Wide Blue Sound, creator of cutting-edge instruments for KONTAKT, is proud to announce a partnership with Native Instruments that allows its renowned ORBIT and ECLIPSE virtual synths to be used with NI’s NKS® (Native Kontrol Standard) hardware — namely, KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series keyboards and MASCHINE workstation… Wide Blue Sound is a company continually committed to integrating its software products with hardware — a rarity in today’s industry. “NKS is an important first step in harnessing the natural experience of hardware with the infinite creative potential of software,” states company co-founder and CEO Nathan Rightnour. “We’ll always be working to ‘bridge the gap’ in ways that bring usability and a visceral excitement to our software.”
ORBIT and ECLIPSE are the perfect powerhouses for creating stunning synth sounds, driving pulses, and atmospheric worlds, thanks to their critically-acclaimed interface and world-class sound design. With well-thought-through, creative mappings and tags for ORBIT and ECLIPSE, KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series keyboards and MASCHINE workstations react with the feel of a custom hardware instrument. Indeed, ORBIT and ECLIPSE users with access to the trailblazing hardware will now feel closer than ever to their favourite Wide Blue Sound software synth… synths already benefitting from critically-acclaimed interface design that, according to Keyboard magazine, “All instrument makers could take heed to.”
The latest NKS®-supporting ORBIT and ECLIPSE updates bring with them the best of both worlds — intuitive interfaces and seamless interaction with intuitive tactility, thanks to Native Instruments’ innovative hardware. Hardened users and novices alike will be amazed at how fast they can come up with something stunning to fit any musical mood or emotion, whether wanting to tweak the dreamy, mysterious, or dark universe of sound in ORBIT or enter ECLIPSE’s pioneering heavy, forceful, and aggressive sonic vistas. The choice is out there — quite literally at the fingertips of KOMPLETE KONTROL S-Series keyboards and MASCHINE owners.
ORBIT and ECLIPSE are designed by working professionals in film, TV, video game, and electronic music production, built upon the idea that intuitive products provide the most inspirational results. Indeed, inspiration comes quickly since both instruments share three distinct sound engines. Engaging PULSE mode makes creating modern percussive elements easy; CHOP mode is best suited to fashioning electronic, stuttered stylings; and FLOW mode permits pads and texture creation like never before. Better still, users can seamlessly morph between those three engines using four independent 64-step sequencers — each with their own independent time base — that can modulate 24 useful parameters to further the creation of interesting, musical, and evolving sounds. Sculpting sounds still further comes courtesy of delays, multiple modulations, diverse distortions, and a special convolution engine that includes several practical creative impulses and beautiful reverbs from world-class hardware units commonly used in cinematic production.
Wide Blue Sound Founder & CEO Nathan Rightnour’s ‘Quick Drive’ ORBIT overview
Thanks to NKS® support, sound-shaping nirvana with Wide Blue Sound’s updated ORBIT and ECLIPSE is as simple as the turn of a knob. Each innovative instrument includes 250 track-starting presets. Put it this way: whatever way users choose to intuitively interact with them, the results are always out of this world!
Wide Blue Sound’s engaging ECLIPSE trailer video
NKS®-supporting versions of ORBIT and ECLIPSE can be respectively purchased and digitally downloaded directly from Wide Blue Sound for $199.00 USD and $149.00 USD from here: www.widebluesound.com (Note that both products are also available as the PLANETARY BUNDLE, including beta access to SKYPAD Remote, for $298.00 USD, representing a substantial saving of $50.00 USD.)
Note Native Instruments’ KONTAKT — full or free KONTAKT PLAYER (5.5.2 or higher) version — powers Wide Blue Sound products.
For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated ORBIT and ECLIPSE webpage here: www.widebluesound.com
About Wide Blue Sound (www.widebluesound.com) Wide Blue Sound creates modern instruments for forward-thinking musicians. It is powered by Hollywood composers Jeff Rona and Nathan Rightnour. Its renowned ORBIT and ECLIPSE virtual synths have been called “…incredible…” (Glitch Mob) while winning over reviewers around the globe: “I can’t remember a synth where I’ve had so much fun” (MusicTech Magazine)
Urban and contemporary music virtual instrument specialist StudioLinked is proud to announce availability of STUDIO RACK — a curb-appealing multi-effects plug-in packed with time-saving, speedily-tweakable presets perfect for any music producer, DJ, or engineer mixing hip-hop, R&B, pop, rock, EDM, and country productions.
As an adaptable multi-effects plug-in that’s as easy on the eye as it is in use, STUDIO RACK radically changes any sound with three types of self-explanatory speaker emulation — HIGH, MID, and BASS (that, of course, can also be switched to OFF). Variable amounts of DELAY (with SYNC), REVERB, STEREO, and CHORUS can quickly be dialled in to suit any application, effects-wise, while turning the GUI-dominating DRIVE control pushes things to the limit. Letting users quickly make more changes comes courtesy of a fixed COMPRESSOR with GAIN and MIX sliders; similarly, CUTOFF (frequency) and RES (resonance) control-equipped HIPASS and LOWPASS filters further refine results, and a self-explanatory SATURATION knob nicely rounds out production proceedings.
Watch StudioLinked’s STUDIO RACK demonstration video
Placing STUDIO RACK on any vocal, 808 sub, piano, guitar, drums, or final mix lets it transform and add a polished finish faster than ever to any production. Earth-shattering changes need not cost the earth either, thanks to an affordable purchase price that should surely suit any production budget!
About StudioLinked (www.studiolinked.com) StudioLinked is a virtual instrument creator and distribution company, specialising in urban and contemporary music genres by filling a long-unfulfilled niche in the production market. Moreover, customer satisfaction is guaranteed since there is no need to overpay for sounds and features that are not needed in its focused software product line, leaving users to get on with doing what they do best — making music. Seriously simple, user-friendly interfaces — some of which offer animation — are praised for their workflow-enhancing ease of use. Unless licensed from its sound design partners, StudioLinked samples all content in its products. The company founder’s family formerly owned a successful commercial recording studio located in San Diego, CA, USA, since 2003; now named Hookmaster Studio, recently remodelled and run by its former chief engineer, StudioLinked is proud to have recorded sounds for its software products there.
Following a successful showcase at The NAMM Show 2017, January 19-22 in Anaheim, California, Eurorack module-maker and audio plug-in developer Expert Sleepers is proud to announce availability of disting mk4 — the latest (fourth) improved iteration of its award-winning ‘many-in-one’ multifunction Eurorack module based around a PIC® Microcontroller (MCU) offering an amazing amount of CV (Control Voltage) and audio processing algorithms belying its super-slim 4HP panel width (with two algorithm function-dependant input sockets, two output sockets, a CV input socket paired with a push-button-functional knob, and a rotary encoder/push button alongside an all-new dot matrix display and a MicroSD card slot all available to connect and communicate with the outside world).
Who better to introduce the new and improved disting mk4, then, than its creator, Expert Sleepers Director Andrew ‘Os’ Ostler: “The Expert Sleepers disting mk4 is the newest incarnation of the disting concept. Compared to the previous mk3, the most obvious change is that it now has a screen, rather than a small number of LEDs, so you can see what’s going on much more easily. It will scroll words at you and let you understand what you’re doing much more easily than ever before. The MicroSD card is now on the front — easily accessible; from that, you can play back WAV files, MIDI files, and more functions to come in the future. For example, an audio recorder function, recording WAV files to the MicroSD card, is in beta and will be added soon. The mk4 is also compatible with the SELECT Bus mechanism, allowing you to simultaneously store and recall settings from a number of distings and other compatible modules at one time. The mk4 is also capable of some extra algorithms over the mk3, such as the tuner, and pitch and frequency references.”
Speaking of algorithms, disting mk4 currently features five banks, beginning with 16 ‘classic disting’ ones: Precision Adder (with integer voltage offsets); Four Quadrant Multiplier (with integer multiply/divide); Full-wave Rectifier; Minimum/maximum; Linear/Exponential Convertor; Quantizer (with selectable scales); Comparator (with adjustable hysterersis); Dual Waveshaper (wavefolder and triangle-to-sine shaper); Sample and Hold (with noise source and adjustable slew rate); Slew Rate Limiter (with linear and exponential slew); Pitch and Envelope Tracker; Clockable Delay/Echo; LFO (with through-zero frequency control and waveshaping); Clockable LFO (with multiply/divide and waveshaping); VCO with Linear FM (sine and saw outputs); and VCO with waveshaping (saw/triangle and pulse outputs).
Onwards and upwards, bank two holds the following algorithms: Precision Adder (with fractional voltage offsets); Voltage Controlled Delay Line (vibrato/chorus/flange effects); Clockable Ping Pong Delay; Clockable Ping Pong Delay (with input pan control); Resonator (for drum synthesis); Vocoder (12-band); Phaser (up to 10 stages); Bit Crusher; Tape Delay (with voltage-controlled tape speed); State Variable Filter (smoothly variable filter type); LP/HP Filter; LP/BP Filter; BP/HP Filter; and BP/Notch Filter.
Watch Expert Sleepers’ disting mk4 new feature highlights video
Furthermore, these are the bank three algorithms: AR Envelope; AR Envelope (with push); AR Envelope & VCA; AR Envelope & VCA (with push); Dual AR Envelope; Dual AR Envelope (with push); Euro to Buchla Convertor; Buchla to Euro Convertor; Clockable AD Envelope (with mute); Clockable AD Envelope (with gate); Clockable AD Envelope (with trigger); Clockable AD Envelope & VCA; Shift Register Random CVs; Shift Register Random Quantized CVs; Shift Register Random Triggers; and Shift Register Dual Random Triggers.
Turn to bank four for finding those earlier-quoted (ES-1 Emulation; ES-2 Emulation; Pitch Reference; Frequency Reference; Tuner; and Crossfade/Pan) extras; thereafter, the fifth features functions relating to playing back audio and MIDI files from the MicroSD card: Audio Playback; Clocked Audio Playback; Audio Playback with V/Oct; Audio Playback with Z Speed; MIDI File Playback (clocked); MIDI File Playback (free-running); and Audio Playback with End CV.
Clearly, if that’s not enough to whet the appetite of even the most seasoned Eurorack enthusiast, Expert Sleepers’ eye-catching red and blue backlit sockets should surely seal the deal when it comes to making room for distinctive disting mk4 modules! After all, they pack a whole lot of functionality into very little Eurorack space.
Seeing is believing; better still, Expert Sleepers will be displaying and demonstrating disting mk4 on Booth H251 at SUPERBOOTH17, April 20-22, Berlin, Germany. Get down there to check it out. “We will be showing an additional feature not demoed at NAMM,” notes Andrew Ostler. “The disting mk4 has a pair of MIDI ports (in and out), allowing it to both receive MIDI (for additional control over the algorithms) and generate MIDI (to control external MIDI gear from its algorithms and CV inputs). New dedicated MIDI-to-CV and CV-to-MIDI algorithms have been added; existing algorithms have had MIDI output added — notably the Quantizer and MIDI File Playback. The MIDI ports are accessed by an expansion header module, which will be shown at SUPERBOOTH17, and details will be made available so people can make their own DIY version, which is a very simple project.” Witnesses will surely be impressed by what they see and hear.
disting mk4 is now shipping and available from Expert Sleepers resellers (http://expert-sleepers.co.uk/store.html) worldwide with an MSRP of £139.00 GBP (inc. 20% VAT)/$189.00 USD/€189.00 EUR (inc. 19% VAT).
About Expert Sleepers (www.expert-sleepers.co.uk) As a one-man (Andrew Ostler a.k.a. ‘Os’) operation, British brand Expert Sleepers started life back in 2002 as an audio plug-in developer — its amusingly-named Augustus Loop tape-based delay effect emulation (with extra features to facilitate its use as a looping device) quickly found favour with ambient music pioneer Brian Eno, who was moved to kindly comment: “When I hear anything by ES, I get excited by what I’m hearing.” 2009’s Silent Way suite of plug-ins designed for use with analogue synthesisers — especially as part of a modular analogue synthesiser system — soon led to a move towards the ever-expanding Eurorack modular marketplace with the first hardware product — the (now-discontinued) ES-1 audio/CV interface module designed for use with software such as Silent Way — making an appearance in 2010. Since then, the company continues to innovate in its core business of computer-synth interfacing, albeit admittedly going off-tangent in 2014 with the award-winning disting — a ‘many-in-one’ multifunction module based around a PIC® Microcontroller (MCU) offering a variety of CV and audio processing algorithms, including a selection of oscillators (LFOs/VCOs), alongside a sample (WAV) file and MIDI file player with a variety of options for sample triggering and playback speed — that continues to be Expert Sleepers’ best-seller by far, now in its improved mk4 iteration.
Host application and audio effects developer Audified is proud to announce availability of Studio Bundle — an attractively-priced plug-in bundle of its latest and greatest (TNT Voice Executor, second-generation U73b Compressor, U78 Saturator, and MixChecker) hit releases, rendered as appealing to the eye as they are to the ear for a wide range of production purposes.
TNT Voice Executor can be seen and heard in an informative introductory video
Recently released to widespread critical acclaim, TNT Voice Executor is a unique utilitarian plug-in offering no-nonsense processing of vocal and spoken word tracks to sophisticatedly solve any issues instantaneously. It does what it says on the tin, so shaping superb-sounding voices couldn’t be simpler. Simply select a preset then use the three knobs to set the INPUT and OUTPUT volumes (using the I/O meters), tweak the DRIVE (effect) amount, and you’re good to go! Gathered into four groups, each preset contains several variants for both male and female voices. The right-side of the plug-in’s crystal-clear GUI (Graphical User Interface) simply shows which effects (EQ, DRIVE, and DELAY) are engaged and how much gain is being reduced. Really, anyone with a microphone who records vocals and/or spoken word will find it invaluable. Applications? Audio book editing, v-log posts, YouTube videos, podcasts, advertisement voiceovers, television trailers, newscasts… wherever the human voice sounds, TNT Voice Executor makes it sound better in next to no time with a no-nonsense approach to processing par excellence.
U73b Compressor can be seen and heard in its informative introductory video
Excellence also shines forth from Audified’s all-new U73b Compressor, strikingly standing out from its predecessor from the get-go courtesy of a gorgeous GUI that not only makes its improved second-generation status clearer still by blazoning Nr. 2.0.1 below its name but literally leaps out of Retina-supporting screens… well, almost! As such, the GUI itself is effectively a game of two halves, comprising of an almost photo-realistic rendering of the unique-sounding Sixties-vintage German broadcast compressor/limiter hardware (with which the plug-in shares its name and upon on which it is modelled) alongside an area to display numerically editable parameters or menu functions and settings that are not available via the ‘modelled module’… making anything sound like it has been processed by an original U73b is the name of the game. Game-changing is the result, though its improvements are more than simply skin deep. Digging deeper, Audified’s all-new U73b Compressor now features true side-chaining to control compression via an independent signal; improved processing with added adjustable Oversampling; an automatic gain control option; and -9dB default Kalib. (calibration) setting with an added value mechanism — modelling which works with real voltages that are the same as those found in the original hardware circuitry (related to the dBu scale), but the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) in DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) works with dBFS (Decibels relative to full scale) so users can (carefully) set the calibration to work within the correct operational range of the compressor effect.
U78 Saturator can be seen and heard in its informative introductory video
Exploiting meticulous models of the amazing-sounding analogue circuitry central to the U73b — that treasured broadcast compressor/limiter that found favour in European mastering circles well into the Eighties and beyond — further still, supplementing the tube saturation circuitry with high-pass and lowpass filters and a unique tone filter for some seriously satisfying saturation is fundamental to the U78 Saturator modus operandi. Only this time, removing the U73b Compressor’s compression function, favouring filtering for flexibility while keeping the heart and soul of the machine to deliver an amazingly musical tube sound. Studio Bundle brings with it the best of both by including U73b Compressor and U78 Saturator to appease both purists and audio adventurists alike.
MixChecker can be seen and heard in its informative introductory video
And when it comes to making meaningful mix decisions with all that wide-ranging processing par excellence, what better way to round out Studio Bundle than with MixChecker, a must-have mixing assistant plug-in that transforms studio monitors into classic reference monitors or one of several consumer devices to instantly improve mixes. Make-do-and mend-mentality-mixing is a thing of the past with MixChecker, meaning no more time wasted exporting mixes to smartphones or burning CDs to listen in a car before going back into the studio to tweak the mix only to have to repeat the tiresome process time and again. As an altogether more convenient and clever software solution, MixChecker can perform a quick round of tests in only a matter of seconds, allowing users to get on with the task in hand — making mixing corrections at a (key)stroke, still fresh from knowing what the problem in the mix actually was!
Why not treat yourself and your productions, then, to the joys of Studio Bundle? Bet your bottom dollar you’ll soon be jumping with joy when it comes to using these really remarkable plug-ins for a really remarkable price!
Purchase Studio Bundle as four iLok-protected plug-ins — available as AAX, VST3, and VST2 on Mac (OS X 10.9 - 10.12) and PC (Windows 7, 8, and 10) and AU on Mac — at an introductory price of $399.00 USD until April 30, 2017 (rising thereafter to $449.00 USD) from Audified’s online shop here: https://shop.audified.com/products/studio-bundle
Note that iLok dongle hardware is not needed for either the 30-day trial or full version of Studio Bundle — simply create a free account and install PACE Anti-Piracy’s iLok License Manager from here: https://www.ilok.com
“I was blown away when I received this plugin, which can compress drums and guitars extremely aggressively, yet also works very smoothly with vocals. This will become my go-to compressor on strings and brass. It has a very nice analog feel to it and is very easy to set.” - Tom Holkenberg (a.k.a. Junkie XL), composer/producer (Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool), 2017
Plugin Alliance, a new ‘Über-standard’ supporting all major plugin formats and uniting some of the best-known international audio companies under one virtual roof, is proud to announce availability of 354E — Plugin Alliance partner Lindell Audio’s multiband model of the venerable vintage Neve® 2254E™ diode bridge compressor, carefully replicating its distinctive behavior and rich, creamy character as an appealing AAX Native-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible three-band M/S (Mid-Side) mastering compressor plugin with vintage vibe.
The original 2254 mono compressor/limiter design dates back to 1969, becoming a standard module in the company’s classic 80 Series hard-wired analogue consoles. Its input stage is based around an input transformer followed by a diode bridge relying on the dynamic resistance of the diodes changing with current provided by control voltage to act as a level control element — hence its distinctive behavior and rich, creamy character. Compression attack time is fixed, though the third major revision, the long-loved 2254E, allows for faster attack times. Today, though, thanks to Plugin Alliance partner Lindell Audio’s tenacity, the 354E plugin pairs that vintage vibe with modern utility as a must-have multiband marvel — modelling that famous vintage diode bridge compressor across each of its three (LOW, MID, HIGH) independent frequency bands with adjustable crossover frequency bands (for honing in on where compression is needed most). Many more notable features abound and include: independent five-step RATIO — ranges from 1.5:1 (for mastering and master-bus compression) through to 6:1 (for shaping individual tracks); switchable NUKE mode (for over-compressing tracks to dramatic effect); LINK (Mid-Side) mode (for focusing compression on mid or side channel — or in stereo — for surgical precision); SIDECHAIN/HPF (to lend greater punch to compressed drums, bass guitar, and other bass-heavy instruments); switchable NIVEAU filter (for tilting SIDECHAIN/HPF frequency response towards bass energy preservation — perfect for achieving an awesome API® ‘thrust’ compression effect); MIX control (to promptly provide parallel processing — perfect for blending radically compressed signal with pristine dry input when working with drums, adding density to rock guitars, and more); M/S (link) and SOLO for each frequency band; adjustable, wide-ranging ATTACK and RECOVERY (release) controls ranging from a blazing-fast 2 μS (two-millionths of a second) attack time (for radical compression) to AUTO release (for artefact-free processing); optional AUTO makeup GAIN for each band; two-way dB meter (displays I/O and gain reduction levels in turn — internal operating levels can be calibrated in nine 1dB steps for precise mastering applications); and resizable user interface and up to 16x oversampling for digital precision in any environment. All add up to a creative compressor/limiter experience quite unlike any other… one of the fastest compressors, capable of shaping sounds in extreme ways with which most contemporaries cannot compete.
Watch Plugin Alliance EU Product Manager Mo Volans’ video walkthrough of 354E
Creatively speaking, 354E is, in practical terms, two compressors in one — a colorful, vintage-sounding paintbrush-like plugin, perfectly suited to both mastering and mixing applications alike. As such, turning on NUKE mode makes radically reshaping individual tracks a joy to behold; but, conversely, turning it off allows for lighter, more nuanced compression when mastering or when more surgical mixing is needed. Needless to say, both ways of working yield the same lush coloration and smooth presence that made the 2254E one of the most revered and highly-sought-after compressors in the world. Which is why the 354E is so suited to compressing drums, electric guitars, and rock vocals as one of the premier plugins for the task at hand. Hitting that NUKE button is akin to throwing TNT on drum room mics! Make room ambience explode and drums pump like a jackhammer! Use the built-in filters to shield bass frequencies from compression, inflating the kick drum in the room mics to a heavy monster sound, then adjust the three bands’ RATIO and GAIN controls to balance hi-hat and cymbal levels with that of the trap drums for the perfect blend. Better still, the NIVEAU filter and NUKE mode are also tickets to making thin-sounding floor and rack toms thunder with deep, long sustain, and rock vocals hyperventilate with urgency.
As a go-to guitar-track-shaper, 354E’s multiband controls and filters can compress the bottom and top strings’ output to different degrees to boost chunky, palm-muted bass notes or blazing, high chords to the front of the mix. Major compression adds intensely colorful character, though the MIX control can dial some pristine dry signal back into 354E’s output for beautifully balanced mayhem and detail.
Digging deeper, 354E takes on the highly-nuanced behavior befitting master-bus compression and mastering when waving goodbye to NUKE mode. Milder by its very nature, the 1.5:1 RATIO setting solidifies mixes with a glue-like quality, while switching in the NIVEAU filter brings punch, fullness, and weight to the bottom end of the thinnest of mixes. More musically satisfying, maybe, M/S mode can compress hard-panned guitars without affecting the kick drum, bass, and lead vocals, while with A > B workspaces users can compare alternative control setups in pursuit of production perfection.
Put it this way: whether using it to super-size individual tracks, add density to full mixes, or apply subtle surgical compression to correct imbalanced masters, 354E has what it takes to paint a picture-perfect colorful vintage sound. So is it any wonder, then, that Tom Holkenberg (a.k.a. Junkie XL) — one of Hollywood’s top and most unique composers with an expansive and expensive studio setup that lives up to the stage name with which he originally made a name for himself in the burgeoning US rave scene — was blown away by it? Legal Disclaimer: Neve and 2254E are registered trademarks of AMS/Neve Inc. 354E was developed by Lindell Audio based on its own modelling techniques. AMS/Neve has not endorsed or sponsored 354E in any manner, or licensed any intellectual property for use in this product.
354E is available for purchase — as an AAX Native-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-supporting plugin for Mac OS X (10.8 through 10.12), Windows (7 through 10), and Pro Tools 10.3.10 (or higher) — from Plugin Alliance and select VSSD (Virtual Stock Software Distribution) retailers for a time-limited introductory promo price of $129.00 USD, rising to $199.00 USD thereafter. (Note that owners of 254E qualify for a special introductory price of $79.00 USD via an email voucher valid throughout April 2017.) Note that the proprietary Plugin Alliance Installation Manager means users can select, download, and install only the products and formats needed for their system.
About Plugin Alliance (www.plugin-alliance.com) Based in Wilmington, DE, USA, with offices in Santa Cruz, CA, USA, Plugin Alliance is more than just a website; it is a new ‘Über-standard’, supporting all major plugin formats and uniting some of the best-known international audio companies under one virtual roof. It empowers world-renowned analogue hardware companies with a digital strategy and provides software developers with services that allow them to develop products with increasing quality and quantity. It does this by providing world-class marketing and distribution, as well as platform features like a state-of-the-art authorisation system. The Alliance is more than just a group of partner companies; it is a rapidly growing community of artists, engineers, producers, and industry luminaries who have joined to share what they have learned.
Spitfire Audio, purveyors of the finest virtual instruments from the finest musical samples in the world, is proud to announce availability of BT PHOBOS — conceived in close collaboration with notable namesake American composer (The Fast And The Furious, Monster, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) and electronica pioneer BT (Brian Transeau) as a must-have Polyconvolution Synthesizer for any AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-supporting DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), and lending itself to writing cinematic electronic, epic, and hybrid compositions, courtesy of its liquid, morphing, and transformational convolution capabilities.
All of which begs some serious questions: what, exactly, is BT PHOBOS? One of Mars’ moons, maybe? A synthesizer? A tool for creating colossal cinematic and electronic rhythms? An engine for endless spectral combinations of wide, lush pads and ambiences with propulsive rhythmic figures? Is it a sound library of an astronomical vintage synthesizer collection, bespoke beats, field recordings, live acoustic and orchestral treatments, micro-rhythms, percussion, and textures? Truth be told, that’s just scratching its stellar surface — inspiration-wise or otherwise!
On the face of it, at its core BT PHOBOS is, indeed, a synthesizer — albeit a soft synth based on the unexplored precept of polyconvolution as a synthesis engine. Extraordinarily adept American audio engineer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, and technologist BT came up with the idea many moons ago when working with sound design — polyconvolution… as a synthesizer. So what, exactly, does that mean? Well, what it means is: instead of using convolution — a piece of software (or algorithm) that creates a simulation of an audio environment — for reverb or modelling an amplifier’s distortion circuit, why not make a ‘reverb’ impulse response tonal? Why not, indeed. In fact, BT did just that, and, in doing so, found that combining something rhythmical with something tonal (as an impulse response) yielded some of the most modern, liquid, and percolating responses he had ever encountered — exactly the kind of sounds he had been searching for while scoring music for films and games… those elusive sounds suited to satisfying the most demanding directors’ wishes. Words like, “Movement and a feeling of drive, yet subtly…” need no longer prove problematic — thanks to BT PHOBOS!
BT brought a whole new musical meaning to the ‘Special Relationship’ between the United Kingdom and United States by working in close collaboration with Spitfire Audio to combine over 20 GB of his own personal bespoke libraries into a tonal engine, enabling BT PHOBOS users ultimately to filter, pulse, rhythmically cut, and sculpt impulse responses that are harmonic, melodic, and tonal. Then play them polyphonically.
Watch Spitfire Audio co-founder and Director Paul Thomson’s ‘traditional’ BT PHOBOS video
Put it this way: one of the most significant solutions BT PHOBOS provides is giving composers an ability to engage their audiences for extended sequences and cues without sounding repetitive or ‘loopy’. Leaning on an all-new, realtime interface interaction allows BT PHOBOS users to evolve, transform, and warp their molecular musical patterns according to nuanced changes within a scene.
Watch Spitfire Audio ‘composer in residence’ Oliver Patrice Weder’s ‘basics’ BT PHOBOS video
So since BT PHOBOS cleverly challenges the convention of loops, tones, and how they are used in a convolution, central to its operation is a beautiful bespoke GUI (Graphical User Interface) implemented to cultivate creativity through fostering familiarity. Which is why, when clicking on the name of any (sound) SOURCE or CONVOLVER, users are greeted by exactly the same browser. Better still, users can automate many of the powerful and unique controllers central to the BT PHOBOS vision. Which is why modulation MAPPINGS — the way in which functions are mapped and then ‘modulated’ (or changed) in realtime or automated via controllers — are key to many presets, and applied both to SOURCE/CONVOLVER. Cutting-edge sound source advanced controls (to further adapt each SOURCE, such as ATTACK, DECAY, SUSTAIN, and RELEASE; START OFFSET; FILTERS; and GATES) and convolution advanced controls (to further adapt each CONVOLVER and its impulse response — similar to SOURCE controls, providing the same functionality for each CONVOLVER) carry creative composers into an almost limitless inspirational musical well… well, there are actually 90 sextillion-plus combinations of sounds, so inspiration is guaranteed to never run dry!
Watch Spitfire Audio’s extended feature for BT PHOBOS featuring BT (Brian Transeau) himself
If — like BT before you — you are on a musical mission to explore strange new sound worlds… to boldly go where no composer has gone before, be assured that BT PHOBOS pushes compositions into emotional, evocative, expressive, and truly new voyages of discovery like no other soft synth plug-in that has gone before it.
BT PHOBOS can be purchased and digitally downloaded (22.9 GB of uncompressed .WAV files, featuring 2,422 samples) as Spitfire Audio’s first plug-in for any AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-supporting Digital Audio Workstation (with more than 2,000 unique sounds created by BT that can be used both as a SOURCE or as an impulse response) for a time-limited introductory promo price of £209.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$229.00 USD/€239.00 EUR (inc. VAT) until 08:00 GMT on April 27, 2017 — rising thereafter to an RRP of £269.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$299.00 USD/€309.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/bt-phobos/
About Spitfire Audio (www.spitfireaudio.com) Spitfire Audio produces the finest virtual instruments from the finest musical samples in the world. It was set up by a British group of composers, sound-smiths, producers, engineers, and technologists wanting to revolutionise sampling and bring it back to the centre of the music industry. Like any new music technology — from radio to synthesisers, sampling was (initially) perceived as a threat to music-making and music-makers. Spitfire Audio is at the vanguard of changing that perception; its main goal is to promote British music-making the world over while distributing royalties via an ever-growing distribution chain to its contributors — musicians, engineers, technicians, producers, and artists alike — based on sales. Spitfire Audio puts millions of pounds back into the British music industry while supporting charities and initiatives, both in the UK and beyond. (The fact that the company has become the second-biggest contributor to UNICEF via JustGiving.com by giving away samples in return for donations speaks louder than words.) By doing this, Spitfire Audio gets to work at the best places with the best people to make the best sounds on the planet today.
Audio software creator Impact Soundworks is proud to announce availability of PEAK RIDER 2 — advancing the creative scope of its popular PEAK RIDER release as a dynamic processing plug-in for any AU-, AAX-, RTAS-, and VST-compatible DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) host supporting sidechaining.
As an advanced sidechain dynamic processor that is as powerful as it is unique, PEAK RIDER 2 can be used to precisely match the dynamics of one signal to another, subtract or invert these peaks, closely follow the level of a generated tone, or equalise a signal while retaining the exact dynamic characteristics. Creatively, it can also be used for powerful transient designing, tight drum gating, dynamic retention across distortion or other effects, reshaping stereo imaging, and much more besides.
Better still, it includes a notable number of improvements above and beyond its popular predecessor — Pro Tools compatibility courtesy of AAX and RTAS plug-in format support should surely pique interest. But beyond that, the all-new EQ mode is incontestably worth PEAK RIDER 2’s enticing entrance fee as a productive processing system allowing up to 12 discrete parametric EQ bands to be simultaneously initiated. In this mode, custom and surgical equalisation can be applied to any audio signal while simultaneously maintaining the ‘dry’ signal volume. Now, even with steep cuts and boosts, a heavily-equalised track will still fit in the mix.
Making the most of PEAK RIDER 2 and its now-five-MODE operation assumes an appreciation of its concepts. The plug-in makes use of a sidechain input — a copy of the main input, an entirely different signal, or an internally-generated synth or noise tone. This sidechain is analysed and an continuous envelope is created in realtime; the same is done with the main input signal. These two envelopes can then be matched, combined, and subtracted for a wide variety of useful mix and sound design applications. Each envelope can also be split into multiple bands and detected using algorithms for PEAK — realtime, fast peak meter-style envelopes; RMS (Root Mean Square) — realtime, smooth envelopes; or SMOOTH — smooth, look-ahead, windowed-average envelopes; stereo LR (left-right) or MS (mid/side); and tweaked on a per-band basis.
Watch Impact Soundworks Lead Developer Andrew Aversa’s PEAK RIDER 2 video
Envelope usage is selected via the MODE knob. Choose from EXACT (matches the main envelope to the sidechain envelope), NOBOOST (matches the main envelope to the sidechain envelope — attenuation only), DUCK (subtracts or adds the sidechain envelope to the main envelope), EXPAND (expands the dynamics or the main envelope with the sidechain envelope), and, now, EQ (matches an equalised version of the main envelope to an unprocessed main envelope).
Elsewhere, PEAK RIDER 2 improvements include smoother parameter automation; informative GUI (Graphical User Interface) metering; SC Input Processor (process the input sidechain signal with panning, volume, filtering, and EQ, and also replace the signal with signal generators directly before being processed by any other dynamic modes); SC Signal Generators (Off, Tone, Pink); overhauled RMS algorithm; new presets; Undo/Redo buttons (PEAK RIDER 2 remembers each control changed while open); Next/Previous preset buttons; and updated registration hardware encoding.
Endless creative possibilities are available to production-savvy PEAK RIDER 2 explorers. Examples of matching the dynamics of one track to another at a basic level, even, encompass matching an ambient room mic to a close mic, tightening the reverb tail; matching time-aligned harmony vocals to a main vocal, syncing the volume of all vocal tracks; matching saturated drums to the unprocessed track, preserving dynamics with even extreme processing; matching a static synth to any rhythmic track to create new life and motion; matching a live bass to the mid frequencies of a drum kit so the bass and snare always hit together… to try is to buy, so why not download the free demo version today? PEAK RIDER 2 can be purchased directly from Impact Soundworks for $99.00 USD — and a free demo version is also available — from here: https://impactsoundworks.com/product/peak-rider-2/#purchase (Note that owners of the original PEAK RIDER receive a discount coupon in their user account to upgrade for only $10.00 USD.) For more in-depth information, including several superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated PEAK RIDER 2 webpage here: https://impactsoundworks.com/product/peak-rider-2
About Impact Soundworks (www.impactsoundworks.com) Impact Soundworks creates audio software designed with composers in mind: sample libraries, virtual instruments, and plug-ins. As passionate about creating music tools as its customers are about making music, the company was founded in 2008 by composers Andrew Aversa and Will Roget, II at a time when there were several large virtual instrument companies already around, but few developers creating affordable, flexible, and focused libraries featuring more unusual and unique sounds. Shrewdly, the dynamic duo noticed much in the way of in-depth orchestral offerings, but more unusual instruments were not being sampled with much detail at all. As such, the company’s first two releases were Impact Steel, a collection of found metal objects played as percussion, and Sitar Nation, a set of instruments from North India. It has since been collectively working hard to address the needs of modern composers, successfully striking the balance between depth and ease of use. Ultimately, Impact Soundworks is proud to call tens of thousands of musicians around the world its customers, intelligently investing time to study suggestions and review requests. After all, that is how a number of its best-loved libraries started… from the smallest seed!
The Pro Audio Files is pleased to share the debut in-depth training course from Ian Vargo: Mastering in the Box. With the rise of home studios, the advent of higher quality plugins, and many engineers mixing 100% in the box, the mastering process has in some ways followed suit. It’s more accessible than ever to take a song all the way from start to finish yourself — but for many, mastering is still an unapproachable, nebulous process. Until now …
In our latest training course, Mastering in the Box, professional engineer Ian Vargo reveals all, teaching you how to get high quality mastering results at home using 100% plugins in the box. The course features thirteen topic-specific workshops and eight walkthroughs in various genres, plus all the song files are included so you can practice along. Whether you’re an aspiring mastering engineer or a producer/mixer looking to add that extra spice/competitiveness/love to your music, this course shows you how to get it there and drastically elevate the quality of your work.
Learn How to Get Great Sounding Mastering Results In Your Home Studio — 100% In The Box
In this two-hour course, Ian Vargo teaches you how to get great
sounding mastering results at home using exclusively plugins in the box.
Includes thirteen topic-specific workshops and eight different genre
walkthroughs, plus all the song files so you can practice along with the
course.
What is mastering and the roles of a modern mastering engineer
Mastering walkthroughs in eight different genres using only plugins
The role of loudness and dynamics in modern mastering
Essential types of plugins and processing for mastering in the box
The best types of EQ for additive vs subtractive processing
How to use additive EQ to increase energy, clarity and low end
How to use subtractive EQ to clean up and enhance the sound
How to add energy to the bass and kick drum in a stereo mix
How mid-side processing can be extremely useful for mastering
When to use tape saturation or compression instead of EQ
When it's a great idea to use EQ before compression
Overview of client interaction, file distribution and more
Learn the ideal compression ratios for a mastering context
The basics of multiband compression and when it’s most helpful
Tips for using exciters, enhancers and saturation in mastering
Fun and obscure tricks for coloring a sound using tape emulation
The Pro Audio Files is a community where audio professionals from around the world share articles and videos on recording, mixing, mastering and producing music. Learn more: http://masteringinthebox.com Contact: dan@theproaudiofiles.com
“Taken from the awesome bx_subsynth, this cheeky little bottom-end exciter really enhances the subs with whatever you stick through it. You’ll have your neighbours complaining in no time!” - Lee Slater, producer/mixer/engineer (Emile Sande, Jamie Cullum, Basement Jaxx), 2017
Plugin Alliance, a new ‘Über-standard’ supporting all major plugin formats and uniting some of the best-known international audio companies under one virtual roof, is proud to announce availability of bx_subfilter — an AAX Native and DSP-, AU-, VST2-, and VST3-compatible sub-shaping, punch-pronouncing processing plugin perfect for bringing clarity and definition to tracks that have troublesome low frequencies — fresh from founding partner Brainworx as the sixth addition to Plugin Alliance’s altruistic FREE category.
Polishing a mix’s low end can be tricky. Trying bass guitar DI tracks can sound ‘mushy’ and kick drum tracks can lose their ‘pop’. Put it this way: everything below 100Hz can sometimes become such an undifferentiated ‘soup’ of noise that it is difficult to know just where to start. So why not start with bx_subfilter. By borrowing from the Filter section of its bigger bx_subsynth sibling, recently released by Plugin Alliance to considerable critical acclaim alongside artistic admiration from the likes of producer/remixer/DJ Dave Audé (Mark Ronson, Sting, Beyoncé), bx_subfilter is the perfect fit for anyone interested in bx_subsynth’s subharmonic strengths when it comes to unique low-end filtering but with no need for its subharmonic synthesis capabilities. Cleaning up troublesome low frequencies need not break the bank, nor need it be an overly-complicated EQ’ing exercise, thanks to bx_subfilter.
Watch MixBetterNow.com’s bx_subfilter demo and walkthrough video
But bx_subsynth is a unique processing plugin built around the digital heart and soul of the (discontinued) dbx 120XP Subharmonic Synthesizer, using founding Plugin Alliance development partner Brainworx’s M/S (Mid-Side) matrix technology to control the stereo field and add sub, punch, and saturation to sounds; so what is bx_subfilter? It is actually a carefully crafted resonant high-pass filter that changes dramatically with frequency, designed by none other than Dirk Ulrich — owner of Brainworx — to solve the specific problem of tightening a sound’s core while removing unwanted muddiness from the low end.
Ease of use and addressing the need for speed comes courtesy of its intuitive interface implementation, featuring four knobs only. Of those, Tight Punch controls a resonant high-pass filter that is specifically formulated for cutting problem frequencies in bass-heavy tracks while the Low End control applies a post-Tight Punch shelving EQ to achieve a perfect frequency-balanced sound. Self-explanatory Gain In and Gain Out controls are available for level matching and preventing clipping.
Clearly, then, bx_subfilter shares the same awesome analog-style filtering present in its bigger brother, but boasts an added bonus of selectable (Low, High, and Extreme) peaks for Resonance, rendering further flexibility for dealing with sources of varying bass content and production needs. Needless to say, eliminating subharmonic rumble and noise while emphasizing the ‘sweet spots’ in bass-heavy tracks, like bass guitars or kick drums, comes quickly and easily with bx_subfilter. But best of all… it is available for free from Plugin Alliance! Simply sign up for a Plugin Alliance account and access bx_subfilter (and five further freebies). No dongle. No hassle. No payment required!
About Plugin Alliance (www.plugin-alliance.com) Based in Wilmington, DE, USA, with offices in Santa Cruz, CA, USA, Plugin Alliance is more than just a website; it is a new ‘Über-standard’, supporting all major plugin formats and uniting some of the best-known international audio companies under one virtual roof. It empowers world-renowned analogue hardware companies with a digital strategy and provides software developers with services that allow them to develop products with increasing quality and quantity. It does this by providing world-class marketing and distribution, as well as platform features like a state-of-the-art authorisation system. The Alliance is more than just a group of partner companies; it is a rapidly growing community of artists, engineers, producers, and industry luminaries who have joined forces to share what they have learned.
Objeq Delay is a creative effect plug-in combining acoustic filtering with a clever delay unit. The plate, beam, drumhead, and string objects impart evocative acoustic resonances to the input signal. Further shaping is also available via low- and high-cut filters. The in-series delay acts as a classic unit or can split the first and subsequent repeats to either remodel the attack or create complex rhythmic patterns. A LFO module completes the package with comprehensive modulation destinations to the filter, resonator, and delay parameters.
Objeq delay is a truly creative and fun effect with multifaceted applications, said Eric Thibeault, the product designer, Objeq Delay is obviously a great delay unit, but the complete feature set takes it to another level. The acoustic resonator is a great percussion track enhancer it's fantastic on kicks and snares. The split between the first and subsequent echoes can mangle simple loops into new complex rhythms. The LFO allows various modulator-type effects such as flanger and chorus. And then when you bring it all together, a highly resonant object with the delay brings you into the drones territory.
Objeq Delay is available now at a suggested retail price of US$139 but until May 15th, 2017, it is offered at the introductory price of US$99. Objeq Delay runs on both Mac OS X and Windows in 32 and 64bit host sequencers supporting the VST, Audio Units, and AAX Native plug-in formats.
About Applied Acoustics Systems Applied Acoustics Systems (AAS) was founded in 1998 and is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As a privately-held company, it specialises in software-based synthesis tools for professional musicians and sound designers. Since releasing Tassman, the first virtual instrument based on physical modelling, AAS has come to be recognised as the industry leader in this exciting new field of synthesis.
