MattS6464

Hi whynotmore, thank you for your comment. This is something I somewhat touch on in the user manual. SPD was originally designed around the idea of making reverb pre-delay more interesting, but you're correct that it operates in much the same way as a spectral delay, just as a traditional pre-delay in a reverb plugin is fundamentally just a delay.
The distinction is more one of UX design. SPD was designed with pre-delay in mind which led to certain interface considerations, such as omitting a feedback control, and maintaining relatively short delay times. Part of the design process was also an experiment in how framing can influence creative use. By framing SPD as a pre-delay, the hope is that users might explore workflows they might not otherwise consider; rather than treating it as the main effect itself, they may choose to use it intentionally for shaping effects further down the signal chain. Of course there is nothing stopping users from using it however they like. I hope this clears things up!

Thanks both for your feedback!
I've just published v1.2 of Stax which should reduce the CPU load as well as a couple more small tweaks.
You should receive an email with a link to v1.2, if not you can re-download it for free from the above Gumroad link!

Thanks for your interest! I've just uploaded a video on Gumroad where I demonstrate creating sounds for bass, pad, and lead patches using the synth so you can get a good idea of what it’s capable of and how quick and easy it is to make cool sounds.