range.
- Use Delay Tone to move repeats behind the dry source.
- Use Gate Open and Gate Range so repeats appear only on useful phrases or hits.
- Use Tap Spread or Delay Diffuse when a plain repeat is too exposed.
Procedure: M/S low-end protection
- Focus the low band.
- Set Mode to M/S.
- Keep Side Mix low or use a shorter Side decay.
- Use Mid for any necessary low room body.
- Avoid long low-band Side Hall or Bloom settings unless the arrangement specifically needs unstable width.
- Compare with mono or center-weighted monitoring if the host allows it.
Presets, State, and Host Behavior
BeeVerb presets store band count, crossovers, slopes, algorithms, mode, key, gate, timing, mix, advanced controls, filter character, global mix/output, and compatible host-visible parameters. User presets are VST3-compatible preset files in the platform preset location. Factory presets cannot be deleted from the editor surface.
BeeVerb preserves stable host parameter identifiers inherited from the shared graph surface. Some host automation lanes may therefore retain older technical names while the editor and manual show reverb labels. This is intentional. Recall safety matters more than renaming public IDs after sessions have been created.
BeeVerb reports no fixed processing latency in the current public contract. A host can still need extra post-roll for printed long tails, Freeze states, or high feedback delay settings. This is a musical tail issue, not a fixed latency compensation issue.
No MIDI input or output is part of the current product contract. Host sidechain input is used for detector keying where the plugin format and host provide it. Matching surround operation follows the shared host channel limit where enabled by the build.
Editor-side visualizer settings such as analyzer Hold, Bin, overlap, smoothing, and brightness are display choices. They are not primary automatable sound parameters. Automate Gate Open, Mix, Decay, Pre-delay, Feedback, Tail Tone, Tail Motion, and Freeze when the sound itself must move.
Troubleshooting
No reverb is audible:
- Raise band Mix.
- Check global Mix and output.
- Confirm the focused band is on and not muted by solo state elsewhere.
- Lower Gate Open.
- Lower Gate Range if the wet gate is closing too far.
- Confirm the selected algorithm is not effectively frozen at silence.
The reverb never closes:
- Raise Gate Open.
- Increase Gate Range.
- Shorten Hold.
- Shorten Decay.
- Reduce external blend if the key signal is holding the gate open.
The wet return chatters:
- Increase Gate Hysteresis.
- Increase Hold.
- Use RMS or EBU-style detector averaging.
- Increase Gate Window.
- Check detector listen to confirm the key is not dominated by noise or spill.
The tail is metallic:
- Increase Input Diffusion.
- Increase Density.
- Add a small amount of Tail Motion.
- Darken Tail Tone or increase Damping.
- Try Plate, Chamber, Bloom, or Velvet Room instead of a sparse setting.
The mix gets muddy:
- Lower low-band Mix.
- Shorten low-band Decay.
- Increase low-band Gate Range.
- Move the low/mid crossover upward.
- Use a darker or shorter mid-band algorithm.
External keying does not work:
- Confirm that the host has enabled BeeVerb's sidechain bus.
- Confirm that audio reaches the sidechain input.
- Set Key to External on the focused band.
- Raise External Blend if the detector should follow the external key strongly.
- If no external key is available, use Self or an internal band key.
The activity graph does not look like gain reduction:
- Treat it as wet-return activity.
- A high trace means the reverb return is active.
- A low trace means little wet signal is emitted.
- Use input/output meters and Delta for level and difference checks.
Research and References
Research synthesis begins with the distinction between early reflections, diffusion, and late reverberation. Early reflections provide boundary and placement cues. Diffusion turns discrete reflections into a smoother field. Late reverberation carries the perceived size, damping, density, and sustain of the space. BeeVerb exposes these concepts through algorithm selection, Early Refl, Input Diffusion, Density, Tail Tone, Tail Motion, and Decay rather than through raw delay-network construction.
Schroeder-style and Moorer-style work establishes the practical vocabulary of allpass diffusion, comb feedback, early reflection banks, and late fields. Dattorro-style plate design clarifies why dense allpass and modulated structures can produce musical plate behavior. FDN and waveguide references support the language of matrix feedback, echo density, mixing time, scattering, and mesh-like propagation. Velvet-noise references support sparse signed-tap late fields and noise-like tail construction.
The gate layer draws on general dynamics terminology for threshold, range, hysteresis, attack, release, detector averaging, sidechain keying, and stereo linking. BeeVerb changes the target: the detector controls the wet return rather than a compressor gain law. This is why the manual repeatedly separates dry path, wet algorithm, detector path, and band Mix.
GUI design and documentation references support the manual structure and graph language. Diataxis separates explanation, procedure, reference, and troubleshooting. Google and Microsoft style guidance support direct procedural writing. Cleveland and McGill, Tufte, Shneiderman, WCAG, and Apple HIG references support readable graph controls, visible state, and accessible interaction language. These references inform presentation; they do not define BeeVerb DSP.
| Topic | BeeVerb use | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation architecture | Separates explanation, procedure, reference, troubleshooting, glossary, and index. | Diataxis, Google style, Microsoft Learn style |
| Filter and EQ vocabulary | Defines frequency, Q, shelf, high-pass, low-pass, and filter terminology used by graph controls. | W3C Audio EQ Cookbook, Smith filters, JUCE DSP |
| Digital audio effects context | Places reverb, delay, modulation, filtering, and nonlinear terminology in a general DSP reference frame. | DAFX/Wiley, DAFX book page |
| Compressor and detector vocabulary | Supports threshold, attack, release, and detector terms when explaining gate behavior. | JUCE Compressor, Giannoulis, Massberg, and Reiss |
| Metering and loudness context | Supports level and averaging vocabulary for gate modes and meter interpretation. | ITU-R BS.1770, Smith PASP |
| GUI graph interaction | Supports graph readability, labels, controls, and accessibility constraints. | Apple HIG sliders, WCAG 2.2, Cleveland and McGill |
| Information display | Supports restrained graph and table presentation. | Shneiderman, Tufte |
| Parametric EQ cramping and decramping | Explains frequency-warping vocabulary used by adjacent filter-character discussion in shared graph products. | Orfanidis, Vicanek |
| Virtual analog filter design | Supports general filter topology terms used in shared band and detector surfaces. | Zavalishin, Stilson and Smith, Huovilainen |
| ADAA variants | Documents why BeeVerb omits ADAA controls while other nonlinear BeeAudio products may expose them. | ADAA variants, DAFX |
| Schroeder reverberation | Supports allpass and comb diffusion vocabulary for Schroeder Cloud and Bloom discussion. | Schroeder 1962, Schroeder and Logan |
| Room image method | Supports early reflection and room-boundary language. | Allen and Berkley, Vorlander |
| Room acoustics | Supports damping, density, and apparent space terminology. | Kuttruff, Smith artificial reverberation |
| Moorer chamber | Supports early reflection banks and damped late-field language. | Moorer, Allen and Berkley |
| Dattorro plate | Supports plate diffusion, allpass, and stereo motion terms. | Dattorro, DAFX |
| Delay networks | Supports feedback and delay-network language for hall and delay families. | Jot and Chaigne, Stautner and Puckette |
| FDN echo density | Supports echo density, mixing time, and matrix-feedback vocabulary. | Schlecht and Habets, Schlecht thesis |
| Waveguide mesh | Supports scattering, mesh, and propagation language. | Van Duyne and Smith, Savioja et al. |
| Scattering delay networks | Supports networked room simulation vocabulary. | De Sena et al., Atalay et al. |
| Waveguide and FDN relation | Supports connections between feedback networks and waveguide networks. | Smith and Rocchesso, Schlecht and Habets |
| Velvet-noise FDN | Supports sparse signed-tap and velvet tail language. | Fagerstrom et al., Valimaki et al. |
| Velvet-noise modeling | Supports sparse late-reverb and density discussion. | Karjalainen and Jarvelainen, Valimaki and Prawda |
| Multichannel velvet noise | Supports multichannel and interleaved tail vocabulary. | Prawda, Schlecht, and Valimaki, Meyer-Kahlen et al. |
| Velvet-noise perception | Supports density and pulse-distribution vocabulary. | Takanen et al., Karjalainen and Jarvelainen |
| Synthetic stereo reverberation | Supports M/S and stereo-field caution in reverb work. | Smith artificial reverberation, DAFX |
| Artificial reverberation survey | Supports the historical taxonomy used by algorithm rows. | Fifty Years of Artificial Reverberation, Smith artificial reverberation |
| Frequency-dependent allpass | Supports diffusion and damping language in algorithm controls. | Schlecht frequency-dependent allpass, Dattorro |
| Product documentation discipline | Keeps local product truth separate from general research vocabulary. | Diataxis, Google style, Microsoft Learn style |
Endnotes
- BeeVerb keeps host-stable parameter IDs while changing the visible language to reverb terminology. This is a compatibility decision, not a signal-flow equivalence between compression and reverb.
- The activity graph should be read as wet-return intensity. It is not a compressor gain-reduction meter.
- External sidechain behavior depends on host routing. If the host does not supply a sidechain, the product falls back safely.
- Hi-Res, FFT, and spectrogram views are analysis displays. They do not change the reverb algorithm.
- BeeVerb omits BeePressor Auto/Apply, ADAA, and custom transfer editing because those controls do not describe the primary wet-return topology.
Bibliography
- M. R. Schroeder, Natural Sounding Artificial Reverberation, JAES, 1962.
- M. R. Schroeder and B. F. Logan, Colorless Artificial Reverberation, IRE Transactions on Audio, 1961.
- Jont B. Allen and David A. Berkley, Image Method for Efficiently Simulating Small-Room Acoustics, JASA, 1979.
- Michael Vorlander, Auralization, Springer, 2008.
- James A. Moorer, About This Reverberation Business, Computer Music Journal, 1979.
- Jon Dattorro, Effect Design, Part 1, JAES, 1997.
- Udo Zolzer, ed., DAFX: Digital Audio Effects, Wiley.
- Julius O. Smith, Artificial Reverberation, Physical Audio Signal Processing.
- Vesa Valimaki, Julian D. Parker, Lauri Savioja, Julius O. Smith, and Jonathan S. Abel, Fifty Years of Artificial Reverberation, IEEE TASLP, 2012.
- Sebastian J. Schlecht and Emanuel A. P. Habets, Feedback Delay Networks: Echo Density and Mixing Time, IEEE/ACM TASLP, 2017.
- Jon Fagerstrom, Benoit Alary, Sebastian J. Schlecht, and Vesa Valimaki, Velvet-Noise Feedback Delay Network, DAFx, 2020.
- Diataxis, Documentation system.
- Google, Developer documentation style guide.
- Microsoft, Style quick start.
Reference Tables
The following tables collect routine lookup information. Use them after the signal path and gate ownership are clear.
| Tab | Controls | Use for | Do not use for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb | Shape, Density, Input Diffusion, Early Refl, Bloom Scale, Pre-delay, Freeze. | Core room and tail character. | Detector routing. |
| Delay | Delay Type, Delay Time, Feedback, Tap Spread, Delay Diffuse, Delay Tone. | Echo-family timing and repeat color. | Static EQ or dry-path filtering. |
| Gate | Gate Mode, Gate Window, Stereo Link, External Blend, Gate Lookahead, Gate Listen. | Detector measurement and wet gate behavior. | Changing the algorithm tail itself. |
| Tail | Decay Scale, Tail Hold, Tail Tone, Bloom Response, Tail Response, Freeze. | Longer recovery, tone, and sustained texture. | Solving a wrong crossover split. |
| Mod | Tail Motion, Motion Rate. | Reducing static ringing or adding motion. | Level matching. |
| View | Reads | Use for | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input meter | Incoming signal level. | Input gain staging. | Does not show wet return level. |
| Output meter | Processed output after band and global mix. | Level matching and clipping avoidance. | Does not explain which band created the return. |
| Activity meter | Wet-return intensity. | Gate and tail diagnosis. | Not compressor gain reduction. |
| FFT visualizer | Input spectrum by FFT bins. | Crossover placement and source-energy reading. | Bin and overlap affect display, not DSP. |
| Hi-Res visualizer | 121-band 1/12-octave filter-bank estimate. | Musically spaced source-energy view. | Not a higher-quality processing mode. |
| Spectrogram | Time-frequency display history. | Seeing where source energy enters and leaves. | Does not replace listening to the output. |
| Delta monitor | Input minus processed output. | Hearing the added or removed component. | Not the final monitoring state. |
| Area | Behavior | Operator consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Formats | AU, VST3, CLAP, and Standalone where enabled by the platform build. | Use the format supported by the host and installation target. |
| Sidechain | Optional host sidechain input for detector keying. | Enable the sidechain bus in the host before expecting External keying. |
| Latency | No fixed reported latency in the current product contract. | Long tails still need post-roll when printing. |
| MIDI | No MIDI input or output in the current contract. | Automate audio parameters from the host instead. |
| Preset files | Factory and user VST3-compatible preset state. | Factory presets are read-only; user presets can be saved and removed. |
| Compatibility IDs | Stable shared parameter identifiers with BeeVerb labels. | Old automation names may differ from the visible editor label. |
| Omitted controls | No Auto/Apply, ADAA editor, or Custom transfer editor. | Use manual band placement, algorithm choice, gate timing, and mix instead. |
Glossary
- Algorithm
- The selected wet-return character or topology for the focused band and path.
- Band Mix
- The amount of gated wet signal blended back into the focused band before recombination.
- Bloom
- The rise timing of the wet return after the gate opens.
- Decay
- The recovery and tail-time control for the focused wet path.
- Detector
- The measured signal that decides when the wet return opens and closes.
- External key
- The host sidechain signal used as a detector source where the host supplies it.
- Gate Range
- The maximum attenuation available when the wet gate is closed.
- Hi-Res
- A 1/12-octave filter-bank visualizer mode for source-energy reading.
- Wet return
- The reverb or delay output produced inside the focused band before it is mixed back with dry signal.
Index
Algorithm: see Processing Reference and Table 2.
Bloom: see Control Surface, Table 1, Table 3.
Crossovers: see System Description and Interaction Rules.
Delta: see Operating Procedures and Table 6.
External key: see System Description, Interaction Rules, Troubleshooting.
FDN Hall: see Table 2 and Research and References.
Gate Open: see Table 1 and Table 3.
Gate Range: see Table 1 and Table 3.
Hi-Res: see Control Surface and Table 6.
M/S: see System Description and Interaction Rules.
Pre-delay: see Processing Reference and Table 5.
Velvet Room: see Table 2 and Research and References.