“I've loved SubBoomBass from the start — instant access over lots of great-sounding deep basses that immediately sit nicely in the mix! A must-have for every dance producer!” - Tom Holkenberg (a.k.a. Junkie XL), composer/producer (Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool), 2017
Virtual instrument and effect plug-in developer Rob Papen Soundware is proud to announce availability of SubBoomBass 2 — succeeding the award-winning, self-explanatory floor-shaking SubBoomBass soft synth with the original (often) bass-heavy presets all present and accounted for alongside an abundance of new features and new sound colours to take things closer to the (cutting) edge.
It is immediately obvious to the naked eye that SubBoomBass 2’s GUI (Graphical User Interface) is on the receiving end of a musical makeover making for more comfortable control of all its fanciful features. Fortunately for fans of the original soft synth, SubBoomBass 2 retains its much-loved modelled analogue waveform-driven warmth, but brings into being a brave new world of new sound colours courtesy of supplemental spectrum waveforms, with high-quality thinking outside of the box-style samples sitting alongside a welcome inclusion of Karplus-Strong string synthesis — a method of physical modelling synthesis that loops a short waveform through a filtered delay line to simulate the sound of a hammered or plucked string or some types of percussion. Put it this way: with so much musical firepower placed at adventurous users’ fingertips, SubBoomBass 2 surely sets loose some seriously fresh-sounding and hitherto unheard sounds… above and beyond the (arguably) restrictive realms of dance production with which SubBoomBass first found its musical mark so beautifully.
Watch Rob Papen’s riveting SubBoomBass 2 introductory video
But, Rob Papen being Rob Papen, there is so much more to SubBoomBass 2 than might first meet the eye… enter an X/Y screen (which will already be familiar to owners of the company’s critically-acclaimed BLUE-II and RAW soft synths both designed differently for different musical motivation in mind); access an all-new SEQUENCER (capable of running four patterns); plus an easy-to-use BANK MANAGER (with ‘star’ feature for speedily searching for favourites — whether user-created or one of the trademark Rob Papen professionally-programmed presets presented in their thousands). Speaking of which, all of the original SubBoomBass (sometimes) bass-heavy presets are all present and accounted for, so SubBoomBass 2 can capably boom and shake-shake-shake the room with the very best — bigger and better than its predecessor, possibly!
SubBoomBass 2 allows anyone to creatively compliment any style of contemporary music at any time — whether working on video game or film scores, or anything in between and beyond. After all, fellow high-flying Dutchman and original SubBoomBass supporter Tom Holkenberg (a.k.a. Junkie XL) started out on the dance floor, fraternising with worldwide chart positions, and ended up on the big screen as a hotshot Hollywood film scorer. Similarly, SubBoomBass 2 is surely set to become another success story for Rob Papen. Anything is possible… just ask Junkie XL!
SubBoomBass 2 can be purchased in a boxed edition — as an AAX (32-/64-bit), AU (32-/64-bit), VST (32-/64-bit) compatible audio software plug-in for Mac OS X (10.6 or higher) and Windows (Vista, 7, 8, and 10) — from authorised Rob Papen dealers worldwide or as a download directly from Rob Papen for €99.00 EUR/$99.00 USD from here: https://www.robpapen.com/buy-subboombass-2.html (Owners of SubBoomBass are eligible to upgrade to SubBoomBass 2 for €39.00 EUR/$39.00 USD, while SubBoomBass 2 is included in eXplorer4, the latest incarnation of Rob Papen’s all-encompassing software bundle, so owners of eXplorer4 can download the SubBoomBass 2 installer for free.)
Physical hardware touch technology and cutting-edge software specialist Touch Innovations is proud to announce that it has brought back single-license purchase pricing for Emulator 2 — its critically-acclaimed customisable multi-touch controller software for any MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) application — having opted out of the unpopular subscription model by popular demand.
Not to be confused with E-mu Systems’ second trailblazing Eighties-era hardware sampler, Touch Innovations’ innovative Emulator 2 really represents a license to dream — albeit now no longer holding its users to the unpopular subscription pricing model, making it perfectly possible for them to create their dream controller for any MIDI application by bringing about a multi-touch experience with everything and anything available at their fingertips. For Emulator 2 includes all standard objects like sliders, knobs, modulation pads, encoders, buttons, and much more besides. But best of all, as each and every component is fully customisable, creativity is effectively only limited by the user’s imagination… and, of course, the software being controlled.
Fully redesigned and re-engineered for flexibility and ease, Emulator 2’s new, improved and intuitive editor for Mac (OS X 10.11 Yosemite or higher) and Windows (8, 8.1, or 10) allows anyone to create custom interfaces in a matter of minutes. Make one from scratch or choose from Touch Innovations’ inbuilt pre-made templates in the easy-to-use editor. Elsewhere, new capabilities abound, including full-colour palette; MIDI learn; OSC (Open Sound Control) — a protocol for networking sound synthesizers, computers, and other multimedia devices for purposes such as musical performance or show control; and standard keyboard commands. Create template images and full-colour backgrounds with user-friendly navigation and more. Masterpiece creation is now easier than ever — even adding logos, images, and animated GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format)!
Furthermore, Emulator 2 effectively places the software and any touch controller on the same interface using Touch Innovations’ patented technology to enable and merge the native interface of any software with the touch controller. Cleverly, by creating ‘holes’, it allows users to port and stream certain elements of the underlying software that they can then resize and move. That way, users can customise their touch template without affecting the performance of those elements, enabling them to access all the power of their performance tool at a glance in their own way.
Whatever way anyone chooses to work with Emulator 2, their dream interface awaits… as a single-license purchase for only $59.00 USD. Users who create their own touch template using Emulator 2 can even sell their creative works online via Touch Innovations’ Template Library!
Emulator 2 is available for online purchase — and also available as a free trial version —directly from Touch Innovations for $59.00 USD here: https://touchinnovations.com/emulator-2/
Stefan Stenzel, co-founder/CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of German high-quality hardware and software synthesizer brand Waldorf Music, and Pea Hicks, self-styled custodian of all things OPTIGAN for the last 20-plus years, are proud to announce availability of iOptigan — an iOS app ‘adaptation’ of the OPTIGAN, an early-Seventies-vintage chord organ fondly remembered by a faithful few for its unique system of sound reproduction using optical discs. The long and winding road to bringing iOptigan to today’s technologically-inspiring iOS platform — producing an app compatible with Apple’s ubiquitous iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (requiring iOS 8 or later) — effectively dates back to the early-Seventies when Optigan Corporation introduced its namesake OPTIGAN to the wider world. What on earth is an OPTIGAN, though? The OPTIGAN — or OPTIcal orGAN — was a kind of chord organ, as implied by (its full) name. Needless to say, it was set up like most home organs of the time — a small keyboard with buttons on the left for playing various chords, accompaniments, and rhythms. That being said, what truly set the OPTIGAN apart from the rest of its contemporaries was that its sounds were read off LP-sized celluloid discs containing the graphic waveforms of real instruments at a time when organs still produced sounds electrically or electronically with tubes or transistors. Therefore, like the Mellotron and Chamberlin before it, the OPTIGAN really represented an early form of sampling technology, though, unlike its tape-based predecessors, the OPTIGAN’s ‘software’ came in the form of those LP-sized celluloid discs, optically encoded with 57 concentric rings of film-style soundtrack — same technology as film soundtracks of old, in fact. For the benefit of those that remember the sequence in Walt Disney Pictures’ 1941 animated feature film Fantasia where the ‘Soundtrack’ makes a cameo appearance, those squiggly lines are actually pretty close to what the real thing looks like.
But back in the wonderful world of OPTIGAN technology, the sound loops on each of those discs represented actual studio recordings of musical combos playing chord patterns in different styles that could be triggered by the instrument’s chord buttons and keys. Each disc contained a specific style of music, such as bossa nova or big band, which the user could control. Changing discs was as simple, say, as putting a new record on a turntable. Think of it as 1971’s answer to GarageBand — somewhat ironic, perhaps, given its future ‘connection’ to those inspiring iOS products. Put it this way, though: the irony is not lost on Pea Hicks, self-styled custodian of all things OPTIGAN for the last 20-plus years, who readily admits, “The result was pretty crappy sounding and soon forgotten by the world at large.”
Indeed, its novel technology, and the lo-fi, scratchy sound quality of the OPTIGAN and the inherent unreliability of the hardware itself left a lot to be desired. By the late-Seventies, the digital writing was on the wall with the severe limitations of optical sound reproduction rendering the OPTIGAN — and its close cousins, the Vako Orchestron (put to good use by German electronic music icons Kraftwerk on their trailblazing Radio Activity and Trans-Europe Express albums) and Chilton Talentmaker — ‘obsolete’. Of course, what goes around comes around. As prophetic, pioneering ambient music pioneer Brian Eno eerily predicted way back when: “Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable, and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature.”
Watch the informative introductory iOptigan video here:
Fast-forward to today, then, and those ‘long-lost’ early-Seventies signature — some might say cheesy — sounds of the OPTIGAN are available for all to experience and play in iOptigan, 45 years after the original OPTIGAN first saw the light of day. Indeed, iOptigan authentically recreates the lo-fi, scratchy sound that left so much to be desired all those years ago. All of which rather begs the question: why? Well, today the loop-based paradigm of the OPTIGAN surely seems more appropriate than ever.
Enter an individual who clearly needed no convincing — namely, Pea Hicks. Having acquired his first OPTIGAN in the mid-Nineties — just as the Internet was starting to take hold, he immediately began trying to find out everything he could about the instrument, managing to make contact with many of the people who worked for the company, even. Eventually he got in touch with Mike LeDoux, the individual in charge of making the discs for the OPTIGAN and final custodian of the audio material after the demise of the company, who still had all of the original studio master tapes, which he kindly passed on to Pea Hicks before he himself passed away.
Fortunately for those faithful few, Pea Hicks has maintained the world’s premiere website about all things OPTIGAN (Optigan.com) for 20-plus years. In addition to documenting the history of the instrument, he has also brought it back to the future by providing sample libraries of OPTIGAN sounds, making a series of all-new discs for the original hardware (in collaboration with Robert Becker), and now, with the assistance and expertise of Stefan Stenzel, there is iOptigan!
Stefan Stenzel is better known as CTO of Waldorf Music, so iOptigan was realised as a side project of sorts. Saying that, he had already amassed some serious experience of iOS app development during his ‘day job’ with Waldorf’s Nave, its first synthesizer app for Apple’s all-conquering iPad in June 2013, as well as masterfully migrating its long-running Attack virtual drum and percussion soft synth that took the VST (Virtual Studio Technology) world by storm back in early 2001 to iOS in 2015. Upon reading about the OPTIGAN in 2016 he thought it was a perfect iOS ‘conversion’ candidate. Californian business with Waldorf led to Stefan Stenzel meeting Pea Hicks and the rest, as they say, is history.
Happily, iOptigan is an authentic recreation of the unique user interface and playback characteristics of the OPTIGAN. Unlike a typical sampling keyboard that triggers samples from the start each time a key is played, the OPTIGAN’s disc is in constant rotation, resulting in its keys and buttons simply gating the various sound loops on and off, wherever they happen to be in the one-bar cycle. Anyone wanting to trigger a loop on the downbeat has to watch a flashing metronome light and hit the right button at exactly the right point in time. iOptigan emulates this and all other OPTIGAN quirks perfectly, so an iPad can now serve as a substitute for the OPTIGAN’s left-hand control panel while an external MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) controller capably handles right-hand keyboard duties. At a pinch, it is also possible to play the keys via an onscreen keyboard.
Key to iOptigan’s authenticity is that all 40 of the original OPTIGAN disc titles are available — all recorded directly from the original discs and hardware, and all in their lo-fi glory. Indeed, iOptigan is not an app for those demanding crystal-clear digital sheen! Since this is 2017 — not 1971, however, iOptigan includes many modern enhancements, such as an onboard sequencer and a variety of MIDI triggering modes. Rounding out the app is a generous helping of original OPTIGAN disc jacket art, the groovy original owner’s manual, and copious quantities of historical/technical notes. Clearly, California proved to be a match made in heaven for Stefan Stenzel and Pea Hicks — history in the (musical) making for today’s technologically-inspiring iOS platform! Put it this way: 1971’s answer to GarageBand now plays perfectly with iOS in the here and now, so get out an iPad and get into the groove and party like it’s… 1971 with iOptigan!
Note that iOptigan comes complete with 25 of the 40 original OPTIGAN disc titles; the remaining 15 are available as In-App purchases, either individually (priced at $0.99 USD apiece) or as the self-explanatory Complete Disc Pak (priced at $5.99 USD).
For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated iOptigan webpage here: https://www.ioptigan.com
Visit the world’s premiere website about all things OPTIGAN here: http://optigan.com
Bolstered by the success of having recently released SYNERGY R1 — representing its first foray into hardware with a ‘remote-controlled’ software/hardware hybrid digital (REVERB)/analogue (SATURATOR) processing module for the 500-series modular rack frame format popularised by API (Automated Processes, Inc.), host application and audio effects developer Audified announces attractive discounts on several of its software titles during a one-week ‘Black Friday’ pricing promotion, starting on November 20. Fresh out of Audified’s software starting gate (as of August 2017) is RZ062 Equalizer, a plug-in bundle based around authentic namesake models of the now-scarce and sought-after, Sixties-vintage Klangfilm RZ062a and RZ062b valve EQ modules made by German giant Siemens for installation in its film sound-centric Universal Mixing and Control Console (Klangfilm System), served up as AU-, AAX-, and VST-compatible RZ062A and RZ062B plug-ins that simply sound as stunning as they look when mixing and mastering with suitable DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) worldwide. While normally retailing with an MSRP of $199.00 USD, now it is possible to get it directly from Audified at a 20% discount — priced to tempt at $159.00 USD. Audified’s U78 Saturator — saturation effects plug-in par excellence, utilising meticulous models of the amazing-sounding analogue circuitry central to the U73b, the treasured Sixties-vintage German broadcast compressor/limiter that found favour in European mastering circles well into the Eighties and beyond, but supplementing the tube saturation circuitry with high-pass and lowpass filters and a unique tone filter for some seriously satisfying saturation — first saw the light of day in December 2016, but benefits from an even bigger ‘Black Friday’ price reduction, temporarily weighing in at an attractive $59.00 USD. That’s a stupendous 60% off its regular MSRP of $149.00!
Speaking of U78 Saturator, Audified is all set to lead anyone interested further into temptation with Studio Bundle — an already 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, priced at $225.00 USD instead of its regular MSRP of $449.00 USD. A 50%-discounted bargain if ever there was one — all the more so since buying the bundled software titles individually would normally cost $516.00 USD! Last but by no means least — and arguably saving the biggest bargain until last… Live Guitar and Bass Bundle. As implied by name, this special set of applications and plug-ins contains everything anyone might possibly need to play and record guitar or bass — not forgetting keys and vocals, valued at $276.00 USD when purchased individually. Includes ampLion Pro (precise simulation of nine guitar preamps, seven power amps, 12 speakers, eight microphones, and 30 effects to deliver a wide variety of unique guitar sounds); GK Amplification 2 Pro (plug-in and a standalone application including exact models of three Gallien-Krueger bass amps and several speakers); inTone2 (multifaceted multichannel effects processor, software mixing console, virtual instruments host, and flexible multitrack zonal player); and Pedals (complete set of virtual stomp-box effects in one package) — priced for ‘Black Friday’ at $59.00 USD, representing an attractive 60% discount against its regular MSRP of $149.00 USD.
RZ062 Equalizer, U78 Saturator, Studio Bundle, and Live Guitar and Bass Bundle are all available to purchase from Audified’s online shop (https://shop.audified.com/products) at their respective discounted ‘Black Friday’ promo pricing between November 20 and 28, 2017, following which they will all return to their respective MSRPs.
British boutique electronic instruments innovator Analogue Solutions is proud to announce availability of Mr Hyde and Dr Strangelove — introducing its synthBlocks series of small and affordable desktop signal processors with two tantalisingly-named new products squarely aimed at laptop and audio plug-ins-focused digital musicians wishing to apply analogue, hands-on hardware processing to their sometimes sterile-sounding computer-based creations. The synthBlocks series represents an all-new range of small and affordable desktop signal processors produced by British boutique electronic instruments innovator Analogue Solutions, an acclaimed company with over 24 years of designing serious-sounding synthesizers featuring fully-analogue audio paths with analogue LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and EGs (Envelope Generators) to its notable name. Similarly, synthBlocks are all-analogue affairs — albeit with some lo-fi digital effects thrown in for good (musical) measure. Menus and software are all eschewed in favour of a hardy hardware approach. As such, synthBlocks are squarely aimed at laptop and audio plug-ins-focused digital musicians wishing to apply analogue, hands-on hardware processing to their sometimes sterile-sounding computer-based creations. Cue simply plugging the synthBlocks in question into an audio interface’s I/O connections, then routing drums, synths, vocals, or whatever out of the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and through the transistors and op-amps of the synthBlocks and recording the results back into the DAW. Something similar can be achieved by connecting the synthBlocks to the auxiliary buss of a mixing console — just like any other effects processor. Whatever the workflow, turning the dials and flicking the switches by hand of course changes the sound in realtime — often with radical results. Results of course can be radically different — depending on which of the two available synthBlocks are applied to any given sound signal.
Watch Analogue Solutions’ Mr Hyde audio demonstration video here:
Many might have heard of Mr Edward Hyde, an abominable alternative personality of Dr Henry Jekyll, a fictional character in Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde gothic novella first published in 1886. However, hearing Analogue Solutions’ Mr Hyde in the here and now is something else entirely! As announced, Mr Hyde was the first out of the starting blocks in its synthBlocks series as an analogue filter effects box bringing subtle to extreme filtering and modulation effects to the analogue processing production table. To further aid ease of use, Mr Hyde has quarter-inch input and output jacks on its rear, so can be connected straight to an audio interface or mixer without the need for adaptors. The topside of its distinctive blood-red panel features minijack sockets to patch with a semi-modular synth, such as Analogue Solutions’ relatively recently released Fusebox — an aptly-named, three-VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator) true analogue monophonic synthesizer that favourably fuses the company’s characterful vintage sound with an advanced choice of modulation and melodic possibilities (in a beautifully-built box); ever-popular Eurorack small-format modular systems; or other modular systems.
Specification-wise, Mr Hyde doesn’t disappoint by boasting a two-pole 12db/octave analogue multimode filter (featuring lowpass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch filtering options); resonance with a Q BOOST feature to make it SCREAM (self oscillate); LFO with triangle and square wave signals; and a range switch (to bring the modulation speed into audio frequencies). Hands-on control comes quickly, thanks to a selection of switches and knobs — not least the largest knob of all: FREAQ (filter cutoff frequency). Furthermore, the smaller Q knob sets the resonance level, CHANGE changes the frequency range of the LFO from SLOW to FAST at the flick of a switch, SPEED sets the LFO modulator’s speed, and LEVEL controls the modulation level/depth that affects the filter cutoff. More meaningfully, Mr Hyde can change sounds subtly, such as satisfying sweeping filtering, right up to mangled FM (Frequency Modulation) mayhem — perfectly in keeping with its naughty name!
Dr Strangelove is an altogether different character, both literally and figuratively speaking — Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 political satire black comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, anyone? Actually, Analogue Solutions’ Dr Strangelove is a compact, high-quality analogue ring modulator (with two audio inputs) and an analogue LFO capable of going into audio range (with two waveforms), plus a lo-fi echo (giving an ‘analogue’ bucket brigade-style sound). The ring mod itself does not have any controls as such, since a ring mod does not have parameters that can be altered — other than input and output levels. Just plug in audio cables and it does its thing! Ring mods do need two audio sources, however — namely, the main signal to be processed (carrier) and the signal that will modulate the carrier (modulator).
Watch Analogue Solutions’ Dr Strangelove audio demonstration video here:
In the strange case of Dr Strangelove, one of those sources, the MOD (modulation) input, can be audio or a low frequency signal (from, say, an LFO). Literally switching switches — HARD/SOFT (selects between square and triangle wave modulation signals — triangle resulting in softer modulation while square results in sudden, harder changes) — and turning knobs — CHANGE (sets the modulation depth or ‘loudness’ of the modulating signal fed into the ring mod’s modulation input), RATE (sets repeat rate), and MIX (sets the mix level between fully dry and a 50/50 balance between wet and dry) — makes music mangling child’s play. Other controls clearly allude to the aforesaid film: FALLOUT alters the speed of the analogue LFO modulator while HALF LIFE sets delay time. All told, then, Dr Strangelove is ideal for subtle or extreme modulation effects. Like its Mr Hyde synthBlocks sibling, Dr Strangelove includes minijack (Eurorack-accommodating) audio and CV (control voltage) I/O for direct connection to modulars.
Mangling music setups sonically while adding analogue warmth is a synthBlocks speciality, so why not consider adding one or more of them to your music setup today? And all without breaking the bank while fitting in the palm of your hand! Hand built, having been designed and engineered in England by Analogue Solutions, surely it’s time to wave goodbye to those sometimes sterile-sounding computer-based creations by saying hello to some synthBlocks?
UK pricing for the Mr Hyde and Dr Strangelove synthBlocks is £255.00 GBP (including VAT) apiece, available from dealers (http://analoguesolutions.com/global-distribution/) and Analogue Solutions directly.
North American availability of the Mr Hyde and Dr Strangelove synthBlocks is being handled via Voltage & Company (http://www.vcousa.com) — full-service reps of high-quality manufacturers from around the world — with a retail price of $279.00 USD, while (most) EU distribution is being handled by Sonic Sales (http://www.sonic-sales.de) — one of the largest full-service MI (Musical Instrument) distribution companies in Europe — priced at €279.00 EUR (including VAT).
“MangledVerb is one of the most interesting reverbs I’ve ever heard; it’s like running an EMT plate or outboard reverb through a vintage tube amp or analog distortion, but with infinite control over all the parameters of both — and all in one plug-in!”- Lawson White, multi-instrumentalist/composer/producer (Ben Folds, Shakira), 2017
Recording technology trailblazer Eventide is proud to announce the immediate availability of its MangledVerb reverb plug-in as the newest in its H9 Signature Series.
MangledVerb combines reverb and distortion, providing power to create unique spaces full of beauty or drenched in mayhem, with complete control over all the elements. Eventide has repurposed MangledVerb for anyone working ‘in the box’ by following in the footsteps of the first H9 Signature Series plug-in, UltraTap, drawing from some of the most popular and powerful algorithms from its award-winning H9 Harmonizer® Effects Processor stompbox. Similarly, MangledVerb makes a signature effect first popularized in its rack mount Eclipse Harmonizer® Effects Processor available as a namesake new plug-in.
Designed for real-time manipulation, MangledVerb features The Ribbon, an innovative control that allows anyone to program two settings for any combination of the controls to transition between them. The programmable HOTSWITCH helps push creativity further still by enabling users to instantly jump to an alternative setting at the push of a button. Other controls include PRE DELAY, reverb DECAY time and enclosure SIZE, OVERDRIVE, and pre-distortion (post-reverb) equalization, as well as a proprietary WOBBLE parameter. This combination of controls is intended to make MangledVerb as close as possible to the experience of tweaking real hardware.
“I encourage everyone to check out the free demo of MangledVerb,” says Eventide Product Specialist Alan Chaput. “Frankly, it’s a challenge to find words to describe its sonic possibilities. The best I can do is to say that it creates sounds that range from the light friction of a bow scraping a cello string to the mayhem of a caged beast being poked with a red-hot flounder!”
Fortunately, MangledVerb comes complete with over 180 presets from acclaimed artists including Christian Cassan, Richard Devine, and Vernon Reid — enough to whet any appetite before delving deeper into this extraordinary effect.
MangledVerb is available — as an AAX/AU/VST plug-in for Mac OS X 10.7+ and Windows 7+ — at an introductory price of $49.00 USD until November 30, 2017 (rising to an MSRP of $79.00 USD thereafter) from Eventide dealers and its website: https://www.eventideaudio.com (A fully-functional 30-day demo version is available; MangledVerb is also available as part of Eventide’s Ensemble Subscription bundle here: https://www.eventideaudio.com/ensemble)
“I was very happy with my monitor speakers, but they seemed to lack bass extension; Matt Colton has active ATC SCM150 ASL PROs in his room, so I thought that an ATC amp might give me more bass... the difference wasn’t subtle with the P2 PRO.”- Alchemy Mastering Founder & Director Barry Grint, 2017
Specialist British loudspeaker drive unit and complete sound reproduction system manufacturer ATC is proud to announce that mastering engineer extraordinaire Barry ‘Bazza’ Grint has acquired a P2 PRO Dual Mono Power Amplifier — a true dual mono design delivering 300W of continuous power simultaneously from both channels to drive the most challenging loudspeaker loads with ATC’s signature virtues of wide bandwidth and ultra-low distortion — to enhance the full-range monitoring system in his room at Alchemy Mastering, one of the world’s leading lights in half-speed and pure analogue vinyl mastering…
Mastering engineer extraordinaire Barry Grint’s ‘lifelong’ love affair with The Dark Art Of Audio Mastering — to paraphrase the appropriate website wording for Alchemy Mastering (www.alchemymastering.com), the company he founded in 1998, having previously worked at Abbey Road, Porky’s Mastering, Tape One, and the legendary Trident Studios — led him to a life less ordinary that has been truly extraordinary. “I always wanted to work in a recording studio, but getting in has always been difficult,” he notes. “I had many jobs beforehand, but eventually I started as a tea boy at Trident Studios. Seeing first-hand what being a studio engineer actually entailed, I felt that it wasn’t quite right for me. On the third floor there was disc cutting — vinyl and cassette being the only formats at the time. I immediately felt at home, starting in the tape and cassette copy room, before moving up to vinyl mastering in 1984.” The bright-eared Barry Grint was quick off the mark in making his mastering mark. 1984 alone saw his mastering mojo working wonderfully on classic vinyl singles for Duran Duran (‘The Wilds Boys’), Foreigner (‘I Want To Know What Love Is’), Madonna (‘Like A Virgin’), Van Halen (‘Jump’), and ZZ Top (‘Gimme All Your Lovin’’). Thereafter, things went seriously stratospheric as Barry Grint went on to work with a roll call of rock and pop greats such as Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Oasis, Prince, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones, to list but a few notable names. Speaking of names, the master(ing) craftsman identified his vinyl work by etching ‘Bazza’ in the run out-groove with various incarnations including Bazza @ Abbey Road, Bazza @ Tape One, Bazza @ Porky’s putting in an appearance throughout the years.
Yet Barry Grint has witnessed a lot of industry changes — technological or otherwise — in a celebrated career spanning five distinctive decades. Given his mastering pedigree, perhaps it was inevitable that he would one day become a master of his own destiny at Alchemy Mastering in Soho, which went on to become one of the UK’s foremost mastering facilities before leasing issues at its ‘high-flying’ Centre Point office tower London location left its founder rethinking and, ultimately, relocating somewhat closer to terra firma. Its current location in an elegant West London mews houses three acoustically-tuned studios with natural daylight designed by the three ‘Alchemists’ — Barry Grint and fellow Directors Matt Colton and Phil Kinrade — themselves, each equipped with full-range monitoring systems and a wide range of vintage and cutting-edge high-end analogue and digital hardware and software processors, perfect for pursuing their sought-after craft. “We all react to what’s coming out of the speakers, and we make our judgements based on how that sounds in the room,” Matt Colton claimed, soon after receiving the coveted Music Producers Guild Mastering Engineer of the Year award in 2013.
As a full member, Barry Grint is no stranger to the MPG (Music Producers Guild) himself, representing them when working with the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) to create a standard for embedding the ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) within BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) audio, adopted by the main manufacturers of mastering software internationally. But back in the mastering hot seat within Mastering Two — Barry Grint’s mastering studio for digital, CD, and vinyl mastering at Alchemy Mastering — things get more personal. “The choice of equipment is a very personal thing,” its owner-occupier opines. “I was very happy with my monitor speakers, but they seemed to lack bass extension; Matt Colton has active ATC SCM150 ASL PROs in his room, so I thought that an ATC amp might give me more bass.”
Cue delivery of a P2 PRO Dual Mono Power Amplifier — a true dual mono design delivering 300W of continuous power simultaneously from both channels to drive the most challenging loudspeaker loads with ATC’s signature virtues of wide bandwidth and ultra-low distortion — on trial. The result? “The bass extension was great, but there was also a noticeable improvement overall — a smoothness that gave improved detail and clarity,” continues the seriously impressed Barry Grint. “The difference wasn’t subtle with the P2 PRO. I called Ben Lilly, Technical Sales Manager at ATC, and told him he couldn’t have the demo unit back until he had sent me the one I bought!”
Beneficiaries of this latest acquisition already encompasses a lengthening list of current and established artists alike, as Barry Grint reveals: “Remastering Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds, The Stranglers, Declan McKenna, Tom Odell, Sean Paul, Roger Waters; vinyl mastering for All Tvvins, Gorillaz, Laura Mvula, Little Mix, Radiohead, Rag’n’Bone Man, The Libertines, The Rolling Stones…”
So, yes, Barry Grint has witnessed a lot of industry changes in a celebrated career spanning five distinctive decades — not least the putative passing of vinyl into the annals of reproductive audio history only for it to triumphantly return relatively recently, as evidenced by Alchemy Mastering making a name for itself as one of the world’s leading lights in half-speed and pure analogue vinyl mastering: “When I started, people recorded in recording studios and mobile studios were big articulated lorries loaded with massive Neve, Cadac, or Trident desks and multitrack tape machines. Today, digital recording has made available amazing recording spaces. Sometimes this means that for some projects the mastering room is the only controlled listening environment, one where a good speaker/amp combination is vital. This is why we went with ATC.”
“SYNERGY R1 is a great idea… we’ve all got lazy using plug-ins for instant session recall, so to be able to get the quality of hardware with that convenience has got to be a good thing.”
- George Shilling, record producer/recording engineer/mastering engineer/musician/composer (Mary J. Blige, Porcupine Tree, Steve Winwood), 2017
Host application and audio effects developer Audified is proud to announce availability of SYNERGY R1 — representing its first foray into hardware with a ‘remote-controlled’ software/hardware hybrid digital (REVERB)/analogue (SATURATOR) processing module for the 500-series modular rack frame format popularised by API (Automated Processes, Inc.) .
Imagine a studio reverb with seven types of algorithms in synergy with three kinds of true analogue saturation, remotely-controlled from within a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with an outstanding sound and world-class user interface. Imagine no more! Making room (in a 500-series lunchbox) for Audified’s SYNERGY R1 is making room for a studio reverb for a new era, enabling all of that… and more.
Modern-day producers tend to shy away from audio hardware effects in this day and age. Why? Well, the luxury of recalling such sessions like yesteryear’s production pros is a time-consuming process and shrinking production budgets dictate that today’s time-stressed producers often take to sacrificing CPU (Central Processing Unit) power for plug-in processing convenience. Conceptually — and in reality, as a ‘remote-controlled’ software/hardware hybrid digital (REVERB)/analogue (SATURATOR) processing module for the 500-series modular rack frame format popularised by API, SYNERGY R1 is an altogether different production proposition, one that effectively turns modern-day production preconceptions on their head. How? How about the fact that users can control the device directly from their DAW, automate it, and store session settings, courtesy of its easily accessible, front facia-positioned USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection. And that’s just for starters.
Seriously designed and sturdily built in the Czech Republic, beating at SYNERGY R1’s hardware heart are two switchable sections. REVERB is digital, providing premium-quality 24-bit A/D (analogue-to-digital) and D/A (digital-to-analogue) convertors, 32-bit floating point DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and true BYPASS functionality; all told, there are seven selectable reverb algorithms (simulating several different types of spatial acoustics), ranging from Room all the way up to Tunnel, and users can control four front panel-accessible parameters: DECAY, PREDELAY, COLOR, and TYPE. The second — true analogue — SATURATOR section features three switchable saturation circuits with GE (Germanium), OA (OpAmp), and JF (J-FET) types (that add harmonics to the signal) and a GAIN control. (Centrally positioned, a distinctive display is packed with Light Emitting Diodes to assist with parameter editing visually via numeric and bar indication of values — LEDs for the edited parameter change colour to yellow and the value is visible in the numeric part of the display while other parameter LEDs remain green; when editing is finished, the display returns to the default view — numeric area displaying preset number and all value indicators in green… or red if the parameter is switched off.) Both sections include wet/dry MIX controls, so SYNERGY R1 can be used as a 100% digital reverb or a 100% analogue saturator (and anything between those two worlds).
What truly sets SYNERGY R1 apart from the run-of-the-mill 500-series pack, however, is that each and every one of its functions can be remote controlled via the included Synergy R1 Control plug-in that can be used from within all major DAW host applications on Mac and Windows (with AAX, AU, VST2, and VST3 support). Hardware parameters can be fully automated and are saved within projects. The plug-in supports multi-instance usage, so several plug-ins could be assigned to one hardware unit. Also included is a standalone Synergy R1 Control application, allowing for independent control of SYNERGY R1 via MacOS (10.9.5 and above) or Windows (7 and above). Production pros of old school-style thinking, of course, can still get hands-on with the hardy hardware itself… if they wish to do so!
So who better to sing SYNERGY R1’s praises than the talented individual behind its innovative design? “I’m a reverb guy,” gushes well-known Czech composer/producer Boris Carloff, before adding: “I own 11 hardware reverb units in my studio, including an EMT 251, Bricasti M7, and AKG BX25 spring reverb — all classics, but I always dreamt of having something with the mellowness of old plate reverbs like the EMT 140. The analogue saturation of overdriving circuitry made their sound so lush, three-dimensional, and significant that I think I prefer them to any of the classic digital reverbs. On the flipside of the coin, I love the versatility of digital’s different algorithms. And, of course, I also like simple DAW control. So something with the best of both the analogue and digital worlds, with all their wonderful possibilities combined, seemed like a good solution to me, which was the thinking behind SYNERGY R1.”
Watch Audified’s informative introductory SYNERGY R1 video here:
For all its (breakthrough) bells and (wondrous) whistles, what SYNERGY R1 really boils down to is its sound. “New high-end algorithms with real analogue saturation makes for an unbelievably lush- and nice-sounding reverb, but there is also an option to use clean digital reverb,” its creator continues. “With real bypass of the digital reverb it is also possible to apply three different types of parallel analogue saturation to your mix.”
An amazing mix of technologies, then, perfectly packaged into a stereo audio processing module powered by a 500-series lunchbox, but boasting DAW control, carefully tuned reverb algorithms, and the satisfying sound of real analogue circuitry. Concludes Carloff: “SYNERGY R1 is something new that sounds superb; I believe it’s a must-have processor for every studio — project or commercial.”
Clearly, George Shilling — owner of the commercial, Cotswolds, UK-based Bank Cottage Studio — couldn’t agree more; maintains the multi-platinum, award-winning record producer, recording engineer, mastering engineer, musician, composer, journalist, and music tech teacher: “SYNERGY R1 is a great idea… we’ve all got lazy using plug-ins for instant session recall, so to be able to get the quality of hardware with that convenience has got to be a good thing.”
Having been accepted into API Audio’s VPR Alliance (http://apiaudio.com/vpr_alliance.php) — a program of standardisation and consistency guidelines for approved manufacturers wishing to design products for API’s 500-series rack format, SYNERGY R1 is available for purchase through Audified’s growing global network of distribution partners at an MSRP of $1,399.00 USD. (Audified are offering free shipping on orders placed before the end of November 2017.)
For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated SYNERGY R1 webpage here: http://synergy.audified.com
Synergy R1 Control can be directly downloaded as a multi-format (AAX, AU, VST2, VST3) plug-in and standalone application for MacOS (10.9.5 and above) and Windows (7 and above) from Audified here: https://services.audified.com/download
High-end professional audio equipment manufacturer Antelope Audio is proud to announce availability of its desktop DISCRETE 4 Thunderbolt™ & USB Interface with 4 Discrete Mic Preamps — perfect for solo musicians as well as smaller project studios and bedroom-based home recordists/producers alike, courtesy of four console-grade six-transistor discrete microphone preamps; 121 dB dynamic range conversion; and rock-solid, fourth-generation 64-bit AFC (Acoustically Focused Clocking) technology, together with Antelope Audio’s acclaimed Real-time FPGA FX, modelling iconic gear from BAE, Grove Hill, Graf Audio, Lang, and more (for use in the EasyPanel software or any DAW directly, thanks to Antelope Audio’s all-new AFX2DAW plug-in).
DISCRETE 4 was developed after Antelope Audio undertook extensive research into illustrious microphone preamp circuitry, applying its famed FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) engine effectively to transform its already big-budget-sounding Accusonic preamps into several classic models. Moreover, this takes place in real-time with an authentic response that truly sets it apart. Although DISCRETE 4 was designed to work with any microphone, it really shines when working with Antelope Audio’s new EDGE and VERGE modelling microphones that were recently announced alongside its bigger brother, the DISCRETE 8 Thunderbolt™ & USB Interface with 8 Discrete Mic Preamps — hardly surprising since those modelling microphones were designed to exclusively match the discrete preamp architecture of the audio interfaces in question.
Unquestionable sonic supremacy apart, as is the case with its far-reaching range of relatively recently released professional audio interfaces, Antelope Audio’s acclaimed real-time FPGA platform puts an authentic vintage sound into discerning DISCRETE 4 users’ hands; however, this has now been extended to create a complete professional studio experience like no other. Microphones, preamps, conversion, compressors, EQ, and reverb are all accessible with ease, either from within DISCRETE 4’s EasyPanel software or via any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with workflow that just… well, works — thanks to Antelope Audio’s all-new AFX2DAW plug-in. Perform and record either with effects already applied or add processing in post-production. Like all things Antelope Audio, DISCRETE 4 is a rock-solid clocking solution in itself. It comes complete with cutting-edge, fourth-generation 64-bit AFC technology that is already familiar from several celebrated classics of Antelope Audio’s own making, such as ISOCHRONE TRINITY, the best sounding and most versatile master clock available anywhere; the OCX HD 768 kHz HD master clock; and Pure2, a mastering-grade 24-bit/192kHz AD/DA two-channel converter and master clock. Creatively, two WC OUT (Word Clock output) connections allow DISCRETE 4 users to distribute the clock signal to other digital equipment.
Watch Antelope Audio’s informative introductory DISCRETE 4 video here
When working with DISCRETE 4, monitoring and talkback features are both super-flexible and a breeze to set up. Ultimately, users can create up to four individual monitoring mixes and send them to headphones or MONITOR outputs with (or without) whatever FPGA FX they might have stacked, so any artist being recorded can experience the convincing sounds of vintage EQ, compression, and authentic guitar amp emulations that are as close to the final product as possible. Remote control comes easily to DISCRETE 4 — access all areas (including adjusting all microphone input levels as well as full control over all talkback levels, monitoring, and headphone volumes) via its intuitive EasyPanel software or download the free iOS and Android mobile apps. As such, musicians can comfortably control their own headphone volume through their smartphones. So if that’s not enough to convince, consider this: DISCRETE 4 can even save and load presets and exchange settings with Antelope Audio’s full lineup of FPGA-equipped professional audio interfaces, making it a no-brainer for both new users and existing owners using a second rig for touring or travel by allowing them to leave their current studio setup untouched when on the road or engaging in session work outside their own facility — free to roam, recording whatever and whenever with the desktop DISCRETE 4 Thunderbolt™ & USB Interface with 4 Discrete Mic Preamps. Perfectly paired with those EDGE and VERGE modelling microphones, it's a beautiful combination!
The DISCRETE 4 Thunderbolt™ & USB Interface with 4 Discrete Mic Preamps (plus EDGE and VERGE modelling microphones) will soon be available via Antelope Audio’s growing global network of dealers. As of November 1, 2017, Antelope Audio itself is accepting preorders on the following bundles: DISCRETE 4 with Basic FX collection (€899.00 EUR); DISCRETE 4 with Premium FX collection (€1,399.00 EUR); DISCRETE 4 with Premium FX collection and 1x EDGE modelling microphone (€1,995.00 EUR).
