AudioNewsRoom

The Sonic Joy Awards 2008

2009-01-29T15:32:00.001+01:00

The Sonic Joy awards are here again! For those who missed the 2007 edition, it's a selection of software and hardware products (mostly software this time) released during the last year and mostly tested in our sonic labs.So, here we go with AudioNewsRoom's Sonic Joy 2008 awards. And feel free to add yours!Pro Audio Dsp DSM: DSM stands for Dynamic Spectrum Mapper. No, don't be scared. This

Winter Namm 2009: a few picks

2009-01-19T14:13:00.001+01:00

Ableton: Best of ShowLet's simply put it like this: Ableton is the King (or Queen?) of Namm this year, at least in the software + controllers departments.In a few hours they introduced (and co-introduced) many new juicy things.Chapter one: Live 8 (available in Q2 2009) adds some cool features to an already great package: groove engine templates, new audio warping features, a looper, new plug-ins,

Kyma meets Pacarana

2009-01-12T14:12:00.001+01:00

For those who don't know, Kyma is a graphical modular software sound design environment accelerated by the software-reconfigurable Capybara multi-processor sound computation engine. Beware, it's more or less the Ferrari of sound-design, so unless you're one of the few that can shop for a Buchla modular system or a good set-up of analog vintage stuff, you probably can't afford it.Anyway, the US

Softube: the rock'n'roll scientists

2009-01-07T12:28:00.010+01:00

They describe themselves as a trio (the hacker, the guitar player, and the professor) and if we were a tabloid (?!?) we could easily say that Softube is one of the "hottest names" in the audio software circus. Well, nevermind, we don't think you'll ever read of audio plug-ins on tabloids!...Softube's first release, Amp Room, has been an instant classic here at AudioNewsRoom. We love the fact it

SPL Transient Designer plug-in: some words with Dirk Ulrich

2008-12-16T09:50:00.001+01:00

A couple of months ago, SPL, the well-known German manufacturer of analog hardware processors, has introduced their first software plug-ins: the Transient Designer and a set of three EQs (Vox Ranger, Bass Ranger and Full Ranger, based on the passive graphic equalizers of the SPL RackPack). They are available as RTAS, VST, AU and TDM versions. Please note: the TDM version of the Transient Designer

Synplant: synth in the time of sustainability

2008-12-11T10:13:00.001+01:00

As you probably remember, at the end of our last year's interview with Magnus Lidström , he gave some hints about the "close" relationship between the environment and his upcoming product.Well, now we know that that product was Synplant, and that... yes, its concept has a strong link with nature and environment.Sonic Charge's Synplant is a new form of software synthesizer. In his author's words "

Soundsnap: new business model

2008-12-10T13:03:00.001+01:00

One year ago we wrote about Soundsnap's opening, and we're glad of the success this sound sharing service has had during its first year. Unfortunately this comes at a cost, and Soundsnap has just announced a new business model.There's still a free account, which gets 5 downloads per month. And then there are the Soundsnap PRO accounts, which you can see here in the table....The reasons for this

Soundtoys goes VST (and updates TDM - AU as well)

2008-12-09T22:04:00.002+01:00

You already know Soundtoys are among our favourites tools to shape the sound. Well, the long awaited VST version is now available, thanks to the latest 3.1 release. This time it seems they really made everyone happy: this release includes a very important compatibility update for Digital Performer 6 users as well as a new version of Speed for Logic Pro users that integrates into Logic's Time and

M-Tron Pro: the journey continues

2008-11-24T10:32:00.001+01:00

The M-Tron has been a "must" for any vintage sounds' lover since when it came out, years ago.Now with the M-tron Pro they are taking the whole concept to a new level. You'll probably remember GForce released another product in the meantime, Vintage String Machine, or VSM. Well, we could say the M-Tron Pro is the direct evolution of both.It has (of course) the original sounds from the M-Tron, and

More saturation: VariSaturator

2008-11-20T11:06:00.001+01:00

There's never too much saturation available, isn't it? We were glad some time ago to find a new tool for such tasks, from Voxengo, called VariSaturator. The name is well thought, and tells us what to expect. From the user guide: "VariSaturator features two saturation modules which are applied in sequence, in twoband mode each. The valve saturation module applies asymmetric valve processing that

When the drum machines hit tape: Goldbaby

2008-10-30T19:23:00.001+01:00

Hugo Tichborne is the man behind Goldbaby Productions (or simply Goldbaby), and his mission was and still is quite simple: to create the best vintage drum machine samples on the market. Ok, we all know there are tons of similar samples, both free and payware, but his mission is based on adding some value to the good old "let's sample a drum machine" concept: the added value in this case means

Soundcloud: collaboration 2.0

2008-10-09T18:44:00.001+02:00

Tomorrow Soundcloud.com, the music sharing platform for music industry professionals, in beta since one year (accounts were only available by personal invite), goes public.The Berlin-based company offers an interesting service for all those who would like something better than your average yousendit/ftp/etc. way of of transferring large music files (oh, I forgot, there's still people who send out

Hollywood Impulse Responses: convolution at its best

2008-10-08T15:33:00.001+02:00

(photo: Vlastula on Flickr)There's a huge number of Impulse Responses on the web, both free and commercial ones.Yes, you can get some good free IRs here and there, but if I'd need to pick a name in this field, I'd say Ernest Cholakis (and his Numerical Sound brand) without any doubt. He's really a sort of mad scientist for these things, and he knows his stuff probably better than anyone else.So,

Off-the-record: Soundtoys

2008-09-17T21:20:00.010+02:00

At Soundtoys they do work hard, no doubts. Their (may I add "awesome sounding"?) plug-ins, originally available for PT users only, were released in 2007 in the AU format, becoming an instant classic for native users. In the next weeks they're going to release the much-awaited VST version. So, we've been patiently waiting for Ken Bodganowicz, Soundtoys' founder and CEO, to reply to our questions,

Soundhack delay trio

2008-08-27T15:40:00.008+02:00

Tom Erbe, Soundhack's developer, has just released a beta version of a new mini-suite of plugs: it's called Soundhack delay trio, and it's freeware. Tom says "its not quite out of beta, so for the adventurous only. if anyone finds a bug or has a suggestion, drop me a line."We had a quick look at the manual, and as usual with Tom's releases, it seems there' something interesting in this case too.

Logic keyboard cover: shortcuts made easy

2008-06-25T08:48:00.006+02:00

Let's say you've just bought Logic 8 (Pro or Express). Like with other complex applications, learning at least the most important keyboard shortcuts is one the best thing to do. It speeds up your workflow, and makes the whole music-recording process easier.You can start learning the shortcuts exploring Logic's menus, or having a look at the preferences. But it takes time, and it's not that fun (

New life for historic instruments: realsamples

2008-06-16T14:52:00.014+02:00

Some years ago I was in a musical instruments museum, and while it was good to see all those old, rare and incredibly beautiful harpsichord and pianos, I admit it was a painful experience. You know, I wanted to "jump" on them and start playing!Well, of course things are not going to change in this kind of museums, but technology sometimes may help: the german sample libraries brand, realsamples,

Effectrix: mangling fun

2008-06-04T15:19:00.008+02:00

SugarBytes' latest release, Effectrix, is a multi-fx based on a 32 step sequencer. It's a very interesting concept, both for its well-thought and aesthetically pleasant (well, unless you're into gothic stuff!) visual interface, and its creative possibilities.Effectrix features 14 fx: among them you'll find classic stuff like phaser, reverb, delay, filtering, but maybe most users will go for the

Howard Scarr: a sound scientist

2008-05-30T16:21:00.001+02:00

In the interview with Urs Heckmann from u-he, we mentioned the fact that Zebra 2 has been extensively used in the upcoming Batman - The Dark Knight. And we mentioned also Howard Scarr, because he's been hired by Hans Zimmer to assist him in the sound-design stage. Just some weeks ago, Howard Scarr (keyboard player in the uk prog scene with Zorch, sound designer for Access, Waldorf, etc.; for a

Off-the-record: Urs Heckmann (u-he)

2008-05-29T17:50:00.002+02:00

Since a long time we wanted to ask some questions to Urs Heckmann, the man behind Zebra, Filterscape, MFM. If you're into software instruments, you probably already have some of his products in your plug-in arsenal. And, well, even if you're a hardware purist, you should have a look at u-he website...P.s: Urs is known to love smileys, so we've kept them :-)Your father is a sculptor, you have an

Devastor

2008-05-28T11:28:00.001+02:00

Probably you know the polish software house d16 for their classic drum-machines emulations. Their latest product, Devastor, is their first fx plug-in (and their first AU release, too). It's a Multiband Distortion Unit and it is an enhanced version of the distortion unit from their bass-line synth Phoscyon. Well, if you like to add some colour and dirtiness to your tracks, Devastor is for you.

Prosoniq: Morph (and related stories)

2008-04-22T16:44:00.004+02:00

Plug-in nostalgia? There can be such a thing? Well, yes, after all... Some time has passed since we've started experimenting with software fx and instruments. And probably, if we think back to the early days of plug-ins, the name Prosoniq comes to our mind bringing back some nice memories. SonicWORX (which was the first Mac software with a plug in architecture in the 1990s), PiWarp, Orange

Glitch Gumbo vol.1

2008-04-18T09:43:00.002+02:00

Tip of the day: if you have 10.99$ (or 7 €) waiting to be spent, before doing anything else have a look at Atypical Audio's website. You'll find Glitch Gumbo vol.1, an interesting collection of 66 electronic percussion loops (Apple Loops/Acid ).It's top quality stuff, made using Elektron Machinedrum and Monomachine, Max/Msp, Reaktor, etc. Especially Logic and Garageband users could find Glitch

Off-the-record: ProAudioVault

2008-04-08T18:29:00.010+02:00

ProAudioVault is Ernest Cholakis and Dan Dean. We loved their first release, a grand piano virtual instrument called Bluthner Digital Model One (or BDMO, for friends), and since they're also among the most respected people in the software industry we wanted to ask them some questions about BDMO, sampling and related topics.Well, it took months for Ernest Cholakis to get its homework done, but you

Need an EQ? Pay what you want!

2008-03-03T11:37:00.007+01:00

The much discussed pay-what-you-want model (Jane Siberry, Radiohead, etc.) is not just a music industry topic anymore. 5 months ago, a "young" software house, DDMF, has started adopting this model for its two products, the LP10 and the IIEQ PRO (respectively, a mastering equalizer and a parametric tracking equalizer).We asked DDMF's developer, Christian, to tell us something more about his