Shimmering, swirling movement that feels more like a living quadraphonic instrument than a simple chorus pedal.
Chorus-1a by Retrogradus is a true analog modulation workstation built around four BBD-based audio paths, delivering lush chorus, vibrato, and flange with a depth and width that standard stereo can’t touch. Each BBD line has its own dedicated output for immersive quadraphonic setups, plus stereo summing outs when you just need instant width. In front of each line sits its own multimode diode filter, running in parallel with bandpass and a sweepable mode that morphs smoothly from lowpass, through notch, to highpass, so you can sculpt motion and tone together as a single, fluid gesture.
Modulation is equally obsessive: a fully analog five-waveform LFO covers slow drift to audio-rate-style warble, while a dedicated quadrature LFO spins four sine waves 90 degrees apart to animate each BBD path in its own orbit. A third “Texture Generator” adds sample-and-hold-like modulation with adjustable slew and a chaos clock randomizer, letting you dial in anything from barely-there instability to broken-machine glitches. A high-quality dual-axis joystick becomes the hands-on center of gravity, assignable to multiple destinations for expressive sweeps, stutters, and spatial moves in real time. With Eurorack-compatible 3.5 mm audio and CV I/O alongside heavy-duty 1/4" TRS balanced/unbalanced connections, Chorus-1a drops comfortably into modular rigs, studio patch bays, or performance setups, offering a uniquely curated Retrogradus sonic palette refined through countless hours of component-level listening.
