Chenille BBD Chorus Ensemble
The Hallelujah Chorus: Reason’s top-rated modulation effect

Chenille BBD Chorus Ensemble is the ultimate studio-quality vintage chorus device for Reason. It invokes the classic, non-sweeping sounds of the analogue Bucket Brigade Device (BBD) circuits.
Chenille offers a wealth of deep, rich ensemble effects. With an original and exclusive algorithmic implementation it emulates the beautiful BBD string ensemble and chorus circuits of the 1970s and 80s, including those found in many classic products, including the Boss CE range of guitar pedals and Roland Dimension D rack unit, the 310U ensemble, and the Synthex and Juno synthesizers. This modular chorus system finally gives you the long sought-after subtle, movement-free chorus and gentle audio enrichment.
Whether you are a guitarist or vocalist, or like your synths sounding big, Chenille BBD Chorus Ensemble provides the recipe to the producers’ secret sauce, the classic effect that’s behind forty years of hit records.
Product Details
Chenille is the real-life vintage chorus model, based on the classic “Bucket Brigade Delay” analogue chorus units of the 1970s and 1980s. Utilising up to six LFOs with phase offsets, Chenille provides previously unheard of accuracy and control for a Reason chorus device, allowing Chenille to emulate most of the classic synth, pedal and rack chorus units of the 1970s and 1980s, from the subtle chorus of the amazing and ubiquitous Roland chorus unit of the 1980s, the Dimension D, to the rich depth of the string ensembles, including the superior Eminent 310U.
The configurations include a true Ensemble mode, based on accurate 3-phase/2-LFO string synth BBD systems, most famously of course the original patent system devised for the Eminent 310U, and the classic 80s six-mode Roland Dimension D chorus module, providing a subtle thickening without the harsh and obvious sweep of basic chorus devices.
With great plug-and-play “Dimension” and “CE” presets suitable for voice and guitar, or the bigger ensemble sound that can enrich any synth, and intense tweakability for special effects including delay and reverb, Chenille is the studio chorus sound in your Rack.
Now revised and with a stunning new interface by esselfortium, Chenille was designed and produced by JP based on his own collection of devices. Coded in stunning fashion by the top DSP-wranglers at Pitchblende Ltd, the highly-rated Chenille is the definitive studio chorus for Reason.
Features
- Over 150 Chenille chorus patches, with 45 fantastic “go-to” root folder patches including four critical presets for the three model types: a Roland-style chorus for bass guitar, a Boss CE-3 for guitar, a 310U-style string ensemble, and a stunning Dimension-D for vocals
- 98 effect and instrument Combinators
Bucket Brigade Delay
- True BBD mode, exclusive to Chenille, Steerpike and Titus, provides the beef for the richest chorus in Reason
- BBD sample lengths available from just two samples up to 8192 samples
- Fast select four different BBD stage lengths: 512, 1024, 2048 or Full Range (2 to 8,192)
- Adjustable clock rate from 1.5kHz up to 100kHz
- Delay times available from 0.01ms up to 2.7 seconds
- Digital Delay Line (DDL) mode disables the BBD system to provide a digital chorus
6 Channel Clock Modulation Matrix
- Enable button per Chorus
- Chenille includes six Chorus units to modulate the clock rate, each of which can be independently modulated by rate or depth, or rate modulated by just a single LFO pair
- Chorus Mode (previously “Phase”) allows you to set Chorus channel LFO phases to the correct positions appropriate to Ensemble chorus, Dimension or CE-1
- 2 LFO rates per Chorus – Fast (0.01–2.00 Hz) and Slow (2–10 Hz)
- 2 LFO depths per Chorus – Fast and Slow
- Sync mode to use just Chorus 1 LFO rates
- Correct phase offsets (0°, 120°, 240° etc)
- Modulation shape adjustment: sine (ensemble), triangle (Dimension), or square (special FX)
- Modulation of any Chorus can be turned off to allow unmodulated audio
- DDL mode modulates the sample length
- An aggressive Compander models typical compression/expansion of early delay pedals
- The Bass Boost adds a little bit of low end, similar to the Dimension chorus
Channel Mixer
- Adjust the levels of each active Chorus output independently
- Two left Chorus channels, two right Chorus channels, and two summed mono Chorus channels
- Chorus audio can be high pass phased inverted, just like the Dimension
- For stereo inputs, Chorus 4+6 are stereo inverted, again, just like the Dimension
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) can be added to each Chorus output (pre-feedback)
- Chorus Gain allows you to boost or attenuate the final chorus level into the Dry/Wet mixer
Unison
- Add two additional voices per active Chorus channel, with up to 50 cents of detune
Filter
- High Pass Filter from 8—1000 Hz with a steep 48dB/octave slope allows easy removal of low frequencies from the chorus output without requiring additional devices
- Anti-alias/reconstruction Low Pass filter with a steep 48dB/octave slope, can be set to model specific BBD types by cutting the high frequencies or leaving set high as required for special effects, such as aliasing for glitch and chiptune
Feedback
- Separate feedback up to 100% for left Chorus channels (Chorus 1+6) and right Chorus channels (Chorus 3+4) for special effects
Updates
2.0.1
- Minor graphics fixes
- BBD/DDL selector now a fader-action
2.0
Beautiful new design by esselfortium
- The Phase (now “Chorus Mode”), Bass Boost and Compander controls are now available on the front panel, and automatable/Remote™-able.
- Depth/Rate Edit paging has been removed, providing full access to both Depth and Rate for each chorus channel simultaneously (see Note below)
- Root folder preset list revised and expanded with a fantastic set of useful go-to chorus and ensemble patches for guitars, vocals and synthesizers
[Note: The Rate Edit Mode button to control the paging in Chenille 1.x has been deprecated from the GUI panel, but is still present in automation functions to maintain backwards compatibility, but it no longer does anything]
1.1.0
- Modulation shape can now be applied independently to Slow and Fast LFOs. Set Fast Shape to hard left position to use the same Slow Shape for both speeds (or for compatibility mode for v1.0)
Media
Audio
Video
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