Dolos — User Manual
Introduction
Dolos is a wave-morphing hyper-distortion audio effect. Inspired by
natural forces, its somewhat esoteric interface uses metaphors
(“Energy,” “Earth,” “Sky”) to identify the parameters. Dolos is
available as VST3, AU, and Standalone.
Quick Start
-
Move your Dolos.vst/Dolos.au to the place where the rest of your
plugins are.
- Start your DAW.
- Load Dolos as an insert FX or run the standalone.
- Choose a preset or initialize settings.
-
Adjust primary controls (Energy, Sky, Sea, Earth, etc.) to sculpt your
sound.
- Save your patch when you find something you like.
Main Interface Overview
Top Bar
The top bar has buttons for patch management, settings etc.
The buttons in order are:
- Save patch
- Init patch
- Load patch (from dropdown)
- Settings
- ReplicatAudio.com link
Visualizer Area
The visualizer area has 2 modes. "Lab mode" and "Scope mode".
The default mode is "Lab mode".
Lab Mode
Lab mode will show the way your current settings would alter a pure sine
wave. You can use this mode to design effects visually in a clean,
predictable environment.
Scope Mode
Scope mode offers a standard oscilloscope and spectrum analyser. Use
this mode when you want to see what the effect is actually doing to your
input.
Sliders
Energy
- Input gain adjustment.
- This is your pre-amp.
- Use it to force waves to clip and fold back on themselves.
Earth
- This is DC offset/bias.
- DC bias is compensated by default.
- Use this to create asymmetrical clipping.
Gravity
- This is the core wave shaping parameter.
- Use this to fold the clipping sections of your wave.
Presence
- This is just a normal mix slider.
Sky
- Amplifies the top of your waves.
- Only amps the positive half of the wave.
Canyons
-
Creates extra wave folding on the top part of your waves.
- Only alters the positive half of the wave.
Sea
- Amplifies the bottom of your waves.
- Only amps the negative half of the wave.
Plateaus
-
Creates extra wave folding on the bottom part of your waves.
- Only alters the negative half of the wave.
Filters
- There are also lowpass and highpass filters.
- Pretty much normal filters, but the res goes super high.
Environmental Mods
(These are the buttons to the right of the visualizer area)
Bypass (x_X)
Bypass the plugin entirely.
Gain Noise (N)
Add extra noise to the pre-amped signal. Scales with Energy.
Earth Depth (D)
Increases the depth of the Earth parameter. Adding even more DC offset.
High Voltage (V)
Increases the depth of the Energy parameter. Adding even more pre-amp.
Bypass DC Filter (B)
You probably don't want to click this one. Does what it says on the tin.
Patch Management
- Save and load your own patches.
- Recall factory or default patches via the patch menu.
- Patches store all main parameter settings.
Troubleshooting & Tips
- If you encounter silence: check Bypass and Presence controls.
- For subtle effects, start with low Energy and moderate Gravity.
-
Most dramatic results come from combining asymmetry (Canyons/Plateaus)
and fold/bias settings.
Credits & Support
