The Cargo Cult, a quiet specialist in post-production utilities, launches Relativity: an offline speed and pitch processor with a dedicated algorithm for each type of material. Notably, it installs in both Pro Tools and REAPER, and ships with a real-time version.
The quiet studio behind your sessions
The Cargo Cult is known for utilities that became post-production staples — Spanner for routing, Matchbox and Reconform for conform management. With Relativity, the developer moves onto more exposed ground: speed and pitch manipulation, an area where sound editors have made do with ageing tools.
One algorithm per type of material
Relativity’s pitch is its approach: rather than a single engine meant to do everything, it offers a specialised algorithm for what you are processing — dialogue, loops, stems or effects. Dialogue re-pitching targets intonation fixes mid-edit, with no need for an ADR session; pitch bends serve sound design, and a heavier mode takes on creative transforms. Everything happens offline, rendered in place.
Pro Tools and REAPER, same logic
This is arguably the smartest move. In Pro Tools, Relativity runs as AudioSuite, with the render-in-place workflow editors know inside out. In REAPER, it is not a plain plug-in but a dedicated extension that reproduces exactly the same workflow. Few developers treat both DAWs so carefully, and it widens the tool’s audience well beyond the Avid ecosystem.
RelativityRT, the real-time version
For jobs that do not suit offline rendering, the purchase includes RelativityRT, a simplified real-time version in VST3, AAX and AU, usable in any major host. It naturally offers fewer controls than the full version, but covers quick tweaks without leaving playback.
Price and availability
Relativity is priced at $499, with an intro price of $379 until Friday 23 October 2026. A free 30-day trial lets you judge before committing — a good habit, especially to test dialogue re-pitching on your own edits.
What it sets out to replace
The developer positions Relativity against tools that stopped keeping pace with Pro Tools, such as the old Wave Mechanics Speed and Serato Pitch ‘n Time Pro. In practice it competes mostly with well-established time alignment and processing, in-house Elastic Audio, and the time-stretch engines you meet daily. For clean vocal editing it pairs naturally with solid comping and careful pitch correction.
My take
Relativity lands on ground everyone thought was locked up, and it does so from the right angle: an algorithm built for each task rather than a one-size-fits-all engine. Opening it to REAPER, with the same render-in-place workflow as Pro Tools, is a move that will speak to sound editors. The entry price is still serious, but the 30-day trial lets you decide on the merits — above all on dialogue re-pitching, where a good fix saves a whole ADR session.
