Leit Audio Widelay – IRZU INSTITUTE

Widelay is a stereo delay that spreads wide instead of deep.

Most delays build their echo trail mainly through depth: repeats decay and often become darker or softer as they move away from the source. Widelay takes a different approach. Its echoes progressively spread outward across the stereo field as the trail develops.

The first echo starts in the center. Later repeats open wider, with the newest part of the trail reaching the widest position. The repeats do not progressively darken, filter or saturate. Their tone stays consistent, while their attacks are softened slightly and the stereo image expands around the source.

Widelay keeps the interface to three controls: DELAY, TIME and MIX.

DELAY shapes the entire echo trail from one knob. It controls how many echoes are heard, how quickly they decay and how the stereo spread develops along the trail. Widelay uses up to five echoes, with each new repeat fading in smoothly as the control is turned.

TIME runs freely from 1–1000 ms, or can be switched to SYNC for tempo-based note values from 1/32 to 1/1, including dotted and triplet divisions. Changes in delay time move smoothly rather than jumping abruptly.

The widening is created by placing slightly time-offset copies on the left and right sides. Which side arrives first alternates between echoes, keeping the overall trail balanced while adding subtle movement inside the stereo field. A slow drift between the two sides adds a small amount of chorus-like pitch movement. This is not a ping-pong delay.

Widelay has no feedback loop. The delay produces a maximum of five echoes and then stops, so there is no runaway feedback or self-oscillation. It also adds no processing latency.

Features include:

Stereo delay built around width rather than depth.
Echoes that spread progressively from the center outward.
Up to five echoes.
One DELAY control for echo count, decay and spread.
Free delay time from 1–1000 ms.
Tempo sync with 14 note values, including dotted and triplet divisions.
Smooth delay-time changes.
Consistent tonal balance across the echo trail.
Built-in attack softening on the repeats.
Subtle stereo drift and chorus-like movement.
No feedback or self-oscillation.
Zero-latency processing.
Mono-to-stereo and stereo-to-stereo operation.
64-bit internal processing.

Widelay is designed for use on a stereo track or stereo FX channel. The widening process uses inter-channel time offsets and is therefore not mono-compatible.

Widelay is free to download and use. A free Leit Audio account is required for downloads; there are no trial periods, subscriptions or in-plugin activation.