ABLETON 11 Devices – Inspired by Nature, Interview with creator Dillon Bastan
Ableton 11 Devices – ‘Inspired by Nature’ Interview with creator Dillon Bastan Ableton 11 has a lot of great new features coming out in 2021. We had the pleasure of speaking with device designer Dillon Bastan about his 6 new devices for Ableton Live 11 – “Inspired By Nature”. You can see Dillon’s demo for each device at the bottom of the page. What is your background, are you a physicist? What got you interested in making sounds based on natural phenomena? I’m not a physicist at all and am coming from a music background/self-taught programming, my academic math level is low. For some of the devices I make I try to get to a game-like/playful approach to sound generation/design. A couple of years ago I began to learn more about coding simulations of natural phenomena, particularly simple particle systems in the case of these devices, so it was …
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LABS – FREE Piano and Strings VST from Spitfire Audio
LABS – FREE Piano and Strings VST from Spitfire Audio A few months ago Spitfire Audio had announced they were preparing an audio library for release on their own platform, and just recently they finally delivered. LABS – an acronym for Let’s All Be Something – is now available to download for FREE from the LABS website. The plugin comes in VST/AU form as it is now a standalone plugin as opposed to previously only being operable in Kontakt. The plan is to release new instruments every month, but for now, you can utilize the Soft Piano and String libraries. Soft Piano is the first library available and is described as, “Recorded at Air Edel Studios, this sound has become a favourite of music makers across the globe. The soft tone is achieved by placing a thin strip of felt between the hammers and the strings.” Check out the video below …
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Sitala – FREE Drum Sampler
Sitala – FREE Drum Sampler Decomposer just released their free drum sampler instrument for alpha/beta testing so now is the time for you to get your hands on it. Satal is designed as a straightforward instrument built for a simple workflow, the user interface certainly lends to that notion. The plugin can be downloaded as a VST or AU format. Multiple formats are supported for loading into the plugin – WAV, AIFF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, and many others! A nice feature is the ability to save your kits for recall later; the instrument comes loaded with some presets already though, two drum machines called “Classic 08” and “Classic 09”. It comes with 16 sample slots which you can load your own external sounds into, Mute and Solo buttons are located below each sample pad. There are four knobs placed on the right side of the plugin that can be used to shape the …
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ATK Side Compressor – FREE Sidechaining Compressor Plugin
ATK Side Compressor – FREE Sidechaining Compressor Plugin Audio ToolKit has released a free sidechaining compressor called ATK Side Compressor. The plugin is pretty straightforward but features some unique parameters to offer a little bit more character in its processing. Below is a detailed signal flow diagram of how the side chain compressor works! From the developer, “The side chain capability allows an outside signal to trigger the compressor, like a filtered version of the original signal or a completely distinct signal. Bass triggered by drums is the typical example of a side-chain compressor effect. The plugin features a unique color section that enables non linear compression near the knee. A negative color lowers the gain while a positive color increases the gain above 0dB (a simple compressor always has a gain less or equal to 0dB). In linked channels mode, both channels attach/release filters are working independently while their …
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Speculum – FREE Delay/Comb Filter Plugin
Speculum – FREE Delay/Comb Filter Plugin Decade Bridge recently released a unique plugin that we’re sharing with you and encouraging to check out, plus it’s free! Speculum is a Delay effect and Comb Filter combined int one unit that can be used for some pretty cool results. Switch between the effects and then send the audio signal through a low pass filter for further processing. The delay rate can be adjusted by moving the ‘Time’ dial to the specified amount (represented by divisions of time). The plugin really shines when you automate the parameters to produce flange/phase effects and it works particularly well for builds and drops. The interface is quite simple to follow with eight knobs dedicated to the typical controls you would see on a simple delay. Parameters such as Time, Feedback, Wet/Dry and Gain are all present but you get some additional controls as well for things like …
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DAW Cassette – Klevgrand Brings Back the Grit
DAW Cassette – Klevgrand Brings Back the Grit This week we want to share with you Klevgrand’s new plugin, DAW Cassette. DAW Cassette is a cassette tape emulation software that can immediately bring you back to the late 80’s/early 90’s for that classic sound only found on cassette. We played around with the plugin and it was extremely impressive, and we’re not being too generous, this was one of the coolest plugins we’ve reviewed in a while. Read our review then below that read an interview we had with the developers of DAW Cassette from Klevgrand. The interface is fun and easy to experiment with using the 6 buttons and 6 knobs to control each parameter. From left to right you have control over the Tape Quality, Head Quality, and Motor Quality, Input Gain, Output Gain, and finally a Dry/Wet Mix. The buttons available can alter the tape’s materials from Normal, …
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