Spectral Hold vs ClockTear

SPECTRAL HOLD A spectral processor that combines a frequency-domain tilt EQ with a spectral freeze. Audio is analyzed with a short-time Fourier transform (1024-point FFT, 75% overlap, Hann window). Each frame's bins can be tilted around a pivot frequency, and the most recent frame can be frozen and held indefinitely, turning any moment of the input into a sustained spectral drone. ------ CONTROLS TILT Applies a spectral tilt around the pivot frequency. The gain of each bin is scaled by tilt * 3 dB per octave of distance from the pivot. Negative values darken the sound by attenuating highs and boosting lows; positive values brighten it by boosting highs and attenuating lows. At 0 the spectrum passes unchanged. Range: -1.00 to +1.00 (so +/-3 dB/octave at the extremes). PIVOT Sets the frequency around which the tilt rotates. Bins above the pivot are affected in one direction and bins below in the other; the pivot itself is left at unity gain. Lower the pivot to pivot the tilt around the low end, raise it to rotate around the highs. Range: 20 Hz to 20 kHz (exponential), automatically clamped below the host Nyquist frequency. FREEZE Captures and holds the most recently analyzed spectral frame. While engaged, the stored magnitude and phase of every bin are replayed on each hop instead of the live input, producing a continuous frozen texture. Tilt and pivot remain active on the held spectrum, so the frozen sound can still be shaped. Disengage to return to live processing. DRY/WET Blends the unprocessed (dry) input with the processed (wet) output. At 0% only the dry signal is heard; at 100% only the wet. The dry path is internally delay compensated so it stays time- and phase-aligned with the wet path at every mix setting, with no comb filtering. Useful for layering a frozen pad underneath the live signal, or easing in a tilt. ------ NOTE Because the effect works frame by frame, it reports a latency of one FFT frame (1024 samples, about 21 ms at 48 kHz) to the host for accurate delay compensation.

Clock Tear is a digital instability processor built around failing clock behavior. Instead of simple bit crushing, Clock Tear holds, slips, stutters, folds, drops, and damages the signal based on input activity, drift, jitter, and the selected clock mode. Four modes move from subtle timing instability to heavier fractured playback and collapse-style digital failure. Features • Clock-based sample hold and timing damage • Four clock failure modes: Slip, Stutter, Tear, and Collapse • Drift and jitter-driven clock wobble • Dropouts, stutters, folding, and digital interruption Modes Slip – Sample-hold clock slipping with the shortest failure range. Stutter – Adds repeating stutter behavior to the clock damage. Tear – Adds stronger clock tearing with drive and foldback-style damage. Collapse – Combines the widest clock failure range with stronger stutter, folding, and drop behavior. Controls Tear – Sets the main clock damage and drive intensity. Mode – Selects Slip, Stutter, Tear, or Collapse behavior. Tone – Shapes the artifacts from darker to brighter. Drift – Adds slow clock movement and stereo wobble. Jitter – Adds faster random clock instability. Drop – Introduces intermittent dropouts and level collapses. Glue – Adds saturation and makeup cohesion after the damage. Mix – Blends dry and processed signal.