7 Best Chorus VST Plugins for Music Production

• Chorus is a classic effect that comes in many flavors.
• We look at the 7 best chorus VST plugins on the market right now.
• Choose from vintage analog emulations or do-everything workhorses.

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A good chorus plugin will effortlessly add depth and organically “thicken” any audio signal. The results can range from subtle vocal-friendly effects to silky widening on guitars, keys, strings, and more.

While there are plenty of good free chorus plugins out there, you do sometimes get what you pay for. But the options we’ve got on this list are well worth opening your wallet for, and you won’t have to spend much either.

What Are The Best Chorus VST Plugins?

For the money, Eventide has a long and decorated history of producing the finest digital effects, and Tricera Chorus proves to be a flexible and powerful “workhorse” chorus plugin.

For those who want the most amount of flexibility possible, Valhalla’s UberMod delivers everything you need to create all the modulation effects you can dream up. Finally, PreSonus Analog Chorus is our value pick for those on a budget (but the TAL-Chorus LX is totally free as well!).

1. Eventide Tricera Chorus (Our Pick)
2. Valhalla UberMod (Most Versatile)
3. PreSonus Analog Chorus (Best Value)
4. MChorusMB by Melda Productions
5. Orchid by WA Productions
6. D16 Syntorus 2
   
7. TAL-Chorus LX

1. Eventide TriceraChorus

Overview

Eventide TriceraChorus derives its juice from luscious BBD-style delays of the 70s & 80s – the golden era of the Chorus effect.

It couples the tri-chorusing goodness with its proprietary micro-pitch detuning and three-phase LFO for additional modulation. The result is a flexible Chorus VST plugin that yields thick, wide, and deep chorused sounds with fully adjustable signals.

Sound and Features

GAS (that’s Gear Acquisition Syndrome) for Eventide’s H9 unit is all-pervading. They’ve packed the chorus goodness of their famed multi-effects unit into a VST plugin for PC, macOS, and iOS, and thank God for that. As the name implies, so many things in this plugin are found in threes – three voices, three modes, and a three-phase LFO.

That said, all the modulation power is tweak-ready with a clean, modern GUI and 11 other controls for fine-tuning. The knobs feature Tone, Depth, Amount, Pan, and Detune (+/- 40 cents) among others.

TriceraChorus gives you all the controls you need to pan, widen, and position the effect anywhere in the stereo field.

We particularly enjoyed the 3-modes – Ribbon, Swirl, and Hotswitch – for their instantly usable parameters.

• Swirl: A flanger-esque sound with frequencies dancing about in a psychedelic kaleidoscope.
• Ribbon: Eventide’s blending feature lets you shift seamlessly from one preset to another.
• Hotswitch: A live performance mode to switch settings and move between presets.

The other noteworthy feature is Chorus and Chorale mode. Chorus-mode offers the stompbox flavor similar to the super lush algorithm of the Eventide H9 unit. Chorale mode is reminiscent of the deep, fluid sounds of classic rackmount tri-chorus units.

Verdict

From subterranean wobble to frenetic vibrato to super-lush chorus, TriceraChorus carries the good name of Eventide in an ever-expanding list of H9 inspired VST plugins.

It is a studio staple and live-performance friendly VST plugin available in VST, AAX, and AU format.

2. Valhalla UberMod

Overview

UberMod is not a dedicated Chorus plugin. It’s not a lot of things. In fact, after tripping on it for a week, we still don’t know what it is. Vallhalla calls it a ‘unique multitap modulation plugin’.

Either way, it’s so awesome that it gets a free pass. After all, it does create upmarket choruses and opulent D-dimension style doubling.

Sound and Features

It’s not all wayward. Valhalla UberMod is centered around nine Chorus Modes that lay the foundation of the effect.

This includes a Roland JP-8000 inspired six tap modulation, the Roland Dimension C and D chorus emulations, and determines the overall character of the effect, setting the number of delay taps and the shapes of the modulation waveforms.

You can use the presets or start with a blank slate with two LFOs and other tabs in the shaping controls. The Diffuse, SpatialEQ, and mode-specific parameters help for adding space and width.

Take any preset and play around with the settings. A minute later you will be in a parallel (sonic) universe. It works great on vocals, bass, guitars, and synths.

Verdict

Valhalla UberMod is a versatile powerhouse in the modulation realm. From instant fatness to smarmy flanging to cheesy glam leads, you can always find something interesting, even if you didn’t intend it.

It could easily become your chorus of choice when you want to embellish your mixes with gorgeous fanned-out effects.

3. PreSonus Analog Chorus

Overview

Analog Chorus has long been a highly esteemed Studio One staple. It prompted many music producers to request a universal version of this stock effect.

PreSonus obliged and released their Analog Chorus plug-in as VST3, AAX, and AU. It can be bought either as a standalone plugin or as a part of the Analog Effects Collection Bundle.

Sounds and Features

This chorus VST plugin is a simple 1-3-voice doubler with classic analog-style tones and saturation. From the throwback design to no-nonsense UI, it’s an easy-to-use classic analog chorus plugin.

Many wobbles and warbles are found as you emulate the familiar tones of analog stompboxes. They lend well to guitar tracks and bread and butter audio processing.

The onboard controls do an excellent job at fine-tuning the character of the chorus. If your needs are simple and analog-inclined, this one will work just fine. If not, you might find yourself wanting more LFO generators for more intense applications.

Verdict

Analog Chorus may not have a laundry list of features or a futuristic algorithm, but not everyone needs a Herculean chorus plugin.

Don’t let that fool you. It’s fully capable of some serious modulation effects to add space and depth.

Looking for the best bass chorus pedals? Check out our pick here.

4. MChorusMB by Melda Productions

Overview

MChorusMB draws its mojo from four modulators that act as a level follower, LFO, midi/audio triggered ADSR enveloper, and randomizer. They can control each other and/or act individually to modulate a set of parameters.

Add to that the step sequencer-based oscillator algorithm and MES to edit waveforms, and you’ve got a near-crippling amount of versatility.

Sounds and Features

From host tempo sync to adjustable up-sampling and MIDI learn, the plugin is feature-packed and forward-looking.

Some of the most valuable features are the automatic gain compensation, safety limiter, and minimum-phase algorithms to sidestep aliasing issues. It comes with an old-school analog vibe, allowing you to add top-end sparkle with the tube saturation simulator.

A/B comparison? Pffft. MChorusB is in a league of its own with an A to H switch, allowing you to store and recall up to 8 patches on the fly. Plus with “A-to-D morphing”, you can blend four slots together using the X-Y pad.

The global preset management system affords you the option to download (and share) presets made by the online community. If you hit a wall, the presets combined with the smart randomization system give you numerous starting points for quick inspiration.

Verdict

MChorusMB is the mother lode. While it’s worth every penny to add to your guitar or Wurli, we recommend it as the best chorus VST plugin for full mixes and scoring for TV, movies, or games. Throw in the free-for-life updates and you’ve got a real winner!

5. Orchid by WA Productions

Overview

WA Productions uses four-way processing with Orchid, allowing you to expand your sounds by adding reverb, delay, shimmer, and more to the feedback.

Add to that a healthy amount of phase-processing and comb-filter mimicking presets and you get – as WA. Productions call it – a “chorus on steroids”.

Sounds and Features

Orchid is about two things – a) that fluid 80s chorus sound and b) incredible control over the audio processing.

They achieve this via four-way chorus processing modules with feedback, depth, spread, and speed controls for fine-tuning.

The Shimmer control is essentially a way to brighten the top-end. It works as a harmonic generator, adding oomph to the high frequencies up to two octaves above your audio. Many of the presets are ready to use with some tweaks using the adjustable delay (up to 100ms), low and high-pass filters, and Space knob (reverb).

Verdict

Orchid is your jam if you really lay thick on the chorus. The GUI is modern and intuitive and the preset categorization makes it equally handy in a set-and-forget scenario.

It really shines when you tap into its high-quality processing and transformative potential to create powerful and harmonically rich results.

6. Syntorus 2 by D16 Group

Overview

Syntorus 2 is the perfect sequel to the original Syntorus effect made by D16.

The overhaul features a new layout, panning options, multimode filters, and three delay lines (instead of two) with LFO-to-delay routing configurations. It’s a fantastic option for creating width and movement.

Sounds and Features

The second avatar has a ton of new features that can fill up an entire post. In a nutshell, it offers six types of LFOs with sync, L/R Phase shift controls, and amplitude. Bucket Brigade Emulation also adds to the versatility of the unit.

There are some laudable gems in the 100 factory presets such as the Dreamy Rhodes, Perfect Triangle, and Highest Harmonics.

The presets are tag-based, so you can sort through them by type – subtle, mild, or intense – based on the application. Plus, you can add and save your presets within these categories.

The effects range from adding subtle width to thickening pads to rich stereo enhancement.

Verdict

D16’s Syntorus 2 can easily become your go-to VST plugin for creating width and movement. This plugin is where it’s at if you want to rejig your tracks with the analog flavor of a classic chorus.

It’s a powerful tool to tweak the stereo image due to its frequency-specific processing capabilities, extended delay line parameters, and ready-to-tweak presets.

7. TAL-Chorus LX

Designed keeping the Roland Juno-60 synth’s chorus in mind, TAL-Chorus is a tiny plugin, both in terms of disk space and GUI. All up, you have five parameters to play with.

There are two modes and three knobs for volume, mix, and stereo width. MODE I is gentle and MODE II is intense. You can use them individually or simultaneously.

Sounds and Features

TAL-Chorus LX is easy to use, has great color, and demands very little in terms of computer efficiency. However, the sound-shaping features are lacking compared to the paid VST plugins.

But if you want that classic Roland / BOSS chorus sound, then TAL-Chorus LX definitely delivers. Tone color is its biggest draw. It adds warmth and fattens up synths quite well.

However, the simplicity will appeal to guitarists or hobbyists.

Verdict

Tal-Chorus LX may not be your go-to plugin for all applications, but you could keep it around when you want to add some effortless oomph to a mediocre track.

Select a mode, fine-tune with the knobs, and move on to other stuff in your track. It’s lush and mellow sounding with a hint of Juno color.

It’s not for connoisseurs, but still capable of quick silky fattening and a lush chorus sound.

Now that you’ve got your chorus plugins sorted, check out:

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