Eventide Ultratap

What UltraTap Is For

UltraTap is a hybrid creative effect that combines multi-tap delay, reverb, and modulation in a single plug-in. It is used to thicken vocals (chorus/doubling), transform guitar into moving pads (swells), as well as program drum fills and syncopated repeats. In production, it excels at creating transitions, build-ups, cinematic atmospheres, stutters, and evolving treatments that "live" over time without losing rhythmic control.

Main Features

A multi-tap capable of becoming a reverb

At the heart of UltraTap, taps behave like multiple "playheads" that you can multiply and shape. Starting from a simple echo, you can densify the pattern until achieving a reverb-like diffusion, while retaining the option to keep a sharp attack or, conversely, smooth everything into a halo. This approach is particularly effective on chords (guitars, pianos, synths) to obtain broad swells and tails that blend into the mix.

The Ribbon and HotSwitch: a true performance plug-in

UltraTap is designed to be played like an effect instrument. The Ribbon lets you program two configurations (A and B) on any combination of parameters, then morph smoothly between them. The result: natural transitions between a subtle delay and a huge texture, a gradual shift to a gate, or a perfectly automatable modulation rise.

HotSwitch complements this approach by allowing an instant jump to an alternative version of the current settings. This is ideal for triggering a "one-shot" effect (accent, fill, stereo switch, density change), then returning to the original state, just like on hardware gear.

Slurm, Spread, Chop: for rhythms, glitches, and textures

The Slurm control is one of UltraTap's signatures: it can "stick" taps together to transform a delay pattern into a more continuous material, or modulate them to generate unexpected atmospheres. With Spread, you speed up or slow down the rhythmic spacing between taps, opening possibilities for groove, offsets, and very expressive movements.

For deeper sound design, UltraTap includes LFOs and envelopes capable of chopping the source into stuttered rhythms, with possible synchronization to the session. You can also shape the stereo image of the taps, from hard-pan alternation to a more mono diffusion, to place the effect exactly where you want it in the panorama.

Inspiring presets and navigation without surprises

With over 150 presets (factory and artist), UltraTap covers a wide spectrum: rhythmic delays, "glitch" reverbs, diffuse choruses, reversed effects, gated reverb-type textures, and massive pads. In production, the Mix Lock function is very handy: it lets you browse presets while keeping your wet/dry mix setting, to compare colors without disrupting the track's balance.

Technical specifications