bicycles vst3 / au / aax

randomize

no rolls

amount 100%

1 curve → a knob · a shape you draw, looping

the actual plugin layout: module · randomize · two modulator slots · history strip, in one window. click a tab to switch a slot; hover to hold

spreaddoppler spread, about 0.8 hz to 7 hz. it sets how fast the fading churns, from a slow swell about once a second to a fast rippling chop.

pathsbrings in the second and third paths and stretches their delays. low settings give a single flat fade; high settings give a frequency-selective smear.

fadedepth of a slow, flat fade over the whole channel, from about 2 db to about 28 db.

driftoffsets the carrier either side of its true frequency and adds a slow fm wobble. centre is on frequency; fully down shifts it about 98 hz down and fully up about 54 hz up.

mixdry/wet balance. fully down is dry only; fully up is the effect alone.

crush & lo-fi · wam-121 · standalone + cv modulation

bicycles multipath phaser

US$25or all 76 · US$399one-time · 14-day free trial built in

buy bicycles · US$25 subscribe · every module · US$9/month try it free · 14 days

vst3 · au · aax · macos 13+ · windows 10+ · no ilok · unlocks in the tangle rack too

dry · the kookaburra on its own
default factory settings
worn dial pulsing · wobbly · inharmonic · lo-fi · mono
dim transistor pulsing · evolving · wobbly · mono · lo-fi
round rubble wobbly · hollow · pulsing · sweeping · lo-fi
fading signal pulsing · wobbly · evolving · hollow · dry

§ every control

what each knob does

Five controls, no menus. Here they are on the panel itself.

spreadDoppler spread, about 0.8 Hz to 7 Hz. It sets how fast the fading churns, from a slow swell about once a second to a fast rippling chop.

pathsBrings in the second and third paths and stretches their delays. Low settings give a single flat fade; high settings give a frequency-selective smear.

fadeDepth of a slow, flat fade over the whole channel, from about 2 dB to about 28 dB.

driftOffsets the carrier either side of its true frequency and adds a slow FM wobble. Centre is on frequency; fully down shifts it about 98 Hz down and fully up about 54 Hz up.

modeSets the channel conditions. Calm slows the fading and weakens the third path; disturbed is the standard setting; flutter speeds the fading up six times and shortens the paths.

mixDry/wet balance. Fully down is dry only; fully up is the effect alone.

§ built-in modulation

it modulates itself

Bicycles ships with the full CV/logic modulation section every Tangle standalone carries. Two slots, each running one of six modulators: pick one from a slot's tabs, drag a patch cable onto any knob, and that control moves on its own, no DAW automation required. Both slots can run the same kind, each its own copy, and slot 2 can be switched off.

lfoSmooth cyclic movement: sine, triangle, square, sample & hold, or a shape you draw.

curveA looping contour you draw by hand: smooth, spiked or stepped.

noiseStepped, smoothed or slewed randomness for texture and wander.

transientListens for hits, then fires a trigger plus an envelope on every transient it hears.

env followTracks how loud you are playing and turns that into a control voltage.

timingSpreads hits as evenly as possible across a bar, so rhythms land musically instead of bunched.

§ always recording

it keeps what you just played

A rolling capture strip runs beneath the panel, always recording the plugin's output. No transport, nothing to arm. Played something great while you were just tweaking? Click-drag across the history waveform to select it, then drag the slice straight into your DAW timeline.

ARM flips it to ring-capture for hands-free takes.

§ one purchase, two plugins

it unlocks in tangle too

Bicycles is a module from Tangle, the free cable-patchable rack. Buying it here licenses both: this standalone plugin, and bicycles unlocked inside the rack, where you can patch it into any other module you own. There is no second purchase and no upgrade path; the rack itself costs nothing.

Sign in once in the rack and your licences follow your account: a module bought this morning appears at the next licence check, on every machine you install on.

explore the tangle rack →

§ the box

bicycles

US$25or all 76 · US$399one-time

buy bicycles · US$25 subscribe · every module · US$9/month try it free · 14 days

formats: vst3 · audio unit (au) · aax
platforms: macos 13+ (universal) · windows 10+ (64-bit) · macos 11 and 12 with the installers — full requirements
in tangle: the same licence unlocks this module inside the free Tangle rack, patchable into every other module — one purchase, both plugins, nothing extra to buy
all-access: this standalone and every other one, each unlocked in the rack too, for US$9/month while you subscribe — new releases included, cancel any time from your account
trial: 14 days, full function, then buy to keep patching
licence: no ilok · serial GRY-… by email
modulators: two slots · lfo · drawable curve · noise · transient · env follow · timing, all included
currency: charged in us dollars · your bank converts at its own rate
discontinued: if this plugin is retired your licence keeps working and your serial stays on your account — terms, section 1.3

§ media

bicycles on camera

Bicycles' shortwave fading works best on sounds that hold still.

all the quick tips →