A professional stereo delay VST3 plugin with authentic 80s rack-style digital delay character.
- 100% Wet Delay: Pure delayed signal output with no dry signal mix
- 6 Delay Times: Switchable delay times (20ms, 40ms, 80ms, 120ms, 220ms, 400ms)
- Stereo Processing: Independent left and right channel delay processing
- Visual Metering: Real-time peak level meters for input and output
- VST3 Automation: Full parameter automation support in DAWs
- 24 kHz Internal Sample Rate: Authentic vintage digital delay processing with band-limited frequency response
- 12-bit Quantization: Classic gritty digital character with 4096 discrete levels
- TPDF Dither: Smooth quantization with triangular probability density function dither (0.5 LSB)
- -80 dBFS Noise Floor: Realistic analog electronics and ADC/DAC noise simulation
- Vintage Filtering: 80 Hz high-pass and 9 kHz low-pass (6 dB/oct) for warm character
- Channel Crosstalk: Authentic -40 dB (1%) L/R channel bleed simulating analog circuitry
- Operating System: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
- Build Tools:
- Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools or Community Edition
- CMake 3.15 or higher
- Git
- Clone and build in one step:
build.bat- Install to VST3 folder:
install.bat- Load in your DAW and start using!
Install the required build tools using winget (Windows Package Manager):
winget install Git.Git
winget install Kitware.CMake
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildToolsOr download manually:
- Visual Studio 2022 (Build Tools or Community)
- CMake (3.15+)
- Git
If the vst3sdk folder is not present, clone it:
git clone --recursive https://github.com/steinbergmedia/vst3sdk.gitRun the automated build script:
build.batThis will:
- Configure CMake for Visual Studio 2022
- Build the plugin in Release mode
- Run the VST3 validator (47 automated tests)
- Output:
WetDelay\build\VST3\Release\WetDelay.vst3
To install the plugin to your system's VST3 folder:
install.batNote: You may need to run as Administrator if you encounter permission errors.
Alternatively, copy the built plugin manually:
xcopy /Y /I WetDelay\build\VST3\Release\WetDelay.vst3 "%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\VST3\WetDelay.vst3\"- Load the plugin in your DAW (Reaper, Cubase, Ableton Live, FL Studio, etc.)
- Select delay time using the Delay Time parameter (0-5 for 6 positions)
- Monitor levels using the built-in input/output meters
- Automate the delay time parameter for creative effects
| Parameter | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delay Time | 0-5 | 0 | Selects delay time: 0=20ms, 1=40ms, 2=80ms, 3=120ms, 4=220ms, 5=400ms |
| Position | Delay Time |
|---|---|
| 0 | 20 ms |
| 1 | 40 ms |
| 2 | 80 ms |
| 3 | 120 ms |
| 4 | 220 ms |
| 5 | 400 ms |
- Framework: VST3 SDK (Official Steinberg)
- Language: C++17
- Build System: CMake + MSBuild
- GUI: VSTGUI4
- Host Sample Rates: Supports 22.05 kHz to 384 kHz
- Internal Sample Rate: 24 kHz (80s rack-style)
- Host Bit Depth: 32-bit float processing
- Internal Bit Depth: 12-bit quantization with dither
- Latency: User-controlled (20-400ms delay)
- CPU Usage: <0.5% (typical)
- Memory: ~200 KB
- Delay Engine: Circular buffer at 24 kHz internal rate
- Resampling: Linear interpolation with anti-aliasing and reconstruction filters
- Quantization: 12-bit uniform quantization with TPDF dither
- Noise Floor: Fixed -80 dBFS analog-style noise
- Filtering: 1st-order high-pass (80 Hz) and low-pass (9 kHz)
- Crosstalk: 1% (-40 dB) bidirectional channel bleed
- Metering: Atomic peak detection with exponential decay
- Thread Safety: Lock-free atomic operations for GUI communication
- Buffer Size: Pre-allocated for 400ms @ internal sample rate
WetDelay/
├── vst3sdk/ # VST3 SDK (git submodule)
├── WetDelay/ # Plugin source
│ ├── source/
│ │ ├── wetdelayprocessor.h/cpp # Audio processing
│ │ ├── wetdelaycontroller.h/cpp # Parameter control
│ │ ├── delaybuffer.h/cpp # Delay buffer implementation
│ │ ├── wetdelaycids.h # Plugin IDs
│ │ └── version.h # Version info
│ ├── resource/
│ │ └── wetdelayeditor.uidesc # GUI definition
│ ├── CMakeLists.txt # Build configuration
│ └── build/ # Build output (generated)
├── build.bat # Build automation script
├── install.bat # Installation script
├── LICENSE # MIT License
└── README.md # This file
The plugin passes all official VST3 validation tests:
✅ 47 tests passed, 0 tests failed
Key validations:
- Valid state transitions
- Proper bus configuration
- Correct parameter handling
- Sample rate support (22.05 kHz - 384 kHz)
- Thread safety
- Preset save/load
- Plugin suspend/resume
CMake configuration failed:
- Ensure Visual Studio 2022 is installed
- Verify CMake is in your PATH
- Check that vst3sdk exists in the correct location
MSBuild error:
- Make sure Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools are installed
- Try running from "Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022"
Symlink error (exit code 1):
- This is normal - the plugin is still built successfully
- Run
install.batto copy the plugin manually - Or run the script as Administrator for symlink support
Plugin not appearing in DAW:
- Restart your DAW after installation
- Check VST3 scan path:
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\VST3\ - Verify the folder contains
WetDelay.vst3
No sound output:
- Verify the plugin is receiving audio input
- Check that the delay time is not set to minimum (varies by sample rate)
- Ensure your DAW is routing through the plugin correctly
Crackling/Clicking:
- This shouldn't occur with discrete parameter changes
- If it does, report as a bug with your DAW and sample rate info
If you want to modify the plugin:
- Edit source files in
WetDelay/source/ - Run
build.batto rebuild - The plugin automatically rebuilds and validates
The build process automatically runs:
- moduleinfotool: Generates plugin metadata
- validator: Runs 47 comprehensive tests
Test coverage includes:
- Parameter automation
- State save/restore
- Multi-threading
- Different buffer sizes
- Various sample rates
Current version is v1.1 - 80s Rack-Style Character
Potential future additions:
- Enhanced GUI matching backplate.jpg reference
- Custom LED-style level meters
- Feedback control
- Tempo sync mode
- Ping-pong stereo delay
- Preset management
- Additional delay times
- Adjustable bit depth (8-16 bit)
- Adjustable internal sample rate
Ronald Klarenbeek
- Email: [email protected]
- GitHub: https://github.com/yonie
MIT License - Copyright © 2026 Ronald Klarenbeek (Yonie)
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Note: This project uses the VST3 SDK which is licensed under a BSD-style license. See the VST3 SDK license files for details on SDK licensing.
- Steinberg Media Technologies for the VST3 SDK
- VSTGUI framework for cross-platform GUI support
- The audio plugin development community
- Channel Crosstalk:
- Authentic -40 dB (1%) L/R channel bleed
- Simulates analog circuitry imperfections
- 80s Rack-Style Character:
- 24 kHz internal sample rate with resampling
- 12-bit quantization (4096 levels)
- TPDF dither for smooth quantization
- Fixed -80 dBFS noise floor
- Anti-aliasing and reconstruction filters
- Initial release
- Core stereo delay functionality
- 6 fixed delay times (20-400ms)
- 100% wet output
- Input/output peak metering
- Full VST3 automation support
- Validated with official VST3 validator
Built with ❤️ and precision engineering