Excitance

Excitance is a dual-process audio enhancement plugin inspired by classic late-1970s and 1980s harmonic exciter and bass enhancer hardware. Unlike traditional equalizers that simply boost or cut frequencies, Excitance synthesizes new harmonic content for the highs and reshapes low-end through dynamics and out-of-phase summation for the lows — creating perceived loudness, presence, and weight without significant peak level increase. It features two parallel sidechain processors (EXCITER and BASS ENHANCER) running alongside the untouched dry signal, two harmonic clipper modes, a Spectral Phase Refractor for bass phase correction, continuous Peaking and Null Fill filter shaping, AutoTrace bass leveling, three-way Mono mode, EXCITER Stereo Width, auto-tuned output shelving EQ, Density mode, oversampling up to 4x, and per-section Solo monitoring. All controls are presented on a single interface for a fast, intuitive workflow.

Features

• Two Parallel Sidechain Processors: EXCITER and BASS ENHANCER each run as independent parallel sidechains alongside the untouched dry signal. They work on separate frequency territories and never cascade, so they don't interfere with each other — use one, the other, or both together for tonal sculpting on tracks, busses, or master.
• Two Harmonic Clipper Modes: Rectifier (default) uses a parallel topology with a half-wave rectifier path and a VCA-style soft saturator path crossfaded by Timbre — dramatic, characterful, dense harmonics. Cubic uses a single soft clipper with DC offset for asymmetry — smoother, gentler, more forgiving. Transient-aware shaping gives sharp attacks more emphasis while treating sustained tones gently.
• Perceptual Bass Enhancement: The BASS ENHANCER reshapes low-end through a tunable second-order low-pass filter and a leveling stage, then sums the result out-of-phase with the dry signal. Quiet input lets the processed bass fill in; loud input keeps peaks barely changed. Heavier, more sustained bass — no extra clipping, no overdriven speakers, no headroom problems.
• Spectral Phase Refractor: SPR processes the main audio path so bass frequencies up to approximately 150 Hz lead in phase relative to the rest of the spectrum. Corrects cumulative phase smearing from recording, processing, and reproduction. Restores clarity, openness, and apparent bass energy without any amplitude change. Works independently of both sidechains.
• Advanced Filter Shaping: Continuous Peaking and Null Fill controls vary sidechain filter resonance from a gentle slope to a focused peak and restore presence lost when the sidechain is mixed back in. AutoTrace self-optimizes the BASS ENHANCER's leveling amplifier for consistent enhancement across varying source loudness. Density mode compresses peaks and expands quiet signals for denser, more consistent harmonic generation. Three-way Mono mode (Off / BB Only / All Bass) and an independent EXCITER Stereo Width control (0–200%) provide detailed spatial shaping.
• Mastering-Grade Master Section: 6 dB/oct input HPF for subsonic cleanup, latency-compensated wet/dry Mix, two clip-0dB safety stages, up to 4x oversampling (Normal 1x, HQ 2x, Ultra 4x) using Kaiser-windowed FIR filters with automatic latency compensation, auto-tuned Out Low and Out High shelves that track the BASS ENHANCER and EXCITER Tune knobs respectively, per-section Solo monitoring, and a smooth 3 ms Bypass crossfade.