4.8/5 stars (8 reviews) • Effects / Multi-Effect

Bismuth

Product Summary

Bismuth is a harmonic resonator effect plugin developed by Lunacy in collaboration with EDM producer Virtual Riot. At its core, it introduces resonant filters to any incoming audio signal, transforming raw sound into tonal, melodic, and harmonically layered textures — tuned specifically to chords and scales you define. Think of it like running your audio through a prism: what goes in clean comes out fractured into shimmering overtones, hidden harmonics, and vivid colorful textures.

It’s built for Lunacy’s multi-effects engine, BEAM, but Bismuth is also fully available as a standalone effect plugin — so you don’t need BEAM to use it.

The plugin revolves around six main processing sections that work together to shape how the resonance behaves, moves, and sits in the mix:

Chord Panel — This is where you tune the resonant filters. You pick your chord or scale, and Bismuth locks its harmonics to those pitches, turning any audio into something harmonically saturated. Octave, Spread, and Root controls position the voicing, while Attack and Decay shape whether it sounds like a plucked transient hit or a slow, blooming harmonic swell.

Arp — The Arp section puts the chord notes into motion, cycling through them at a rate that can run free or sync to tempo. You can choose classic arpeggio patterns, trigger random melodic movement, or use Chord mode to produce shifting harmonic motion that evolves over time.

Spacing — This is where things get experimental. Spacing lets you warp, stretch, and compress the resonant frequencies, pulling the harmonic series into unconventional territory. Drift smears the resonance outward — expanding the soundstage like light scattering through crystal — and Shift uses a dedicated frequency shifter to alter the timbre further.

Motion — Motion applies continuous amplitude modulation to Bismuth’s resonance. At lower settings it creates a smooth, organic pulse — almost like the sound is breathing. Push the Rate, Strength, and Shape controls harder and it fractures into sharp, rhythmic bursts. Unison mode locks everything into a single driving pulse.

Filter — High and low cutoff sliders let you define which frequency band Bismuth’s resonators act on, from deep low-end warmth to bright crystalline shimmer. Q adds resonance at the cutoff points, Tilt shifts the overall spectral balance from dark to bright, and Scoop attenuates the resonating frequencies themselves — useful for keeping the resonance focused and preventing tail buildup.

Depth — A straightforward blend control. Depth adjusts how much of Bismuth’s processed signal enters the mix, from a subtle harmonic shimmer sitting under the dry signal all the way to full crystallized transformation.

Key Features

Processing

• Resonant filters tuned to user-defined chords and scales, generating layered harmonic textures from any incoming audio
• Spacing module with Drift (frequency smearing) and Shift (frequency shifting) for unconventional harmonic warping
• Motion module applies amplitude modulation to the resonance, ranging from smooth organic pulses to sharp rhythmic bursts with Unison control
• Multi-parameter Filter section with high/low cutoffs, Q, Tilt, and Scoop for precise frequency control over the resonators

Control

• Chord Panel with Octave, Spread, Root, Attack, and Decay controls to shape voicing and transient character
• Arp section with free or tempo-synced Rate, classic patterns, Random mode, and Chord mode for evolving harmonic motion
• Depth control for wet/dry blending from subtle shimmer to full harmonic transformation

Workflow

• Ships with 30 Bismuth presets crafted by professional sound designers including Virtual Riot
• For BEAM owners: access Bismuth as a node inside BEAM with up to 3 Bismuth instances in serial or parallel
• For BEAM owners: includes a 50-preset “Gemstones” pack combining Bismuth with all other BEAM effects

Visual

• No specific UI visual details listed on the source page beyond the product banner imagery

System Compatibility

• Mac: macOS 10.15+ — AU / VST3 / AAX (M1 / M2 recommended)
• Windows: Windows 10+ — VST3 / AAX
• DAW Support: All major DAWs
• RAM: 8GB required (16GB recommended)
• Storage: Minimum 250 MB free hard disk space
• Other: Stable internet connection required for download and activation