When creating a polished or creative audio production, audio effects are often a must. The Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder comes equipped with three of the most popular effects used in audio production: echo, reverb and a multi-voice effect which is very similar to the well known chorus effect. These effects can be accessed via the pull down menu system (visual aid item #1) by selecting "Effects". Displayed to the right is the "Effects" pull down menu.

The "Echo/Delay" effect can be used to apply an echo sound to audio. By selecting this option from the "Effects" pull down menu the "Echo/Delay" dialog box will appear. The user is given the option of selecting where they wish to apply the effect: to a highlighted section of audio, a section of audio selected between markers or the entire track that is currently being viewed. Notice that if a highlighted or marker section does not exist, these options will be disabled.

After selecting which section of audio you wish to modify there are three other settings available to create the exact kind of echo effect you desire. The first option is the "Initial Ratio". This allows you to change the level of the original audio. A setting of 100% will leave the original audio unchanged, and a setting of 50% will cut the volume level in half. The next setting, the "Wet Ratio" allows you to set the volume level of the created echoes. Each subsequent echo will deteriorate in volume by this given percentage. For example if the wet ratio is set to 50%, the initial echo will be half the volume of the original audio level. The following echo will then be half the volume of that initial echo - which is also equal to 25% of the original audio level. The final setting allows for setting the delay between each echo. This value can range from 0 to 2,500 milliseconds.

The "Reverb" effect is very similar to that of the echo/delay effect. The main difference between reverb and echo is the use of a feedback loop. A feedback loop essentially creates echoes from the already existing echoes. This is often difficult to explain through text descriptions or discussions but can more effectively be understood by comparing output of performing the two effects on one sample of audio. The settings for the reverb effect are essentially identical to that of the echo effects. The user is given the option of selecting where they wish to apply the effect: to a highlighted section of audio, a section of audio selected between markers or the entire track that is currently being viewed. Notice that if a highlighted or marker section does not exist, these options will be disabled.

After selecting which section of audio you wish to modify there are three other settings available to create the exact kind of reverb effect you desire. The first option is the "Initial Ratio". This allows you to change the level of the original audio. A setting of 100% will leave the original audio unchanged, and a setting of 50% will cut the volume level in half. The next setting, the "Wet Ratio" allows you to set the volume level of the created reverberations. Each subsequent reverberation will deteriorate in volume by this given percentage. For example if the wet ratio is set to 50%, the initial reverberation will be half the volume of the original audio level. The following reverberation will then be half the volume of that initial reverberation - which is also equal to 25% of the original audio level. The final setting, allows for setting the delay between each reverberation. This value can range from 0 to 1,000 milliseconds.

The "Multi-Voice" effect mimics the popular chorus effect that is often used in audio productions. The effect in itself is not much different from an echo effect in that additional copies of the original audio are created. The difference between the two effects is that with "Multi-Voice" no deterioration between successive echoes (voices) exists. The user is allowed to set the number of additional voices, this value can range from zero to ten. Other than this difference, settings for the multi-voice effect are very similar to that of the echo effects. The user is given the option of selecting where they wish to apply the effect: to a highlighted section of audio, a section of audio selected between markers or the entire track that is currently being viewed. Notice that if a highlighted or marker section does not exist, these options will be disabled.

After selecting which section of audio you wish to modify and the number of voices to add there are three other settings available to create the exact kind of multi-voice effect you desire. The first option is the "Initial Ratio". This allows you to change the level of the original audio. A setting of 100% will leave the original audio unchanged, and a setting of 50% will cut the volume level in half. The next setting, the "Wet Ratio" allows you to set the volume level of all additional voices that will be added to the original audio. Remember, no deterioration occurs with this effect, so this volume setting will be the same for all additional voices. The final setting allows for setting the amount of delay between each of the voices. This value can range from 0 to 1,000 milliseconds.

When using any of the available effects you'll notice on the right side of the effect's dialog box there are preset and add and remove buttons. Presets are very useful when using the same parameters for a given effect. Using a preset for these values will save you the time of having to manually set the effect's parameters. Each effect comes with four standard presets that cannot be removed. To use any preset simply double click on the name of the preset. When doing so, the effect settings change to match what the preset is set to. You can create your own preset values by entering a description name into the preset edit box and clicking the add button. Any of your own effect presets can be removed by single clicking on the effect name and pressing the "Remove" button.