"Smells like books" is a new section here on ANR. And, not surprisingly, it's about books. Everyone is talking of iPad, Kindle and such nice modern technologies, but you know, they don't smell (yet?) as the good old books...
This time we'd like to introduce Cracked Media the sound of malfunction (MIT Press), the work of Caleb Kelly, a lecturer at the Sidney College of Art , Australia.
Cracked Media is all about the "malfunction" as a way to make art, or as "compositional device", as Kim Cascone puts it in his very positive comment on the book.
This is taken from the book's description, and it's pretty accurate description of what you'll find in it:
"Cracked media encompasses everything from Cage's silences and indeterminacies, to Paik's often humorous tape works, to the cold and clean sounds of digital glitch in the work of Tone and Oval...
Kelly offers a detailed historical account of these practices, arguing that they can be read as precursors to contemporary new media...
Kelly looks at the nature of recording technology and the music industry in relation to the crack and the break, and discusses the various manifestations of noise, concluding that neither theories of recording nor theories of noise offer an adequate framework for understanding cracked media..."
A compelling read (quite deep in some passages), with lots of inputs and notes to find out more about these topics. Definitely recommended for all those into electronic music, sound-design, sound-art, experimental art, or simply curious about the noise around and inside the sounds.
By the way, the hardcover version is on sale right now at Amazon US, UK, and France. Get it before it's too late.
If you can spend something more (well, let's say at least two-three times more) I'd still recommend checking products like the Zoom H4n or the Sony ones, but if you're looking for an affordable new handy recorder to bring with you on holiday, or simply to start experimenting with field recordings, well the time is right.
A few weeks ago we heard about the upcoming Zoom H1 (99$/99 Euro), the newest entry in the Zoom Handy recorder family. Still not in the stores, but should be a matter of days. Very nice design, interesting features (X/Y mic pattern, 2GB microSD card expandable to MicroSDHC 32GB, 24/96khz, support for video cameras and external tripods). Looking at the specs, the only thing that really puts me down is the normal alkaline battery.
It would have been much better to have a USB rechargeable battery, and a bigger default memory (I guess most users will have to buy a new card soon). It's not clear whether the recording level is automatic or also manual on the H1 (no manual yet).
More info on the Zoom H1 here.
But it's good to have options. So please welcome the ESI Rekord-M.
It's already available, at least in Europe (you should find it at 99 pounds/119 euro, so I guess the US price will be less than 150$).
Very light, just 38 grams! No SD card here, but an internal 4gb memory (which means more than 6 hours of uncompressed audio, and days and days of mp3 audio, it should be enough for most needs).
Cardioid directional microphones, no 24bit recording (could be good to have it as an option, but it's a compromise that can be accepted, given the price of the unit).
The recording level is automatic (unless using external microphones, in that case you can choose between automatic and manual settings).
The ESI Rekord-M gets charged via the integrated battery directly from your computer, exactly like your iPod does. Definitely something to consider when comparing prices.
There's a pdf manual here.
More info on the ESI Rekord-M here.
Both units have an input for external microphones, and are compatible with OS X and Windows OS computers.
That said, the specs cannot say much about the most important thing: the sound. We hope to test them in the next weeks. Stay tuned...
Expect more analog-inspired bytes from Soundtoys soon. They're working on Juice, an analog channel plug-in (the interface shown here is just the first prototype). Juice is gonna be definitely subtler than its older brother, Decapitator.
In their words "...Our plan for Juice is to develop 4 to 6 entirely new input models based on console input channels and/or mic pres, running at normal to slightly driven levels (just the preamp part, not the EQ… yet.)".
It will be interesting to compare Juice with the good old McDSP Analog Channel (ProTools only 'til now, it should be available to Au users in the next weeks, at last!).
Given Soundtoys' reputation, expectations are definitely high. We'll keep you updated. They're known to be perfectionist though, you've been warned...
Our freeware selection is back. This month's picks are the Niveau Filter eq from Elysia, and the PanCake, a creative pan modulation tool, from Cableguys.
If you already got the mpressor, you know what we're talking about. Yes, the Niveau Filter Eq is taken from the beautiful (and definitely not cheap) emulation of one of the most original hardware compressors on the market.
In the creators' words "add punch to muffled snares, reduce the harshness from active pickups, create some wonderful Dub and LoFi sounds... It's fast, efficient, and most important: it sounds great!". The Niveau filter acts changing "the proportions between high and low frequencies. The principle is quite similar to a pair of scales: Dependent on the gain setting around a variable center frequency, the high frequencies are boosted whereas the low frequencies are attenuated (or vice versa) at the same time".
Get the Niveau filter (AU, VST, RTAS, OS X and Windows) here.
If you like playing with pan and modulations, PanCake is definitely something worth having. It lets you create quite complex pan modulations with ease, drawing curves and adding a few tricks (like reverse waveforms, randomizations, etc.).
Unfortunately no AU version. Oh, we recommend having a look at the other Cableguys' plugs too, there's some quite interesting and very fairly priced stuff.
Get PanCake here (VST only, OS X and Windows)
Tell us about your new fav freeware findings, we're always eager to hear from you...
Camel Audio, based in Edinburgh in the UK, was created in 2000. They’ve gone from strength to strength, building some powerful audio software, that has garnered much recognition throughout the music world. In this, the first of 2 reviews, I’ll take a look at 2 of the 9 Alchemy Sound packs available from Camel Audio. These sound packs are additions to their award-winning synth, Alchemy; but all the packs come with the Alchemy Player included (a cut-back version of the synth), so the packs can be considered instruments in their own right.
The Player
Camel audio state on their website, that their intention is to create software that strikes .. “the optimum balance between control, flexibility and ease of use” With the Alchemy synth, I think they’ve hit an absolute home run. The sounds are great, but the way that you can tweak the sounds is what gets my attention. As you can see in the picture above, each sound has 8 parameter knobs in the control area that are instantly tweak-able. The 8 effects change with each preset, and are carefully chosen by the sound designer to compliment that particular sound. There are two xy pads, to further tweak those parameters. The part I really like, however, are the 8 remix pads. Each pad is a variation on the original sound. You can morph between the variations, by dragging with a mouse, or midi-designated controller. This manipulation of sound is available for EVERY preset that you get. So there may only be 150 sounds. But there are 1200 variations literally at your fingertips. No digging or diving to try and squeeze out a musical gesture or evolution from the sound. It is possible to filter effortlessly from a massive warm pad down into a harsh distorted pulsing arpeggio in one sweep of the mouse. I was very impressed. All of this is automat-able, so you can tweak the movements you make after recording the gesture into your DAW.
Often, as a composer, I’m under pressure to work quickly, so I’m looking for preset sounds that start off sounding killer, but can then be manipulated and changed easily, intuitively and musically. I have experience to some extent with a lot of the softsynths available on the market today, and I found that this synth provides the best immediate and accesible sound manipulation of any synth I have ever used, full stop. It really is a fantastic design.
Biolabs: Alchemy Labs
Biolabs: Alchemy Labs is a soundpack created by the sound designer Biomechanoid. A well-respected sound designer, Biomechanoid (Colin Fraser) has credits for films such as Crank, Turistas, and Vacancy, as well as sound/sample pack design for top-quality softsynths including Absynth, Massive, Kore, and Alchemy. The bumpf on the Camel Audio website describes the sound pack as covering…. “ a huge range of sonic ground from genetically enhanced synths to mutant machines, tapping directly into the subconscious with cyber-organic hybrids and neural circuitry. “ Now while I’m not exactly sure what that means, there is a definite direction in terms of the 150 preset sounds available. I think it would fit in well with the IDM and ambient crowd, but I can see this also being useful for composers of film,TV and game music. So yes, there are 150 presets. Now wait. Before you start complaining that in this day and age, any sound pack worth its salt would have at least 1000 presets, take a step back, and consider the $59 alchemy player, that comes free with your purchase!
The sounds are clearly divided up into the various instrumental categories - pads, sfx, drums, bass, keys and so on. The overall sonic quality is pristine, with a wide range of timbres across the different instruments. There are dark, spacey, warm, ethereal sounding pads. Some siney sounding keys, and thick rich bass sounds. there is a ‘Vocal’ category, which consisted of pad-like textural sounds that have been created from granular re-synthesis of vocal samples. An example of this kind of sound can be found on the music player on this page. In this particular soundpack, the drum and loop categories really stood out to me. There are 10 full kits with names such as ‘Cup of tea kit’. They are all a great blend of quirky, clicky, or glitchy sounds. The samples are of excellent quality, and are situated across a nice large range of keys - not just a measly one octave. The loops are also excellent - interesting to the ear, and well-recorded sounds that sync to host tempo, and I think are very use-able. The real reason that these particular categories stood out to me was the way the 8 effects parameters had been chosen specifically to be useful to drums in this vein of music. There were the usual filters, lowpass and other, but then there were comb filters, delays, reverbs, reverse effects, time stretch, buzz, and many other inventive effects depending on which kit you chose. You could record a great loop, and then quickly create infinite varieties of fills just by moving the mouse around the remix pad. Very cool.
Here’s a track using only the sounds from the Biolabs:Alchemy pack.
Cinematic
The Cinematic pack is aimed at providing inspiration for film, TV and ambient composers. Several sound designers who contributed to this pack, including Junkie XL, Antonio Blanca, and Martin Walker. As with the Biolabs pack, there are 150 sounds. With the performance patches, there are also instantly 1200 variations at your fingertips. Again, as I played around with the pack, I found a lot of inspirational stuff there. The sounds are divided up into similar categories - keys, pads, sfx, arpeggios, bass, and so on. I found the pads to be a little bigger and warmer sounding than the Biolabs selection. There are also more of them. Reverb and delay are prevalent across the selection of presets - helping to create the atmospheric sounds that film/tv composers are often looking for in contemporary scores. Another strong element to this soundpack are the soundscapes, and soundeffects. They are a great blend of sound design and tonal pads, the soundeffects lending themselves more towards slow evolving, spacey atonal atmospheres, and the soundscapes more toward tonal pads with interesting rippling textures. Personally, I was hoping for more percussive or drum elements in this pack. A large amount of film, TV and game music scores contain strong percussion. There are a couple of percussive loops in the pack, but that’s it. The soundpack seems to cover all the other bases effectively so why not have percussive stuff in there? But that was just a thought. It doesn’t change the fact that this is an excellent set of presets, that any composer would be able to find useful material from. Here’s a track using all Cinematic sounds, aside from the percussion, which was provided by East West’s Stormdrum and Stylus RMX, from Spectrasonics
Again, this soundpack comes with the Alchemy Player included. And, as with the Biolabs sound pack, the performance controls, and remix pads provide great depth and variety to the provided presets. There is one slight and inevitable downside to the Alchemy Player, however. The effects available to be morphed on each preset are fantastic, but (with the player) you’re limited to those specific parameters, and you can’t go any deeper into the synthesis side of the presets. So you’re eventually going to want to delve into the sound, which requires an upgrade to the full synth. I hope I don’t come across as over the top, but this really is a fantastic piece of design, and you will probably find, as I have done, that you will start to reach for the alchemy synth over and above most other of your software instruments. It is well worth the upgrade.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed the soundpacks, found them wide in scope, and very intuitive. Although this isn’t a review of the synth, I highly recommend the full version of Alchemy. And on top of all that, Camel Audio gives a percentage of its profits to charity. So the more you buy, the more help is being given where it is needed. Everyone wins. Another positive note: I was very impressed with the conservative use of CPU by this synth – I had 15 instances of Alchemy running on my computer, and it was using just over a third of my processing power. Which for the amount of synthesis happening all at once is very impressive indeed.
Price 49 Euro for each soundpack (includes the Alchemy Player). Serial number protected, no dongle required. To buy the soundpacks click here A trial version of the full Alchemy synthesizer is available here.
..It will be an invaluable asset to your music writing
PROS
Alchemy player included free ($60 worth)
Wide range of useful presets for the musical genres the soundpacks are aimed at
Excellent sound quality
So so easy to create evolving, gestural sound.
LOVE IT OR HATE IT
Once you start playing with these Soundpacks, you will probably forget to leave your room for the next few days. But you’ll want to buy the rest of the packs - and the full Alchemy synthesizer.
CONS
Unless you have the full Alchemy synth, you’re limited in the amount of manipulation you can create.
I just found my favorite reverb plugin. In fact, Aether 1.5 (OS X and Windows, AU, VST, and soon RTAS plug-in, no PPC version) may be my favorite reverb period (with the possible exception of the spring reverb in my old Roland Space Echo (R.I.P.), but that’s another story). Generally, I don’t like software reverbs. I find them to sound metallic, harsh, or unnatural. In the case of certain Convolution Reverbs, having to wait for them to recalculate after I change important parameters is a total buzzkill that can ruin a creative flow. This effect is especially pronounced when I have a paying client in a vocal booth waiting for me to find or create a useful patch. Aether exhibits neither of these shortcomings.
2CAudio has succeeded in producing an incredibly deep reverb plugin with an intuitive user interface and workflow. This combination produces immense immediate gratification for the grab and go engineer, but allows for nuanced and sophisticated processing if the user is so inclined.
Architecture
Much of the usability of Aether can be attributed to a large, well designed GUI. Big knobs, buttons, and fonts make navigation a breeze. Parameters are grouped by position and color to outline the different zones on the main page. Finally, within any section, size is used to denote the relative importance of the parameters on the overall sound, e.g. the Time knob is the largest.
Aether has an ever-present navigation bar that allows the user to handle global preset and file needs (such as selecting or saving) and to quickly switch between the 3 pages of the plugin as follows:
Main: All plug-in parameters
Browser: Browse and Easy Mode controls
Info: Preferences, Quality Settings, and Karma Boost (aka Authorization)
The navigation bar is fairly self explanatory, but has one feature I’d like to note: the Active State buttons. These buttons store 2 patches which can be toggled between for comparison with a single click, such as when you have an effect you like, but want to search for an alternative. This feature should be on every plugin. Much of the mixing process involves making a series of quick comparison judgements, so to be able to do this rapidly is a boon to efficiency.
The Main page offers the deepest level of editing. It is parsed into 3 main sections as outlined below:
1. Early Reflections (ER)(Green, Left Side)
2. Input/Master Section (IN)(Orange, Center Low)
3. Late Reflections (LR)(Blue, Center High and Right Side)
Early Reflections
Space is the most important element of the ER section. 2C provides a library of virtual spaces that form the foundation of any patch. It’s important to note that these are not merely combinations of the other visible settings, but are instead complex mathematical models of the given spaces conveniently disguised as a pretty picture and a short description. The additional editable parameters allow you to shape the sound to your specific application, but more often than not, finding the correct Space is the first step in creating your patch.
Input/Master
In addition to the requisite metering, input gain, and mix control, the Input/Master section contains a overall Low EQ and Hi EQ to tailor the entire sound. Each filter can be a shelf or cut filter depending on the settings, and the range extends from 8Hz all the way to 32,768Hz. Astute readers will notice that this range extends both below and above the thresholds of normal human hearing. This size helps minimize the phase shifts and other filter distortions that occur near the cutoff frequencies. I almost always have to insert an EQ after other reverb plugins to clear up the low end or soften the higher frequencies. In most cases I found Aether’s Master EQ to be sufficient or better than my previous approach.
Certain parameters can be locked to facilitate preset browsing without having to reset known invariable parameters after every selection. For example, because they are essential to the sound for each preset, the Input Gain and Mix vary dramatically between presets. If you’d like to use Aether in “Send Mode” (e.g. using and auxiliary send to route part of a channel’s signal to a bus, then inserting the effect on the bus), you can lock the Mix at %100 and the Input Gain at +6 or +12dB (recommended for maximum wet/dry range).
Late Reflections
In conjunction with the Space, the Late Reflection engine can have some of the most dramatic effects on your sound. The most powerful parameters here are the Time and Size controls. Once these are dialed in, Attack and Sustain can be used to shape the amplitude envelope of the late reflections within those constraints. Aether provides frequency dependent decay filters that permit different reverb decay times for 3 frequency bands, Low, Mid, and High. After you set the crossover points to define the 3 bands, you can adjust the Low, Mid, and High knobs to multiply the reverb time for each band. By de-emphasizing the reverb time of the prominent frequencies in my dry signals, I used these filters to apply indulgent reverb while maintaining clarity in my tracks. They are also helpful for things such as preventing the reverb from emphasizing sibilants in a vocal track, or allowing you to apply reverb liberally to a stereo drum mix without low frequency reverberations from the kick taking over.
The FREQ ddisplay graphically represents the frequency response of all the filters. In addition to providing a useful visual summary, this section allows you to select from a library of Freq Profiles to apply to the other elements of your preset. Freq profiles are savable as well, so you can create and label your own as needed.
The Link buttons were not immediately obvious, but understanding them allowed me to explore this plugin efficiently without getting lost in the process. 2CAudio has suggested ER and LR settings for each Space that are good starting points for your customization. If the Space link for ER, LR, or Both is selected, then choosing a new Space will automatically set the other sections accordingly. As such, you can browse dramatically different Spaces without having to readjust all the ER and LR settings for every space. Likewise, there is a Freq Profile Link button that allows you to select which other section(s) of the plugin are affected when you switch between different Freq Profiles.
Finally, the Info Page offers preferences for plugin appearance and quality settings. Each quality setting includes separate values for Oversampling, Modulation, and Interpolation. By tweaking these settings, I was able to reduce latency substantially and/or increase my plugin count for realtime recording. After deciding on particular settings for my tracks, I could render in offline mode at the highest quality. I want to be clear that even at the “lowest” settings, Aether performed admirably, and better than many other reverbs I’ve tried.
Performance
I performed my tests on a 2Ghz Core 2 Duo Macbook running Logic Pro 9.1.1 in 32 bit mode on OS X 10.5.8. I inserted single instances of Aether on individual channels on whose tracks I placed stereo Apple Loops. I was able to use 9 instances of the plugin before I received an overload message.
Realtime recording was less forgiving. With an i/o buffer size of 128 samples (about the highest I can stand for software monitoring, and even that’s pushing it), I could only have 3 instances of Aether on 3 tracks (one per track) before I exceeded the capabilities of the machine. Reducing the realtime modulation quality setting from Ultra Smooth to Balanced helped ease the processor strain a bit, but not enough for another instance. The activity meter showed that only 1 core was being utilized, however, so the instance count could be doubled if I figure out how to force the computer to use both cores. Normally, as long as plugins are on separate channel strips, Logic will split the loads between cores as needed. This behavior warrants further exploration. In any event, using Aether on a Bus via a Send is a way to get around this limitation for tracking. If you require different reverb settings for each track in your final mix, you can insert separate instances directly on the channels as needed, since playback performance is much greater.
Positioning
Aether includes some advanced tools for controlling the width of and position within the stereo field. While they have an involved section entitled “Understanding Cross and Width” in the manual, I found the real life applications of these techniques to be less than obvious. Of these controls, width was the most useful, and did come in handy for enhancing perceived width without an obvious “Chorus/Ensemble” effect, as might be provided by other plugins that purport to do something similar. The plugin provides 4 stereo modes, including 2 Mid-Side modes that allow precise control over the amount of reverb applied to both the mid and side components of your signal, respectively. I'd recommend reading the manual anyway, here you find the latest version.
Automation
I was initially excited that many important parameters respond to realtime changes very smoothly (without zipping) when you move them with the mouse. Some of the most important ones such as Time can be automated (an option not available on a certain convolution reverb of note). Sadly, size is not an option. More frustrating, however, was the fact that Time responded very coarsely to automation within Logic, which completely defeated my ability to make this parameter change smoothly through the course of a track. I’d like to know how Aether responds to automation in other hosts.
Conclusion
Whether it was used for tracking, standard mixing tasks, or as a sound design tool, the plugin is a joy to use, and, like a good synth, encourages and rewards exploration. It has sped up my workflow by putting an easily navigable library of reverbs at my fingertips. When I needed to go beyond the available settings, I was able to achieve satisfying results quickly.
I especially enjoyed pushing its boundaries (a 250 ft. tall telephone booth sounds very interesting). The plugin accomplishes the hat trick of creating stunningly lush atmospheres while retaining clarity in tracks, and doing so with enough efficiency to be useful in tracking as well as mixing.
Price
$249 USD. Serial number protected, no dongle required.
A demo version is available. Click on your OS to download (Windows or Mac OS X)
2 preset expansion packs are available ($24.95 ea. or 39.95 if purchased together). The Integrity Expansion focuses on ultra realistic space recreations for traditional use. The Creativity Expansion takes the gloves off and showcases Aether’s performance in the FX Reverb department.
...stunningly lush atmospheres while retaining clarity...
Latest update (this article is a sort of work-in-progress): if you own Waves plugs like the WNS Waves Noise Suppressor and the Q10 Paragraphic Equalizer, well, good news for you. Waves has released a "precision-crafted a preset processing chain which drastically decreases Vuvuzela noise". Go grab it here. If you're looking for freeware solutions keep on reading...
Prosoniq has just announced "the world's first realtime Vuvuzela filtering plug in based on sonicWORX' audio de-mixing technology. VuvuX is a free AudioUnit plug in that suppresses the noise created by the South African trumpet called "Vuvuzela" in realtime without affecting the audio commentary or the stadium atmosphere, allowing you to enjoy a noise-free World Cup 2010".
The free plug-in (Mac OS X Intel and PPC) can be downloaded here.
The idea for this article was inspired by a Prosoniq demo (see below) showing how SonicWORX can isolate the annoying vuvuzela sound. Then I've also started looking for other options (using for example our stock DAWs' plug-ins).
Here's an interesting article that shows a few EQ settings (Logic in this case,but you could use any other software with a decent eq) that may help filtering the vuvuzela in real-time (of course you need to connect your tv audio output to your DAW inputs).
The original text is in German, but I think it's quite self-explanatory.
Another user, Elektrowolle, has created a "a small Ableton Live Set containing a filter for the main frequencies of the vuvuzela."
P.s: SonicWORX is a very powerful tool (Mac OS X Intel only) that it's worth checking out anyway. It is "specifically optimized to do vocal extraction and suppression it comes with all the tools you need to reverse engineer your favorite piece of music". There's a demo version available on the official web site.
AudioDamage have just recently released Discord3 – a major update to their popular pitchshifting delay plugin (Mac OS X/Windows, VST/AU, no RTAS, no PPC Macs).
In its first versions the Discord plugin was loosely modeled on a couple of old Eventide hardware effect racks (the H910 and H949). They were very popular in the late '70 and early 80’s (Eno, Hassell, Bowie, Prince, etc.). The new version goes beyond that, and offers the user many more ways to design your sound.
The setup
Discord3 offers three pitch shifting algorithms to choose from: a ‘vintage’ emulation of hardware (basically this is the old Discord version), a ‘ clean’ algorithm, and an algorithm that makes use of granular synthesis.
You can pitch up or down up to three octaves, in minute increments, and there are various other parameters to play with, such as buffer size, which is useful for adapting the effect to the different types of sonic material you use, or (for the granular algorithm) grain duration and interval – to enable choosing the size, and time gap between each grain.
Just below this there are two delay units, one for each channel, that can be synced to a DAW host, or just set to Hz. The delays both have frequency filters, controlled via a simple XY pad (cut off, and bandwidth), and there are feedback and cross feedback for both channels.
Then there are two LFO (again, one for each channel) with various wave shapes, that can be assigned to the pitch shift, delay time, and filter frequencies. These can also sync to host tempo, or Hz.
Finally there are a few sliders that determine the wet/dry mix, input and output levels, and a left/right channel link button, which ensures that anything you do to the left channel will also happen in the right channel. All this is housed in a very pretty and uncluttered little interface, and the direct interaction between the Pitchshift, Delay and LFO elements make for an excellent variety of effects that can be created, from simple choruses, glitchy delays, and fast vibratos, to crazy wild howling walls of sound, and other delightful noise.
Playtime
It is easy to get using this plugin – the manual is very straightforward, and the 30 odd presets are great places to get you started. There should be a warning that comes with this plugin – you WILL waste hours just tweaking and admiring the sounds you can create from a simple drum loop, as I did.
I especially loved combining the Granular synthesis algorithm with the delay unit to create some brilliant sounding bubbly pulses and glitched out rhythms when used on percussive sounds. Great for IDM style grooves. I loved the ‘Chaos’ function on the granular algorithm. The manual says that it “applies a variable amount of randomization to the granular process” by changing durations of grain size, pitch etc. While I really couldn’t get my head around how it worked exactly, the rhythmic variation it created every time I moved it around was very inspiring.
The plugin also has great effect when used subtly. I got great results on the ‘vintage’ algorithm setting with small amounts of delay and LFO on the pitch to give synth pads that thick, chorusy, Boards of Canadaesque wavering tone.
The Midi learn function on the plugin is a simple SHIFT CMD click on the parameter you want to control, then move the appropriate slider, button etc. A very useful way to get set up to perform using this plugin. Automation is also available, so if you are recording your performances, it’s easy to adjust the performance later.
Here’s a good demonstration of all that this plugin can do, provided by AudioDamage.
Conclusion
Discord3 is an intuitive delay plug-in optimized for live performance, and capable of a wide range of pleasing results. At the price, it’s a plugin definitely worth adding to the sound-design arsenal, and one that you’re probably going to reach for often.
Price: $59
For those of you out there that already own earlier versions of the Discord plugin – there are enough additions to this new one to make it very worth your while investing in the $10 (see below for the link).
(It’s worth noting that if you don’t own an INTEL-BASED mac, then this plugin is not going to work. PPC Macs are NOT supported. There are also 64-bit versions coming shortly…)
An intuitive delay plug-in optimized for live performance, and capable of a wide range of pleasing results.
It's always good to hear from SonicCharge. This time they have announced a couple of interesting news for MicroTonic (µTonic) users (or potential users):
an online tool, called The MicroTonic Patternarium. It's a (Flash based) collaborative patch randomizer. It "continuously generates new sounds and rhythms for MicroTonic through principles of evolution". Basically each new pattern is the cross product of two other patterns picked at random. The patterns generated from Patternarium can e downloaded and loaded or copied in MicroTonic.Visitors "get to vote on whether rhythms should prosper and procreate or if they should die". Read more here. Actually it would be nice to have such a feature somehow integrated in Microtonic, but Patternarium is a cool experiment anyway. Go ahead and vote!
a new version of MicroTonic will enter beta stage in the near future. Among other things, it will support MIDI program change and drag'n'drop of patterns as MIDI files. The upgrade will be free for all registered users.
MicroTonic has a trial version, so if you're still unaware of its great sound engine and you'd like to have some fun with Patternarium, you can download the demo here.
Cinematique Instruments is one of the latest releases by Best Service. It's a 2GB samples library focused on "weird, odd and rare instruments which adds a subtle and individual character to your music production."
The library uses ENGINE, a Best Service player, based on Yellow Tools' Independence
Pro. The software is available as standalone and plug-in for Mac OS X and Windows (AU, VST, RTAS). The good news is that you don't need to have an up-to-date powerful CPU to run it. It supports also older PPC machines (talking of Macs, of course).
The sounds
Well, it's "only" 2Gb but there's lots of stuff in this package. The developers claim that "they nearly recorded everything they could get their hands on!", and it's not far from the truth!
Cinematique Instruments contains:
string instruments such as an autoharp, a kantele, a wooden celtic nylon harp, a bowed psaltery, a muted ukulele
a nice collection of basic percussion sounds (bongo, chimes, etc.)
keyboard instruments such as the low-price, garbage Super-Sound EK-470 e-piano, a Magnus Harmonica Organ, an upright Zeitter & Winkelmann Piano, a Rhodes MKI
a glockenspiel and a spieluhr
some special sound packs called Glass, Metallic Objects, Experimental Box and Downbeat Box.
Some of the programs are simply wonderful and truly inspiring. The string instruments, for example, have some really great patches. Of course playing the original ones may give you better expression and dynamics possibilities, but if you don't own such beautiful instruments, well, this is a quick and cheap way to have them on your keyboard. Even some of the simpler patches, like the muted Ukulele, can provide some interesting new textures to your tracks.
Talking of the keyboard instruments, I would have probably not added the Rhodes and the Upright Piano in this collection. There are much better, dedicated libraries out there, and we all know that these are demanding instruments when it comes to sampling. The pump organ, the xylophone and the toy e-piano fit much better in this context, since they provide a quite unique tone. If you like low-fi productions, these are for you!
The Experimental and Downbeat packs feature some of the most original and interesting patches. You'll get lots of textures, pads, mallets and percussions instruments, from very different sources: doors, staircases, kitchen tools, lids, train stations, glasses, paper crumpling, acoustic and electronic noise, pneumatic doors, crown cap shaking, glitches, noise, hiss, hum and other weirdness. Some of these sounds are dry while some are heavily processed: I've loved, for example, the ambient patches featured in the the Downbeat box.
To be fair, there's some unexpected and probably unneeded stuff here too, like the MS20 patches. I mean, I love the unique tone of the MS20, but these loops and sounds look more like a filler here. A nice add-on is the Outta Space, a lovely sounding theremin-like patch. Too bad it's not programmed as a monophonic/legato style patch (it seems not possible to achieve that in the Engine's interface, I'll ask the developers).
The Engine
In many Cinematique Instruments patches the Mod-wheel can be used to tweak the dynamics of the sound, and the printed manual clearly shows where it can be used (checking the manual is also recommended to know more about the patches that use keyswitching, etc.).
On most of the patches you will find also some useful variations/presets (reamped, tremolo, room, reverb sound), and the Engine interface gives you a complete control over each patch's parameter (including automation, etc.), with its Pro-Edit window.
There's also a Quick Edit window, that lets you tweak only the few parameters that the developer has choosen for that particular patch.
Engine worked as expected in my test. The install/authorization method could be easier though. Definitely read the instructions before going on. Especially less expert users could easily get confused with this multi-step process. Also, I'd like to see a more readable/bigger font in Engine's GUI. It's not a problem on big displays, but maybe on smaller laptops it could help.
Conclusion
Cinematique Instruments definitely lives up to my expectations (and to its name). It provides plenty of unique and inspiring patches. I've already started using some of them on a track I was working on in these days. If you're a sound-designer, or even if you're a producer who needs to add some new spices to a song, I'd recommend getting it.
Being a sampled library, there's no trial version available. But you can listen to some audio demos on the official website. The price-tag can look at first a bit expensive (199 euro incl. VAT), but considering the huge amount of carefully crafted sounds you get, and the fact some of these instruments are quite rare, I'd say it's fair (and if you're a pro, it will easily pay for itself).
If you'd like to get some TC Electronic plug-ins for PowerCore and Pro Tools, well, now it's the time. From Tuesday June 1 to Tuesday June 15 (both days included), you can save 50% on all TC Electronic plug-ins for PowerCore and Pro Tools - plus a few additional ones! So, if you've ever wanted to add a VSS3, an Access Virus or a Tubetech CL1B to your plug-ins folder and if you have a credit card handy, it will be hard to resist now...
You can buy the plug-ins at your local dealer as well as on TC-Now.com.
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