Goodhertz DC19, a new multi-colored delay plugin with flexible routing and built-in macros for playing the delay like an instrument.
Delays are our constant companions in music production, whether in hardware as a pedal or software plugins. Many delay plugins have a rather static life in the DAW. They are set to do a specific job, and in the best case, even automated.
Goodhertz is known for its beautifully designed and sophisticated plugins. Recently, pedal lovers also became aware of the GH plugins with the Chase Bliss Lossy collaboration. Their new plugin, DC19, shows a playful, moving side of delay.
Goodhertz DC19
DC19 is a new fascinating delay plugin for macOS and Windows. It has some unique twists. This already begins in its user interface.
Instead of buttons for the main functions, it offers sliders that can be easily mapped to hardware MIDI controllers for instant action.
The Goodhertz DC19 engine consists of two independent delay units (A/B). You can use DC19 as a single delay, dual delay, or single or dual ping-pong delay, where A + B both cross-feed the feedback.
With the sync (quantizable/selectable note sync) and free control option, you can also archive hybrid configurations. There is also a tempo multiplier for sync option for smoothly sliding from a 128th note to a whole note and a milliseconds mode in the free config for moving from three milliseconds to 8 seconds.
You can also work with glide time on both delays. Then, it hosts a tape section with LoFi and wobble controls. The LoFi parameter moves through several different tape machines seamlessly.
The manual reveals the machines: a Hifi 30 IPS reel-to-reel machine, a 7.5 IPS R-R machine, a professional 4-track tape deck, and a Consumer cassette deck with aged and degraded tape. Wobble adds mono or stereo chaos to the sound.
Filtering, Reverb & Playability
Goodhertz also added a filter section to shape the delay sound and a new spring reverb. The latter has a decay control and can be applied to just the delay or the dry signal + the delay, giving you a lot of flexibility. Another exciting feature is the spatial section, allowing you to pan each delay line independently.
The four macro buttons of Goodhertz DC19 (kill all, kill feedback, infinite hold, and spring hold) are a highlight for me. They enable you to play with the delay processor like a pseudo instrument. An important note is that these are momentary controls, so you get different results depending on how long you press on them.
Goodhertz promises you can archive springy surf echoes and tape’d out slapbacks to weirdo magnetic tape loops and sci-fi sounds with DC19.
First Impression
This is a fascinating delay plugin with lots of nice twists. Playing around with the delay sound could produce interesting results. I like that it has a very colorful character thanks to the tape machines, filtering, reverb, etc.
Goodhertz DC19 is available now for $79. It runs as a VST, VST3, AU, and AAX plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows. The official website offers a free 30-day trial version.
More information here: Goodhertz
This’n has a notably painful UI design.