GAARDAUDIO
VariBlend · VST3 for Windows and macOS

Your playing is the controller.

VariBlend listens to how hard you play and blends drive, delay and reverb to match. You decide how each effect follows your touch: grit that grows as you dig in, echoes that bloom in the gaps, a wash of reverb that opens up with your solo. Your dynamics, your rules.

Hear it How it works Coming soon
The VariBlend plugin window: response curves for drive, delay and reverb at the top, a signal-chain strip, and colour-coded Input, Drive, Cab, Comp, Delay, Reverb and Output sections.
How it works

One knob you already own: your picking hand.

A detector follows your playing level from your softest to your hardest note. Each effect has a curve that decides how much of it you hear at every level.

Play softly

Light picking stays clean and clear, with just a touch of space around it.

Dig in

Hit the strings harder and overdrive, distortion or fuzz fades in, as smoothly as a cranked amp.

Leave gaps

Delay and reverb step back while you play and swell up between phrases. No tap dancing on pedals.

Response curves in action

Drive0%
Delay0%
Reverb0%

These are VariBlend's default curves. Drag points to shape your own, just like curves in a photo editor.

Demos

Hear it react.

Switch between the dry guitar and VariBlend while it plays. Same take, same position.

Clean to crunch

One strat, one take. Light chords stay glassy, hard strums break up.

0:00
Demo coming soon

Ambient gaps

Delay and reverb duck under the notes and bloom in every pause.

0:00
Demo coming soon

Lead swell

A solo that gets hotter and wider the harder it is played.

0:00
Demo coming soon
Inside

A complete rig in one plugin.

Six stages in a fixed, proven order, so it sounds right from the first note.

Input›Detector›Drive›Cab›Comp›Delay›Reverb›Output›Limiter

Detector

Follows your playing level and maps your own dynamic range from 0 to 100 %.

  • Learn: play softly for a few seconds, then hard, and VariBlend sets the range for you
  • Guitar presets: match each guitar once, from single coils to hot humbuckers, and switch in a click
  • Peak or RMS, plus a sidechain to let another track drive the effects

Response curves

Every level-driven effect has its own curve, shaped freely with points.

  • Rising, falling, or any shape in between
  • Attack, release and hold set how quickly the level follows you: snappy, or slow and smooth
  • Depth scales the whole curve, and can be automated
  • Choose what the level controls: amount, mix, send, feedback or decay

Drive

Overdrive, distortion and fuzz that respond to your touch.

  • Drive, Tone, Level and Mix
  • Auto Gain keeps loudness steady as the drive rises
  • And yes, the Drive knob goes to 11

Cab

Speaker cabinet simulation for playing straight into your interface.

  • 1x12 open, 2x12 and 4x12
  • Low and high cut
  • Pedal mode switches it off when you already use an amp sim

Comp

Evens out the jump between clean and driven playing.

  • Threshold, ratio, attack, release, makeup
  • Mix for parallel compression
  • Gain reduction meter

Delay

Stereo echoes that follow your playing. Tuck them under soft notes, let them fill the gaps, or make them grow when you dig in for a solo.

  • Tempo sync or free time in milliseconds
  • Stereo or ping-pong, with feedback and tone
  • Level controls the send, the mix or the feedback

Reverb

A lush stereo space that moves with your dynamics. Keep it a subtle room, open it into a wide hall as you play harder, or let it swell in every pause.

  • Decay, pre-delay, tone and width
  • Level controls the send, the mix or the decay

Output

Output gain and a safety limiter that catches peaks without lookahead.

  • Ceiling and release controls
  • LED meters for input, output and limiting

Workflow

Made to be played, live or in the studio.

  • Sound presets and guitar presets kept apart: change guitar and keep your sound, or the other way round
  • Reset Level: automate it or put it on a MIDI pedal to start the next part from a soft level
  • Every control can be automated and MIDI-mapped in your DAW
  • Resizable, sharp interface at any size
Specifications

What you need.

Plugin formatVST3. AU and other formats coming soon.
WindowsWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit
macOSApple Silicon and Intel Macs
HostsAny VST3 host, for example Ableton Live, Cubase, Reaper, Bitwig Studio, FL Studio and Studio One
ChannelsMono or stereo in, stereo out, optional sidechain input
InstallationInstaller for Windows and macOS
LicenceLifetime licence. Your serial arrives by e-mail.
Get VariBlend
Coming soon

VariBlend is in its final round of testing.

  • VariBlend VST3 for Windows and macOS
  • Personal serial by e-mail
  • Future updates included
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
Get in touch

Questions, or ideas for what VariBlend should do? Send a message.

Support

Questions and answers.

How do I get my serial?

Right after payment you receive an e-mail with your serial and the download links. Paddle, our reseller, sends the receipt separately. Install VariBlend, open it in your DAW, click Register and paste the serial.

Which DAWs does VariBlend work in?

Any DAW that loads VST3 plugins on Windows or macOS, such as Ableton Live, Cubase, Reaper, Bitwig Studio, FL Studio and Studio One. Logic Pro and GarageBand need the AU format, which is coming soon.

Do I need an amp simulator?

No. In Full Rig mode VariBlend has its own cabinet simulation, so you can plug your guitar into your interface and play. If you already use an amp sim, switch to Pedal mode and put VariBlend in front of it.

Does it work with humbuckers, or with several guitars?

Yes. Hot pickups put out more level than single coils, so you match each guitar once: set Input Gain so your hardest playing peaks around −12 dB, press Learn and play from soft to hard, then save it as a guitar preset. Sound presets never change these settings, so every sound works with every guitar you have set up.

Is it only for guitar?

VariBlend is tuned for guitar, but the detector works with any source: bass, keys, vocals or drums. With the sidechain input, another track can drive the effects.

On how many computers can I use it?

Your licence is personal. You can install VariBlend on the computers you use yourself, for example a studio desktop and a laptop for gigs.

Can I try it before buying?

There is no trial version yet. Listen to the demos, and remember the 30-day money-back guarantee: if VariBlend is not for you, you get your money back.

How do I get a refund?

Within 30 days of purchase, request a refund at paddle.net or through the link in your receipt. See the refund policy.

I lost my serial.

Contact us from the e-mail address you used for the purchase, and we send it again.

Something else? Send a message.