Wavefold Labs launches Gaussian Blur: granular bloom reverb for macOS, Linux, and Windows

# Blur does

# How the core processing works

Bloom time can be set anywhere between 20 ms and 5 seconds and syncs to host tempo, including dotted and triplet divisions. After grains are formed and arranged by the bloom curve, they are fed into a plate-style reverb tail. The plate tail can decay up to 40 seconds, useful for ambient textures and long washes.

# Notable controls

• Bloom curve: controls when grains become most present (20 ms–5 s), with tempo sync options. This is the main timing control that shapes the swell or pre-delay behavior.
• Grain size: 20 ms–1 s, affects grain granularity and perceived texture.
• Direction: balances forward and reversed grains to add motion or reverse-like artifacts.
• Shimmer: shifts a portion of grains up an octave or a mix of fifths and octaves for pitched ambient effects.
• Grain Tone: adjusts brightness of grains before they hit the reverb tail, useful for taming or emphasizing high frequencies.
• Recirculate: feeds processed grains back through the grain engine for additional passes and more complex textures.

# Typical uses and sonic effects

# Formats, pricing, and trial

Gaussian Blur is available as VST3 and Audio Unit (AU). The plug-in runs on macOS 14 or later (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows 10, and Linux distributions such as Ubuntu 24.04+, Fedora 40+, Debian 13+, and Arch. Wavefold Labs is offering an introductory price of $32 until October 26, 2026, after which the price will be $40. A free 14-day trial is available, requiring a free Wavefold Labs account.

# Where it fits

If you need granular control over the timing and presentation of reverb energy, Gaussian Blur offers a workflow that places grain timing before the reverb algorithm. That ordering makes it straightforward to design pre-delay-like effects, slow swells, and layered ambient tails without manual automation of reverb send levels or external granular tools.

# Quick practical notes

• Tempo-syncable bloom time supports dotted and triplet divisions for rhythmic alignment.
• Grain Tone lets you shape high frequencies before they trigger long reverb tails, helping avoid overly bright long decays.
• Recirculate is useful for creating denser, evolving tails but will increase CPU and output density.

Gaussian Blur is targeted at producers and sound designers who want granular bloom control combined with a long plate reverb tail, delivered in common plug-in formats across desktop platforms.