Goldbaby is a small independent sample creation company that provides solid sample packs of various analogue sources. This latest sample pack is from the K3M synth created by Kawai. The K3M is a subtractive synth made in 1986. It had an 8-bit wavetable for the oscillators, which then ran through some analog filters, creating a distinctive gritty yet lush sound.
This sample pack contains roughly 600 mbs of sampled goodness that slot into either your Native Instruments Kontakt(3) sampler, or EXS24 if you're on Logic. There are almost 1500 samples divided into 6 folders - Drums, mono, poly, multi, Raw, and Wave osc. The multis are just for Kontakt users.
The mono folder contains nice basses and leads, the poly has some awesome pads, fake strings, and other awesome 80's sounding synth patches. There's a bit of organ, piano, bells and brass scattered amongst the rest are a few bell, brass and other patches in there too. Throughout the whole pack, there's the distinct 8-bit timbre, very nicely warmed up directly within the sampled K3M, and later through various analogue hardware. All in all, it's a very nicely balanced sample pack that contains tasty samples of a bit of everything. If I was to gripe at all about it, I would moan about only one sampled drum kit, which is mildly disappointing. But that kit still sounds great, and there's a little FX pack to sweeten the deal. I really liked the inclusion of the raw oscillator sounds, enabling you to use the synth power of Kontakt or EXS to create sounds from the ground up. Very nice!
Here's a short track using the samples in the pack:
Conclusion Goldbaby consistently get good reviews from around the globe, and I'm that this one will fare no differently. The K3M is a great little sample library for some sweetened 8-bit sounds, that have been very cleanly recorded.
Price $49
... it's a very nicely balanced sample pack that contains tasty samples of a bit of everything...
Do you record vocals, small percussions, voice-overs or podcasts in your home studio? Well, there's a good chance you may need a tool like Real Trap's Portable Vocal Booth.
The Portable Vocal Booth gives you a better "controlled environment for recording vocals and spoken narration in acoustically hostile spaces". I've tested one and I'm definitely pleased with the results. The PVB is very easy to mount (quite light too: 5 kg - 11 pounds), even for someone not into D.I.Y like me (see the pictures on this page). Do you have a cheap mic stand? No problem. In my test, it worked great and the PVB should fit any stand.
The PVB is much bigger than other similar tools you've probably seen in the past two-three years. The size matters in this case, since you get a more effective rejection of unwanted noises and a more focused sound. I've found the Portable Vocal Booth to be a very helpful tool for singer-songwriters as well as podcasters or even to record acoustic instruments like little percussions, especially in less than acoustically perfect rooms. Don't expect it to be magic, though. If you live on a noisy street and want to record your podcast or a quiet vocal track, you should consider other options. For technical analysis, frequencies and such things you can find plenty of details on the product's page.
Conclusion For some readers the 299$ price tag may be high, but if you consider the Portable Vocal Booth's value in the long run and if you want to improve your recording quality, I'd definitely consider getting one. For European readers in the Euro area: shipping is not cheap (approx. 70$) but considering the dollar-euro exchange the total price is much lower than it seems at a first look.
Price 299$ + shipping
...a very helpful tool for singer-songwriters as well as podcasters...
The NAB Show is the world's largest event for video, audio and digital media professionals. The 2011 edition (April 9-14, Las Vegas) will feature products, technology pavilions and education specifically focused on pro audio, recording, editing and mixing.
Interested? We have a nice gift for our readers: a special registration code that gives you free access to the exhibit floor, the Opening Keynote and State of the Industry Address, Info Sessions, Content Theater, Exhibits and PITS - a $150 value!
Visit this page to redeem or register at http://nabshow.com/register with the code SM05. For more details on the show visit the official site.
BT has been talking about his stutter plugin for ever, and finally, since the buyout of his software company by Izotope, Stutter Edit has arrived. In a healthy market of glitch effect style plugins, Stutter Edit has some pretty solid and excellent competition; Twisted tools Buffeater, Sugar Bytes Artillery and Native instruments The Finger, to name but a few.
How does it work? Stutter Edit is an audio effect for both studio and live performance. It uses the audio buffer in your computer's memory to rearrange the order of incoming sound, in a controlled manner. Based around sets of 'gestures', it is possible to create simple 1/8th note stutter fills, all the way to complex sweeping transitions that dynamically build momentum in your music.
Upon opening the effect, it appears that a Masters degree in applied mathematics is needed to understand and use it. However, Izotope compensate for this excellently with a tutorial window that pops up straight away. I recommend a good read - it begins by showing you how to set the plugin up depending on what DAW you use.
There are a large amount of presets (banks of gestures mapped to different Midi notes) to get you started off, and these give a good impression of what the plugin's capable of. There are several banks of presets from BT. It's fairly unnerving how these particular presets can make your sound VERY much like the style of builds, stutters and transitions that BT creates.
As one forum contributor commented - 'It's almost like having BT in the studio with you as a consultant'. Richard Devine, another ground-breaker in the electronic music world, also contributes a large amount of presets. Again, you can hear a sound that is characteristic of his work as you go through the presets. It's literally as simple as pressing a key on your controller, and the gesture goes to work, rearranging the audio in a syncopated, rhythmic manner. Gratification is instant, and you'll spend twenty minutes messing around with one loop before you realise it.
The modules There are essentially three modules within Stutter Edit. the stutter module itself, a noise generator, and a small effects module. All three sync and blend nicely with each other. You can change global settings on the gesture - how long you want it to last, when you want it to trigger (quantized input, or free), when you want it to end etc. You can also get it to reverse loop (it's called Palindrome) There is a global filter, set by default to the #cc of the pitch bend on a keyboard. Pushing up gives you a high pass, pushing down is a low pass. Instant resonant filter on the overall sound.
The main Stutter module is a matrix. Within it, you determine exactly what rhythmic values you want the stutter effect to sweep through, from a 1/16 note on up. Every time you press the midi note assigned to this gesture, it'll start running through the matrix. The audio can be quantized and gated to extremes, and you can select (and move) the buffer position of the audio that you're using. I was impressed straight away at how hard it is to make the audio pop and click (in an unwanted way!) as you move around in the buffer - something that some other glitch plugins suffer from. The sound quality of this plugin is really excellent.
The second module contains 'color' effects that can be added to the Stutter. There's a stereo delay, a bandpass delay, another lo and hi pass filter, bit reduction and lo-fi, and Gain settings (sort of a wet/dry mix).
The third module; 'Generator', is the module that (to me) sets this plugin apart from most of the others out there. it is a noise maker, with a library of various looping noise-based beds and single hits. The intention of the module is to be able to manipulate the sound to create noise builds and hits to increase the dynamic tension of the stutter fills as you move into a new section of the track (for example). You can decide the length, noise table, gain, pitch, and pitch movement of the noise. There's a band pass filter, and a lo-fi effect to grunge up the sound if you want, and a gate send to the Stutter module, which blends the two modules together to sound like one very carefully crafted effect. I love this module. It enables you to quickly create original sounding sweeps and hits, and to me stand alongside the stutter module in terms of usefulness. There's a large library of sounds to build from, but I would like to be able to add samples to the noise table. Maybe in a future update? Regardless, there's plenty here to get you started.
Once you've created the gestures you want on different midi notes, saving presets is as simple as pressing the save button. When you want to organise further, there is also a preset manager that will help you re-order and rename gestures, move them across banks etc.
Here's a track that I wrote that utilizes the stutter edit a little bit.
Conclusion I had a lot of fun with this plugin. I could quickly create useful killer-sounding rhythmic fills, ranging widely from subtle mid-phrase drum fills, to full-mix phrases that swept the music into the next section. And it was as simple as pressing one key on my keyboard. Nice. There has already been reference to the Stutter Edit effectively being the signature sound of a particular producer shoved into software. Which is true - there's a wide range of preset gestures that sound remarkably BT-ish. But that is really just the beginning. The depth of control that is in this plugin means that you can quickly create unique sounding edits that really can drive your music along. The sheer quality of the sound, and the Generator module, give this effect qualities that make it a great addition to the arsenal, rather than replacement.
Price $249
...there's a wide range of preset gestures that sound remarkably BT-ish. But that is really just the beginning...
If you're a fan of idm, glitch, or really any electronic music this is a fantastic addition to the glitch/stutter plugs already out there, with excellent sound quality
CONS
Looks like NASA's shuttle control panel upon first glance
Only ONE gesture at a time, unlike The Finger or Artillery. But you can use one stutter and one generator gesture at the same time
Pricey compared to the competition in this market.
AudioNewsRoom is, since 2007, a music technology magazine with news, reviews and exclusive interviews. For feedbacks, questions, press releases, advertising enquiries, etc., please use our contact page.
