reFuseSoftware.com

AAX Plug-In Plans

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:25:29 -0700

We have received several emails asking if we intend to support Avid's new AAX plug-in format. The short answer is yes! But it bears some further clarification.

One, Pro Tools 10 is the first Pro Tools version to support AAX plug-ins - but it still also supports RTAS. So, even if you take the leap and upgrade to Pro Tools 10 right now, your RTAS plug-ins will still work.

Two, as Avid explains here, AAX plug-ins will come in two "flavors": AAX Native and AAX DSP. These are analogous to RTAS and TDM, in that AAX Native plug-ins will run on your computer's central processors, while AAX DSP will run on proprietary Avid hardware cards. These two types of AAX plug-ins are NOT interchangable, however, and (despite Avid's efforts to consolidate their code base) they would have to be coded and tested separately. For this reason, while we will certainly be porting Lowender to AAX Native, it is unlikely at this time that we will also port it to AAX DSP. The main reason is the extra development cost - my thoughts run quite similarly to those expressed by Sean Costello of Valhalla DSP recently in this post on Gearslutz.

Three, no, we don't have a timeline for when we're releasing an AAX version of Lowender. Barring some misfortune, it will be before Pro Tools version 11 (which reportedly will be dropping RTAS support) is released. So, by the time you would conceivably need it, you'll have it.

Lastly, we have not yet decided the fate of our free Pluggo plug-ins. When RTAS support is dropped from Pro Tools, obviously the RTAS wrapper for Pluggo will no longer function (again, this would only be upon installing Pro Tools 11, when Avid has just now released Pro Tools 10). As that time draws nearer, we'll decide which if any of those Pluggo plug-ins might get turned into native versions.

For an additional details on the whys and hows of the AAX format, here is a post from plug-in developer Frank Filipanits titled "Transition to AAX: A Real Programmer's Perspective".

RTA Plug-In Released for OS X

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:32:54 -0700

Long available only for OS users, our Real Time Analyzer plug-in has finally been ported to OS X!

The RTA plug-in is free - get it here:

Real Time Analyzer for OS X

Windows users, let us know if you want it too, and we'll make it happen!

Pluggo Tested on Lion

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:01:24 -0700

Good news, Mac Pluggo fans! We have completed testing of our Pluggo plug-ins of on OS X 10.7.1 (Lion), and found that they are working just fine.

As always, we recommend that Pluggo users grab the free Pluggo Jr. package from Cycling '74, since that installs not only the Pluggo framework itself, but also 12 complementary plug-ins.

We look forward to another Mac OS cycle where Pluggo is still alive and kicking, and our free Mid-Side Suite, Flipper, and other Pluggo plug-ins soldier on!

For more background info about Pluggo and why we use it, please read our FAQ.

Lowender testimonial from Tchad Blake!

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:13:34 -0700

Tchad Blake is one of our biggest audio heroes. So when we heard that he was using Lowender, we freaked out, and then emailed the man to ask a few questions. Tchad was awesomely generous with his answers...

Read Tchad's Lowender testimonial here!

New Website!

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:34:25 -0700

A much-needed refresh of our website finally went live today. Besides the new style, you might notice a few other changes:

Reviews and Testimonials have been consolidated into one section. Look for some new "power-user" Testimonials coming soon.

We added little "teaser" boxes to the sidebar, to help you see quickly from anywhere on the site what is the newest in new.

"Download" and "Demo" buttons now automatically sense which operating system you're running, and give you the appropriate version of our software. If you require a different version (if, say, you're downloading on PC, but will be transferring the software to your offline Mac), you can always grab alternate versions at the bottom of product pages, in the "Supported Systems" section.

And a big thank you to our friends at Portland, OR design studio Tiny Little Hammers, who crafted the look of our new site!

The Swarm Updated, Ported to Windows

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:58:35 -0800

Since the initial release of The Swarm, just five days ago, we've seen an extremely positive user response. For an obscure type of synth, not playable by traditional (keyboard-controlled) means, the number of downloads has been surprisingly high. And those download numbers have only come from OS X users... until now!

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of The Swarm for Windows. Get your free copy here.

On both Mac and Windows systems, we are now up to version 0.3.1. Please see below for full details on what has changed along the way.

There's a few things we'd like to impart about The Swarm, before we go and leave you to your downloading.

The first is an explanation of the basic workings of The Swarm, so you understand what makes it special: The Swarm is built around a bank of eight oscillators that start out tuned in unison. Using the Span knob, you can continuously stretch out that cluster of notes from unison to, at the widest setting, evenly spaced harmonic multiples. Along the way, all kinds of dissonant tones and beat frequencies are created, sounds that you simply could not get from a synth using standard tuning.

We'd also like to emphasize that The Swarm can be played by anyone with a Mac or Windows computer. Since it is a standalone application, you don't need a host application (like Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, etc) to run it. And no special hardware is required to control it, either - all functions are accessible from the onscreen controls (although MIDI control may be added if you wish).

For you studio heads: The Swarm is not available as a plug-in at this time, but the audio output of the The Swarm may be sent to ReWire-compatible host applications.

Lastly, we would like to thank Leon Dewan of Dewanatron, makers of the Swarmatron hardware synth, for his brilliant invention, his blessing of our software project, and for generously answering our questions about the Swarmatron's workings.

The Swarm Changelog:

Version 0.2

- Fixed oscillator initializer routine at startup
- Added Hints
- Added pitch wheel control, mappable to Base Pitch or Span

Version 0.3

- Fixed window size and layout to allow use on smaller laptop screens
- Added Pitch Center control
- Added Waveform control
- Added all-on/all-off oscillator switching (by Shift-clicking)
- Improved preset system

Version 0.3.1

- Fixed a glitch with the MIDI mapping for the fine control of the Span

Swarmatron-inspired Synth Released!

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:55:59 -0800

Available now: a new, free synthesizer called The Swarm. This project was inspired by the Swarmatron, a hardware drone synth, handmade by Dewanatron.

It was the Swarmatron that created many of the buzzing clouds of anxiety-provoking noise used by Trent Reznor in his Oscar-winning score for "The Social Network". Since we were curious what it would be like to play such an instrument, yet didn't have the $3200 laying around, we thought we'd build something like it in software, and share it with you.

The Swarm is available only as a standalone application (not a plug-in), and, for now anyways, is available only for OS X.

Note2Frequency Update

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:17:07 -0800

We have updated our free Note2Frequency utility application, making several key improvements.

Note2Frequency is a utility program to convert note names to their frequencies. Press a note on the on-screen keyboard, and it gives you the frequency of that note in cycles per second (Hz). It will also play a sine wave as a reference tone.

Now with version 0.4, Note2Frequency will also go the other way, converting frequencies in Hz to notes! A readout for "cents" was therefore added by necessity, to show where between two notes a given frequency lies.

Various other changes were made in version 0.4, including:

- Added MIDI Note and Musical Note display/controls
- Added label for Middle C
- Changed startup state to have Middle C selected
- Misc interface improvements

Available for Mac OS X. Download Note2Frequency for free at the reFuse Software website.

Lowender Price Increased

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:49:57 -0700

Yesterday the announced price increase for the Lowender subharmonic synthesizer plug-in took effect. Yep, from $49 all the way to a whopping $69. For a plug-in available in all formats (RTAS, VST, AU), across both Mac and Windows, the new Lowender price is still very much on the low end (no pun intended) of plug-in pricing.

The Lowender had been priced at $49 from when we first launched it (nearly four years ago) up until yesterday. When we launched Lowender it was completely dependent upon the Pluggo framework. We have now ported it to be "native" in all formats, as of last week. As we mentioned, the costs of developing five different versions of a plug-in (VST/RTAS/AU on Mac, plus VST/RTAS on Windows) have proven to be significantly steeper than just doing a single Pluggo version.

But it's not just about us and our costs - it's also about the improved experience for users. Native plug-ins are simpler to setup and manage than having to use a framework like Pluggo. So the Lowender is a better value now than it was when we first launched it as a Pluggo plug-in, and the new price reflects that.

We should also mention that, once you buy Lowender, you are covered for all future upgrades. All those customers who bought Lowender back when it was strictly a Pluggo plug-in received the new native versions for free. And, as we continue to develop Lowender, adding features or updating for compatibility with future OS's, our users will continue to receive free upgrades.

New FAQ: Lowender vs Waves' MaxxBass

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:30:25 -0700

A new FAQ is up, explaining the difference between the Lowender and Waves' Rbass and MaxxBass plug-ins. This issue has come up several times on message boards and in communication with Lowender users, so we decided to post our explanation here:

Does the Lowender do the same thing as Waves' Rbass or MaxxBass plug-ins?

We hope that our clear explanation and pretty graphs can help cut through the marketing jabber. Please do let us know if there is still confusion, however, as we want to make this as plain to understand as possible!