Overview WettBoi combines a reverb, a delay and a built-in sidechain ducker. The ducker lets the wet signal drop in level whenever a kick or any other key source hits, keeping the reverb tail and delay repeats tight and clear. The plug-in is available as VST3 and CLAP on Windows, macOS and Linux (catalogue).
Step-by-step setup
- Insert the plug-in
Load WettBoi on the track that contains the source you want to process (e.g., a synth or a drum loop). The plug-in opens with its default preset.
- Activate the sidechain ducker
- The ducker is always present; the control SC Source selects the key input. - By default SC Source = Internal, which uses the built-in kick detector. - If you prefer an external sidechain (e.g., a dedicated kick track), change SC Source to External and route the sidechain signal to the plug-in's sidechain input.
- Set the ducker threshold
- Control: SC Threshold (default -18 dB, range -60 dB to 0 dB). - Lower the threshold (more negative) to make the ducker react to quieter transients; raise it to require a stronger kick.
- Adjust attack, hold and release
- SC Attack (default 2.5 ms, range 0.1 ms - 50 ms) - how quickly the ducker reduces the wet level after the key exceeds the threshold. - SC Hold (default 60 ms, range 0 ms - 500 ms) - how long the ducker stays at the reduced level after the attack phase. - SC Release (default 280 ms, range 10 ms - 2000 ms) - how fast the wet level returns to normal after the hold period. - For tight reverb on hard-style kicks, start with the defaults and shorten Release to around 150 ms if the tails recover too slowly.
- Shape the reverb
- Size (default 65 %, range 0 % - 100 %): lower to keep the space small. - Decay (default 2.4 s, range 0.1 s - 20 s): reduce to shorten the tail. - Rev Wet (default 70 %, range 0 % - 100 %): set the overall wet level; the ducker will modulate this amount.
- Configure the delay (optional)
- Enable the delay with the Delay On toggle (default true). - Set Delay L and Delay R to the desired times (defaults 400 ms and 600 ms). - Adjust Dly Wet (default 55 %) to taste; the ducker will also affect the delay wet signal.
- Fine-tune the ducker response
- Listen to the track while the kick hits. If the reverb still masks the kick, lower SC Threshold or increase SC Attack. - If the reverb recovers too early, raise SC Release or increase SC Hold.
- Save your preset
Once satisfied, click the preset manager's Save button and give the preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Hardstyle Tight Reverb").
Tips
- The internal key detector works well for most hard-style kicks; use an external sidechain only when the built-in detector misses a transient.
- Pair a short Decay with a moderate Release for a punchy, non-muddy sound.
- The ducker also processes the delay wet signal, so you can achieve a tight, gated echo without extra routing.
Version note The described controls are present in WettBoi version 0.4.5 (catalogue). The plug-in ships for Windows, macOS and Linux in VST3 and CLAP formats.