THE AURA RACK
Guide & Best Practices
What Is The Aura Rack?
The Aura Rack is a professional vocal channel strip and multi-effect that runs right in your browser — no installs, no downloads. Plug in your microphone or audio interface, and your voice passes through a chain of seven studio-quality modules before reaching your speakers or PA. It is built for solo singers and acoustic players performing live from an iPad or laptop.
Your signal flows in one direction: Input, then AuraEQ, AuraComp, Aura Wah, Aura Tube, Aura Chorus, Aura Delay, AuraVerb, and finally the Master Output. Each module can be switched on or off on its own — bypassed modules are skipped entirely, so the signal always stays clean.
Getting Started
1Connect your input. Plug in your USB audio interface or microphone before opening the app.
2Select your input from the dropdown in the master bar. Built-in mics and external interfaces both work — mono or stereo.
3Press Power On. Your browser will ask permission to use the input — allow it. The power lamp turns green when the rig is live.
4Engage the modules you want using the switch at the bottom of each panel. Every module starts bypassed, so you build your sound from a clean slate.
5Set your Master level with the Master knob while watching the OUT meter.
6Save your setup with the Save button, or load a Preset to start from a professional voicing.
The app needs a live input signal to process, and must be served over a secure (HTTPS) page — browsers block microphone access otherwise.
The Seven Modules
AuraEQ — Tone Shaping.Adjusts the balance of frequencies in your voice. Lift the highs for air and clarity, cut the low-mids to remove boxiness or mud. The High-Pass control removes rumble and stage thump below your voice. Drag the points on the live curve, or use the faders.
AuraComp — Dynamics Control.Evens out the difference between your loud and soft moments so your voice sits consistently in the mix. Essential for live singing. Start gentle — a low ratio and moderate threshold.
Aura Wah — Expressive Filter.A sweeping filter that responds to how hard you sing (Auto) or to a fixed setting you dial in (Manual). A characterful effect — use it for moments, not whole songs.
Aura Tube — Analog Warmth.Emulates the warm character of a vacuum-tube circuit. It gently rounds your sound and adds harmonic richness, making a thin or digital-sounding voice feel fuller. A little goes a long way.
Aura Chorus — Width & Thickness.Layers slightly-shifted copies of your voice to create a thicker, wider, shimmering sound — one voice becoming a small ensemble. Beautiful on sustained notes and choruses.
Aura Delay — Echo & Repeats.Adds echoes that trail your voice. Use Tap Tempo to match the echo to your song. Built-in ducking keeps the echoes from cluttering your words — they swell between phrases instead of fighting them.
AuraVerb — Space & Ambience.Places your voice in an acoustic space — a crystalline glass reverb, an intimate room, a concert hall, a chapel, or a grand cathedral. Long spaces like the cathedral sound best with a low Wet/Dry mix and some Pre-Delay — let the tail bloom behind your voice, not over it.
Master Controls
Power On / Off engages the whole rig and connects your input — Power Off fully releases the microphone and shuts the rig down. Master Bypass instantly routes your voice clean and dry, passing it straight through with every effect skipped — the rig stays live and you stay audible, your settings untouched; tap it again to return. Save / Load stores every module setting to a file on your device. Preset loads a complete professional rack voicing — it sets the modules and effects, but leaves your Master volume untouched, since that belongs to you and the room. Master sets your final output level; the IN / OUT meters show your signal coming in and leaving.
Best Practices For Live Use
- Less is more. Two or three well-set modules beat all seven cranked. Subtlety reads as professional.
- Set your level with the room. Soundcheck the Master knob in the actual venue — rooms vary enormously.
- Use a high-pass cut. Rolling off the extreme lows cleans up almost every live vocal.
- Keep delay and reverb tasteful. Long tails sound great alone and muddy in a full mix.
- Save your setup per venue. Loading the same settings each night saves soundcheck time.
- Master Bypass is your safety net. If an effect misbehaves mid-song, one tap drops you to a clean, dry vocal without missing a beat.
Acknowledgments
The acoustic reverb spaces in AuraVerb use real impulse responses from the OpenAIR Library, Audiolab, University of York, used under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Spokane Woman's Club — James Cadwallader.
Usina del Arte Symphony Hall — Leandro Rodiño, Alejandro Bidondo, Nahuel Cacavelos.
Lady Chapel, St Albans Cathedral — Marcin Gorzel, Gavin Kearney, Aglaia Foteinou, Sorrel Hoare, Simon Shelley.
York Minster — Damian T. Murphy, Audiolab, University of York.
The Crystalline reverb profile is an original synthetic algorithm generated within the app.