zplane TIMBRE: Dual-Band Formant Shift Without Pitch
zplane TIMBRE is a real-time formant shifter with dual bands and a 36-semitone range. Intro pricing through 30 September 2026, specs, and comparisons.
On 16 September 2026, zplane released TIMBRE, a real-time formant-shifting plugin that changes the character of a sound without moving its pitch. The official shop is running a 33% introductory discount on the €79 regular price through 30 September 2026, which is €53. After that date the shop price is €79. Formats are AAX, AU, and VST3 on Windows 10/11 and macOS 13 or later.
At a glance: €53 intro / €79 regular through 30 September 2026. Dual-band formant shift of ±36 semitones. Built-in noise carrier plus an external sidechain carrier. 23.2 ms latency at 44.1 kHz. This is a first look at the live zplane product page and official shop. We have not used it in a session.
What is zplane TIMBRE?
Formants are the resonant peaks that make a voice sound like a chest or a head, and that make a kick sound like a kick rather than a click. An EQ boosts a frequency. A pitch shifter moves the notes. TIMBRE moves the resonant identity and leaves the melody where it was.
zplane is the company behind the ÉLASTIQUE time-and-pitch engine that already sits inside a lot of DAWs. Official documentation is clear that TIMBRE is an expanded timbre-shifting engine based on that same ÉLASTIQUE technology. The difference versus ELASTIQUE PITCH is the job. ELASTIQUE PITCH can shift pitch and/or formants by ±12 semitones. TIMBRE shifts formants only, by ±36 semitones, and it can do that on two bands at once.
The official page aims it at producers, mixing engineers, and sound designers. Vocals, drums, individual instruments, and full mixes are all listed as sources. Latency is published at 23 ms, with the spec table rounding that to 23.2 ms at 44.1 kHz. That is low enough to use while a vocalist is still in the room, as long as your buffer can take it.
What TIMBRE does, feature by feature
Official copy and the official GUI agree on a short panel. Two bands, a crossover, a carrier, resolution, and a dry/wet mix. Here is what each part is for.
- Formant shift without pitch. The headline move is ±36 semitones of timbre shift. Down adds weight and body. Up thins the source and pushes it into a smaller, more nasal space. Because pitch stays put, you can make a kick heavier without turning it into a different note, or add growl to a vocal without retuning the take.
- Dual-band architecture. High and Low bands can run together or apart. Linked mode is one-knob timbre-shaping across the whole spectrum. Unlinked mode lets you process the two ranges independently. That is how you add weight under 500 Hz on a snare and leave the crack alone, or tame sibilance up top without hollowing the chest.
- Crossover in the middle of the graph. The official interface draws the spectrum split at a movable frequency. Drag that split and you decide where "low character" ends and "high character" begins. It is the difference between a global formant trick and a mix tool.
- Per-band On and Solo. Each band has a power switch and a solo control. Official FAQ says you can bypass one band entirely, or unlink the shifts and leave one band at zero. That is the single-band setup: process only the lows, or only the highs, without a second plugin.
- Resolution. Official copy describes Resolution as the control for processing detail. Lower settings stay broader and cheaper. Higher settings resolve finer formant structure. Use it when a wide shift starts to smear, or when a subtle vocal move needs more definition.
- Dry/Wet. Blend processed and dry. Pull it back for parallel character. Leave it wet when TIMBRE is the new voice.
- Built-in noise carrier. The carrier section can feed the plugin its own noise generator. Official language calls the result whisper-like textures and a simple path into formant vocoding. You are no longer only shifting the source. You are printing the source's formants onto noise.
- External sidechain carrier. The same carrier section accepts an external sidechain. Official copy says this transfers complex envelopes from one sound to another, with "remarkable intelligibility" for formant vocoding. If the plugin goes silent in sidechain mode, zplane's own FAQ says to check that the correct external key is selected and actually passing audio.
- A published latency number. 23.2 ms at 44.1 kHz is on the spec sheet. That is a real-time plugin, not an offline render. Budget that delay in a tracking chain. It is still far closer to an insert than to a look-ahead mastering tool.
Official use cases on the product page are specific. Add weight to kicks and the body of snares. Add growl, breathiness, or presence to vocals, or tame sibilance by shifting formants across part of the spectrum. Sit an instrument in a mix by moving its timbral centre instead of carving it with EQ. Vocode with noise or with another track as the carrier.
zplane TIMBRE specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | zplane |
| Type | Real-time poly formant shifter |
| Released | 16 September 2026 |
| Intro price | €53 (33% off) through 30 September 2026 |
| Regular price | €79 |
| Shift range | ±36 semitones, formant only |
| Bands | High and Low, linked or unlinked, with per-band On and Solo |
| Carrier | Built-in noise generator or external sidechain |
| Other controls | Resolution, Dry/Wet, movable crossover |
| Latency | 23.2 ms at 44.1 kHz |
| Audio | 1-2 channels in/out, 44.1-192 kHz |
| Formats | AAX, AU, VST3 |
| Operating systems | Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit; macOS 13 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon |
| Minimum (Apple) | Intel Core i7 |
| Engine | Expanded timbre-shifting based on zplane ÉLASTIQUE |
| Buy | zplane shop |
TIMBRE vs Little AlterBoy vs Humanoid
Soundtoys Little AlterBoy is the $99 monophonic voice box most producers already know. Baby Audio Humanoid is the other creative pitch-and-formant effect in our database. TIMBRE is the mix-facing formant tool in that group: dual-band, polyphonic sources, no hard-tune.
| zplane TIMBRE | Soundtoys Little AlterBoy | Baby Audio Humanoid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €53 intro / €79 regular | $99 on our Little AlterBoy card | Listed on the Humanoid card |
| Job | Dual-band formant shift and formant vocoding | Instant pitch, formant, and hard-tune on a mono voice | Stylized vocal pitch and formant design |
| Pitch | Leaves pitch alone | Pitch knob plus quantize/hard-tune | Pitch and formant together |
| Formant range | ±36 st, two bands | One formant control on a mono voice | Creative formant moves inside a vocal FX |
| Sources | Vocals, drums, instruments, full mixes | Monophonic voice | Vocals first |
| Carrier / vocoder | Noise or external sidechain | No carrier section | Not a vocoder |
| Formats | AAX, AU, VST3 | AAX, AU, VST 2/3 | VST, AU, AAX |
| Latency | 23.2 ms at 44.1 kHz | Light, tracking-friendly | Real-time vocal FX |
| Reach for it when | You want character without retuning | You want robot, gender-bend, or hard-tune | You want a designed modern vocal |
Which to pick. Choose TIMBRE when the problem is "this kick is thin" or "this vocal is the right pitch and the wrong mouth," and you want a mix insert rather than a party trick. Choose Little AlterBoy when you want three knobs and a hard-tune. Choose Humanoid when the vocal is supposed to sound designed, not only shifted. If you need real-time pitch correction with a formant control on the way in, that is closer to UAD Topline Vocal Tune.
zplane's own FAQ treats "formant" and "timbre" as interchangeable inside this plugin. The processor is not limited to voices. That is the honest split from AlterBoy.
Who TIMBRE is for
Consider it if you mix drums and vocals and you keep reaching for EQ when the real problem is the resonant centre.
Consider it if you want formant vocoding without a rack of carriers and modulators. Noise and sidechain are on the same panel.
Consider it if €53 through 30 September 2026 is the budget and you already own a tuner.
Skip it if you want hard-tune, MIDI-played vocal synth, or transparent pitch correction. TIMBRE does not move pitch.
Skip it if one formant knob on a mono vocal is enough. Little AlterBoy is simpler and already in a lot of sessions.
Skip it if you need a dedicated ÉLASTIQUE pitch shifter. That is ELASTIQUE PITCH, with a ±12 st pitch-and-formant range rather than a ±36 st formant-only range.
How much does zplane TIMBRE cost?
The official zplane shop lists TIMBRE with a Save 33% Now intro. Regular price is €79. The 33% intro is €53 and runs through 30 September 2026. After 30 September, plan on €79.
Plugin Boutique's zplane manufacturer page does not list TIMBRE yet. Buy it from the official shop or the product page. A free demo is linked on the product page.
If you want a formant tool that is on an affiliate retailer today, Little AlterBoy at Best Service and Humanoid at Best Service are the named alternatives.
The plugin card lives at /plugins/zplane-timbre.
FAQ
Does TIMBRE change pitch?
No. Official copy repeats it: reshape character without affecting pitch. If you need pitch and formant together, look at ELASTIQUE PITCH or Little AlterBoy.
Why two bands?
Official FAQ: two independent formant-shifting bands let you process one frequency range, or process two ranges differently. Link them when you want one control. Unlink or bypass when you want the other band left alone.
TIMBRE vs Little AlterBoy, which one?
AlterBoy is a mono voice processor with pitch, formant, and hard-tune. TIMBRE is a dual-band formant shifter for any source, including drums and mixes, with a noise or sidechain carrier. Buy AlterBoy for vocal character and robot. Buy TIMBRE for mix-wide timbre moves. Detail is on the Little AlterBoy card.
What are the system requirements?
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. macOS 13 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon. Official Apple minimum is an Intel Core i7. Formats are AAX, AU, and VST3. Sample rates from 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz. Mono or stereo.
Is there a demo?
Yes. The official product page links a free demo next to the tech specs.
Verdict
TIMBRE is zplane turning ÉLASTIQUE's formant math into a mix insert. €53 is the intro through 30 September 2026. €79 is the regular price. Dual-band ±36 st, a published 23.2 ms latency, and a carrier section are the reasons it is not just another formant knob.
It will not replace Little AlterBoy's hard-tune, and it will not retune a vocal. For a first look at a new zplane effect, the official control list is short and the intro window is the reason to try the demo. Put it on a thin kick, unlink the high band, and drag Low Shift until the body shows up. The live storefront is products.zplane.de/products/timbre.
