Review: XILS-lab LeMasque Delay 1.5

The world of delays is a huge one. Up there with the almighty reverb, delays occupy a big presence in the sound and style of studio/live musicians, mixers and sound designers around the world.

Whether being a crucial element of your band’s sound (just about anything from U2 for example) or helping to express subtleties and fill in gaps of your mix that need to have more of a presence, delays are the Swiss Army knives of effects tools. These plugins have a variety of ways to be utilized and no one delay offers it all, but some plugins help bridge the gaps that others leave.

In this review I will be going over some of the awesome original features of the XILS-lab LeMasque Delay plugin, as well as what the new 1.5 update brings to the table.

Le Masque Delay 1.5 by XILS-lab has its own workflow.

Overview

Right off the bat, I will say that the LeMasque Delay from XILS-lab is one of the more intuitive and interactive delays I have had the pleasure of experiencing. Their new visual time grid mechanic offers a creative approach that allows pinpointing delay timing quick and easy.

There are a lot of features to explore in this plugin that all seem to aim for a more streamlined workflow. Experimenting with effects, modulating signals and actually hearing how the affected signal are changing make this plugin a fun new tool.

Masks

So why “Le Masque?” – well, like the previous versions, the delay actually utilizes blocks or “masks” – grid zones that process the audio that passes through them.

It is easy to see what part of the audio is being processed now that the visual grid includes the audio wave passing through in real time, almost resembling a heart-rate monitor. Masks can be re-sized by clicking and dragging their borders left or right, with a max of 16 individual masks that can be used in any given selection of audio.

The masks can all be quantized or be freely moved around individually or together with the new multi-mask function. Just select the ones you want and experiment away.

In Use

Masks – Using multiple masks is particularly useful when users need to process multiple transients in a stereo track. A client wanted to hear soft delays of footsteps that modulated up in pitch, but they could only provide a stereo track which also contained other soft drones and excess sounds surrounding what needed to be processed.

This task could have been done with other delay plugins with some extra work, but using LeMasque greatly improved my workflow on this – my main concern, however, was that while I could process just the footsteps by placing “masks” on each transient, I would also be processing everything in that mask.

Mask Level – Here is when the new Mask Level feature came in handy! Inside each mask is a horizontal threshold bar that does nothing unless Mask Level is engaged. When this happens, the bars inside of the masks act as a threshold so that only transients that pass the bar will be effected. This feature coupled with the new interface made finding transients very easy.

Modulation – Now as far as the footsteps that modulated up in pitch – the function was done in the plugin! As simple as boosting the resonance function, engaging the LFO of the filter and creating a slow rate. Luckily for me, the footsteps were in time with the beat so the modulation worked out nicely.

This video from XILS-lab shows masks in action — check out more Le Masque Delay demo videos here.

Freeze/Dub — It turns out that this plugin can accomplish quite a bit without having to delve into a user’s manual to discover everything it has to offer. One feature I did find a bit lacking was the Freeze/Dub feature. The feature itself allows for the processed signal to basically be looped until Freeze is disengaged.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it is great for dub-type effects and experimenting but I would have liked to see it have more of an influence in the plugin. As for now, Freeze just seems a bit out of place and more favored in a live environment.

Without Further Delay…The Verdict

As mentioned before, LeMasque Delay from XILS-lab is a lot of fun and has provided great enhancements to my workflow since I began using it. I like that it can be as easy or as complex as I need it to be.

The new features in 1.5 really glue together all of the elements that make this plugin stand out from the crowd, and the new presets are great for helping new users explore it all.

Available to download now for Mac or PC, LeMasque 1.5 is going for about $77MSRP. If you happen to be in the market for a new delay, this is a must-buy. The price coupled with all of the features is almost too good to pass up!

— Gabe Lamorie

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