Random jumps

Popcorn

Snap a sound to a new random speaker on every beat

Popcorn jumps your mono source to a fresh, randomly chosen speaker on the 8-point ring around the listener at a rate you set, in seconds or in beats. Instead of gliding, the sound teleports from spot to spot, so it feels like it is popping or scattering around the room. Each jump is masked by a brief built-in dip in level so the position change lands cleanly without clicks. The random picks never land on the same speaker twice in a row, which keeps the motion lively and unpredictable.

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How to use it

Quick start: leave Rate Mode on *Seconds* with Change Period around 0.5-1 s for an obvious hopping effect, Width at 0 (a tight point source), and Output Level near -20 dBFS. Then drop the Change Period to taste.
Lock it to the groove: switch Rate Mode to *Beats* and set Beat Count to 1 (a jump every beat), 0.5 (twice per beat) or 4 (once per bar). The rate then follows your project tempo automatically - great on hi-hats, percussion loops, arps and stabs.
Make it reproducible: turn Random Mode to *Repeatable* (and ideally Timeline Sync *On*) so the exact same speaker sequence plays back every time you loop, bounce or re-run the section. Leave it on *Always* for ever-changing chaos in a live or improvised context.
Tighten or smear the image: Width 0 keeps each pop as a pinpoint; raise Width to spread each landing into a wider arc. Turn on Discrete Steps if you want every virtual source quantised to exact speaker positions.
Hold a position: flip Pause *on* to freeze the source at wherever it last landed - handy for catching a held note in one spot. Use the Reset button or move Starting Angle to snap it back to a known place.
Avoid: very long Change Periods (tens of seconds) make the effect almost static - if you want slow drifting motion, a continuous-motion plugin like Twirl or Surf is a better fit. Also avoid extremely short periods on sustained pads, where constant jumping can sound restless rather than rhythmic.

Controls

Output Level (dBFS): Overall output level of the effect. Turn up for a louder result, down to leave headroom; loudness is already compensated as the Width widens.
rate mode: Chooses how the jump rate is set. Seconds uses Change Period directly; Beats derives the interval from Beat Count and the host project tempo.
timeline sync: Off lets the jumps free-run. On locks the jump schedule to the host playhead so seeks, loops and stop/start land the jumps consistently on the timeline.
Change Period (s/change): Time between jumps when Rate Mode is Seconds. Smaller values pop faster; larger values pop slower. Active only in Seconds mode.
Beat Count (beats/change): Beats between jumps when Rate Mode is Beats; the actual time follows the host tempo. Below 1 means several jumps per beat. Active only in Beats mode.
Starting Angle (deg): The angle the source snaps to when you change this control or hit Reset. 0 is front, 90 is left, 180 is back, 270 is right (counter-clockwise).
Width (deg): Spreads each landing from a single pinpoint (0) into a wider arc of virtual sources. Larger values give a broader, more enveloping image at each jump.
pause: On freezes the motion, holding the source at whatever speaker it last landed on. Off resumes the random jumping.
discrete steps: On quantises each virtual source to the nearest exact speaker position (45-degree grid). Mainly audible when Width is raised.
random mode: Always gives a fresh random sequence each run. Repeatable makes the sequence deterministic so loops and replays land on the same speakers.
position reset: Momentary button that snaps the source back to the Starting Angle and de-clicks the jump. Returns to off automatically.