SpeedShift Drone Stretch Manual

Overview

SpeedShift Drone Stretch turns any audio file into a long, slowly evolving drone. Import a file, stretch it up to 100 times its length (1000 times in Xtreme mode) without changing its pitch, shift the pitch if you like, and export the result.

• It plays the file by itself. Playback has its own Play and Pause and does not follow your DAW's transport. The plugin outputs the stretched file only; it does not process the audio on its track.
• Looping: Playback loops by default. Turn it off in the settings to play once.
• Keys: Space plays and pauses. Edits can be undone with Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z on Windows) and redone with Cmd+Shift+Z or Cmd+Y.
• Info bar: The bar at the bottom explains whatever is under the mouse. While playing, it shows the current stretch, tempo and pitch.

1. Stretch Control

Stretch makes the audio longer without changing its pitch, from 1x (the original length) to 100x. Stretch is not automatable.

• Slider: The first half of the slider covers 1x to 10x, the next quarter 10x to 20x, and the last quarter 20x to 100x, so the useful range has the most room. Hold Shift while dragging for fine adjustment.
• Arrows: Step by 0.25 up to 20x, by 0.5 up to 50x, and by 1 up to 100x.
• Value: Click the number to type an exact stretch. Right click it for Edit Value and Reset Value.
• Reset: Double click the slider to return it to 1x.

2. Pitch Control

Pitch moves the audio up or down by up to 24 semitones without changing its length. Pitch is not automatable.

• Arrows: Step to the next whole semitone.
• Value: Click the number to type an exact pitch. Right click it for Edit Value and Reset Value.
• Reset: Double click the slider to return it to 0.

💡 TIP: When the result sits between two keys, use the key control to bring it into key.

3. Waveform

The band across the middle shows the imported file, or the trimmed part of it after a trim. The part already played is coloured in. Click anywhere on it to jump there. If playback is paused, clicking starts it again.

4. Active Buttons

• Play / Pause: Starts and stops playback. An imported file starts playing straight away.
• Reverb: Press once for a serial reverb, again for a parallel reverb (its reverb has a low cut at 100 Hz and a high cut at 6000 Hz), and again to turn it off. The button is lit while the reverb is on.
• Import: Opens a file to stretch: WAV, MP3, AIFF, FLAC, Ogg or Opus. You can also drag a file onto the plugin.
• Export: Saves the stretched audio to a file. See Exporting.

Import and Export are unavailable while trimming.

💡 TIP: If the imported file's sample rate does not match your DAW's session, it is resampled for playback. See HD Resample on Import in the settings for a higher quality resample.

5. Key Controls

Set the Working Key to the key of your audio with its arrows, and Resulting Key shows the key after the pitch change. The working key does not change the audio.

Click Resulting Key to round the pitch to the nearest whole semitone, so the result lands exactly on a key. Hovering over it shows how far off the key it is.

6. Tempo Controls

Resulting Tempo shows the tempo of the audio after stretching: the original tempo divided by the stretch.

Click the wrench to open the Set Original Tempo window and type the tempo of the imported audio. If you do not know it, tap the TAP TEMPO pad in time with the music to see the tempo of your taps. The original tempo starts at your DAW's tempo, and changing it does not change the audio.

Turn on Always Prompt Original Tempo in the settings to have this window open after every import.

7. Simple, Xtreme, Trim and Reverse

The strip under the top bar holds four buttons.

• SIMPLE: Stretch from 1x to 100x, as described above.
• XTREME: Stretch from 100x to 1000x. The arrows step by 10x and a double click resets to 100x. Xtreme keeps its own stretch and pitch, so switching between the two modes brings back each mode's settings. Exports at these lengths can run for hours.
• TRIM: Opens the trim page, where you choose the part of the file to stretch. Drag the two handles (hold Shift while dragging for fine adjustment), or type the times. The Start and End fields always read mm:ss.cc. Click a field to put the cursor where you clicked, and each digit you type replaces the one after the cursor. Tab jumps to the other field and selects its whole time, so the first digit you type clears it and fills it from the left (3 shows 3_:__.__). Type : or . to move on to the seconds or the hundredths, so 1:30 gives 01:30.__. Backspace clears a digit. Press Return to apply (empty places count as 0) and Esc to discard what you typed. You can also paste a time written as ss, mm:ss.cc or h:mm:ss.cc. A time at or past the end of the file sets the end of the file. The Duration shows the length of the region, at least a quarter of a second. The preview plays the region as it is, unstretched, on a loop. Click the tick to keep the trim or the cross to discard it. After a trim, the waveform shows the trimmed region.
• REVERSE: Plays the audio backwards. It is lit while on, and stays on for the next file you import.

The mode, both modes' stretch and pitch, the trim and Reverse are saved with your project. A mode change cannot be undone.

8. Changing Tracks

The arrows in the bottom corners load the previous or next audio file in the same folder as the current one, in alphabetical order, wrapping round at either end. Hover over an arrow to see the file it will load. Settings > Recent Imports lists the files you imported last.

9. Exporting

Click Export to open the Export Audio window, choose the file format and the processing effects, then choose where to save the file.

• File Format: Wav, Mp3, Ogg, Flac, Aiff or Opus. Mp3 needs the LAME encoder: if Mp3 is missing, re-install the plugin and tick the LAME encoder.
• Pre & Post Processing Effects: The 1.5 dB Reduction (Gain Stage) and the Hard Limiter (Clip Prevention), the same switches as in the settings.

The export is the trimmed region, reversed if Reverse is on, stretched by the full stretch factor at the imported file's own sample rate and bit depth. The resample setting has no effect on it. The suggested file name includes the resulting tempo and key.

10. Settings

Click the SOTTOVOCE logo at the bottom right to open the settings menu.

• View Licence Agreement: Shows the EULA and copyright notice.
• View Licence Information: Shows the active licence information.
• View Manual: Brings you to this page.
• Load Preset: Loads a preset from the Default Presets or User Presets list.
• Save Preset: Saves the current settings under a name you choose.
• View Preset Folder: Opens the folder the presets are kept in.
• Recent Imports: Your last ten imports, and Clear Recent Imports.
• Show Current Import In Folder: Shows the current file in Finder or Explorer.
• Enable HD Resample on Import / Enable Fast Resample on Import: Only has an effect when the imported file's sample rate does not match your DAW's session. HD uses a slower but higher quality resample for playback. Fast is the default. This has NO EFFECT on the exported audio, which is rendered from the original file.
• Enable / Disable Always Prompt Original Tempo: Opens the Set Original Tempo window after every import.
• Enable / Disable Playback Looping: Loops playback, or plays once and stops.
• Pre-Post Processing Effects: Two switches. 1.5 dB Reduction (Gain Stage) lowers the level before processing to leave headroom, and Hard Limiter (Clip Prevention) stops the output from going above full scale. Each item names the action it takes, and an item drawn in red is switched off.
• Scale-up Plugin Dimensions / Scale-down Plugin Dimensions: Shows the plugin at 100 or 150 percent. Scale-up is greyed out when the larger window would not fit on your display.