Contents
1Requirements & install
- macOS 11 or later; Apple Silicon or Intel.
- Audio Unit v3 (AUv3) effect — Logic Pro, GarageBand, MainStage, AUM, Cubase, Studio One, etc.
- Install: open the Sanctum app once (this registers the AUv3 with macOS), then find Sanctum under the JC Audio manufacturer in your DAW.
Not showing in your DAW? Fully launch the Sanctum app once, then rescan plugins.
2Interface overview
The layout follows a “pedal” design — the knob row changes with the selected mode, so the labels always describe what that algorithm is doing.
- Top toolbar — INPUT / OUTPUT gain, preset nav ◄ [name ▼] ►, SAVE, BYPASS, and the eye icon (light/dark theme).
- Upper row — mode grid (TYPE), OLED display (mode name; tap it to open the Preset Browser), meters, and MIX (master dry/wet).
- Knob row — the knobs for the current mode (see §5).
- Footswitch row — BANK ▽ / BANK △ step presets; RELOAD reverts edits to the saved preset.
3Core parameters
| Knob | Range | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| DECAY | 0–100% | Reverb tail length (≈0.2 s–12 s). Different meaning in Tape/Nonlinear/Reflections — see §5. |
| PRE-DELAY | 0–250 ms | Gap before the reverb starts — adds clarity and depth. |
| TONE | 0–127 | High-frequency content / damping. Low = dark/warm; high = bright. |
| MIX | 0–100% | Dry/wet. Always present, independent of mode. |
| MOD | 0–127 | Modulation amount — subtle movement to stronger motion. |
| WIDTH | 0–200% | Stereo width: 0% mono · 100% normal · 200% wide. |
| SHIMMER | 0–100% | Octave-up shimmer amount (Shimmer mode). |
| SHIFT 1 / 2 | interval | Pitch of the two shifted voices: -OCT, -5th, -4th, UNI, +4th, +5th, +OCT, +O+5, +2OCT. |
| INPUT / OUTPUT | −24…+24 dB | Input / output gain. |
4The 14 reverb modes
| # | Mode | Character & use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HALL | Diffuse, warm, versatile — vocals, choir, ballads. |
| 2 | PLATE | Fast, dense, bright — vocals, snare, sheen. |
| 3 | SPRING | Vintage spring tank — electric guitar, retro. |
| 4 | ROOM | Intimate natural space — acoustic gtr, drums, glue. |
| 5 | CHAMBER | Dense, warm body — piano, keys, vocals. |
| 6 | CLOUD | Huge, ambient, synth-pad-like — worship pads. |
| 7 | NAVE | Enormous cathedral — hymns, quiet, epic. |
| 8 | UMBRA | Dark, huge ambient wash — dark beds, transitions. |
| 9 | SWELL | Auto-volume swell — electric gtr, ambient. |
| 10 | CHORALE | Harmonised choir / vox pad — worship vocals. |
| 11 | TAPE | Multi-head tape echo into reverb — vintage space, slap. |
| 12 | NONLINEAR | Gated / nonlinear reverb — 80s gated, FX. |
| 13 | REFLECTIONS | Discrete early reflections — slapback, placement. |
NAVE and UMBRA were renamed from Cathedra / Gravity. The algorithms are unchanged and old presets stay compatible.
5Per-mode knob map
| Mode | Knob row |
|---|---|
| Hall / Plate / Room / Chamber / Cloud / Nave / Umbra / Swell | DECAY · PRE-DELAY · TONE · MOD · WIDTH |
| Shimmer | DECAY · PRE-DELAY · TONE · SHIFT 1 · SHIFT 2 · SHIMMER · WIDTH |
| Chorale | DECAY · TONE · SHIFT 1 · SHIFT 2 · VOICES · ENSEMBLE · WIDTH |
| Spring | DECAY · TONE · BOING (bounce/chirp) · WIDTH |
| Tape | FEEDBACK (was Decay) · TIME (was Pre-Delay) · TAPE (tone) · WOW (was Mod) · WIDTH |
| Nonlinear | GATE (gate length, was Decay) · PRE-DELAY · TONE · MOD · WIDTH |
| Reflections | REPEATS (was Decay) · SPREAD (was Pre-Delay) · TONE · WIDTH |
In Tape / Nonlinear / Reflections the DECAY knob is no longer reverb time — it is feedback, gate length, and reflection count respectively.
6Factory presets (20)
Ordered by use case, covering all 14 modes.
| # | Name | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lead Vocal | Plate |
| 2 | Vocal Hall | Hall |
| 3 | Bright Plate | Plate |
| 4 | Acoustic Gtr | Room |
| 5 | Piano & Keys | Chamber |
| 6 | E. Gtr Swell | Swell |
| 7 | E. Gtr Sky | Shimmer |
| 8 | Crystal Sky | Shimmer |
| 9 | Worship Pad | Cloud |
| 10 | Ether Pad | Cloud |
| 11 | Angel Choir | Chorale |
| 12 | Choir Oohs | Chorale |
| 13 | Drum Room | Room |
| 14 | Slapback Room | Reflections |
| 15 | Cathedral | Nave |
| 16 | Grand Cathedral | Nave |
| 17 | Vintage Spring | Spring |
| 18 | Tape Space | Tape |
| 19 | Dark Wash | Umbra |
| 20 | Gated 80s | Nonlinear |
7User presets
- Save: dial in your knobs, hit SAVE, type a name, confirm.
- Load: click the preset name (or the display) to open the Preset Browser; factory and user presets are listed separately.
- Delete: choose delete on a user preset in the browser — a confirmation appears.
8Worship tips
- Pads / beds: Cloud (Worship Pad / Ether Pad) or Umbra (Dark Wash) — long DECAY, MIX 40–50%, a touch of MOD.
- “Ladder to heaven”: Shimmer (E. Gtr Sky / Crystal Sky) — SHIFT 1/2 to +5th and +OCT, raise SHIMMER.
- Vocal beds: Chorale (Angel Choir / Choir Oohs) — higher ENSEMBLE = thicker voices.
- Lead vocals: Plate (Lead Vocal / Bright Plate) — short DECAY, low MIX, clean.
- Avoid low-end mud: lower TONE or shorten DECAY; keep MIX below noon to stay on stage.
9Troubleshooting
- DAW can't find it: fully launch the Sanctum app once, then rescan.
- Wrong manufacturer / old name: run “killall -9 AudioComponentRegistrar” in Terminal, then rescan. It should read JC Audio / Sanctum.
- Distorting: lower INPUT gain, or lower MIX.
- DECAY “acts weird” in Tape/Nonlinear/Reflections: expected — it is FEEDBACK / GATE / REPEATS there (see §5).