Producerino

Wavefactory’s Spectre is a sound-shaping plugin promising to combine a sound enhancer with a graphical parametric equalizer.

Spectre processes the difference between the input signal and the EQ signal, introducing harmonic content to just the part of the spectrum that you want from a variety of saturation algorithms based on classic recording hardware.

You can choose from eight different saturation algorithms to get the sound you’re after, from warmth to creamy or harsh.

Check it out in action here:

Download it here: Wavesfactory: Spectre Plugin (32/64 bit VST, AU, AAX)

PaulStretch has been around for quite a while to create extremely lush sounds by stretching audio to the extreme, but only for Windows (well, there’s been ways of building it for Macs but with quite the hassle, apparently). Now, this isn’t for nifty timestretching to fit loops, this is stretching done to create pretty awesome soundscapes. Want to turn Darude’s Sandstorm into an ambient soundfest? Here you go.

Enter PaulXStretch, a free VST/AU plugin for Windows, Mac and Linux that solves all that for you.

Get the free PaulXStretch plugin here: xenakios.wordpress.com/paulxstretch-plugin/

Check out this lush version of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” slowed down 8 times:

(If you want to find the original PaulStretch you can always find it here)

Eplex7 DSP Quantakor is a new VST / AU plugin aiming at helping you produce futuristic, sci-fi, experimental, atmospheric, FXs, soundscapes and pads suitable for anything from EDM to witch house to film music.

The plugin got multi-octaved and multi-sampled sounds, waveforms and synths and according to the authors a lot of the sounds were made using their own artificial intelligence resampling / morphing and neuronal synthesis.

While being a polyphonic synth you can play in monophonic mode too with legato slides.

eplex7.com: Eplex7  Quantakor VST / AU Plugin

Focusrite announced an update to their Clarett audio interface line, now offering them with USB and USB-C connectors instead of Thunderbolt which makes them usable for pretty much any computer with at least a USB 2.0 port or better. The series consists of Clarett 2Pre USB , Clarett 4Pre USB and Clarett 8Pre USB and they sport 10-in/4-out, 18-in/8-out and 18-in/20-out respectively.

The mic preamps comes with the “air” effect which promises to add “air and clarity, especially to vocals and acoustic instruments”, reproducing the the input impedance and frequency response curve of Focusrite’s original ISA mic preamp.

All three models ships with software by XLN Audio, Focusrite, Softube, Ableton and Loopmasters.

While FM synthesis can produce incredible sounds it can also be quite a struggle to grasp as a concept (which you pretty much need for FM sound sculpting). This is something the Swedish company Elektron seem to have focused on when they created Elektron Digitone – an 8-voice, polyphonic FM synthesizer with a classic subtractive synthesis signal flow and a really interesting interface. Or as they put it, “from jagged chaos to mellow soundscapes in less than a second”.

The price tag for the Digitone is about $1,000, but it looks like it’s completely sold out at the moment.

Check out the Elektron Digitone in action here:

Elektron.se: Digitone

KORG volca mix is a compact, 4 channel analogue mixer designed to go hand in hand with the volca series of gear. You get two mono inputs and one stereo (all mini jacks) along with three DC outputs, making it perfect to sync, power and control up to three volca units. Control-wise you can adjust the gain, volume, mute and hi/low pass filters on each channel as well for effects or just to balance the mix.

The master chain got a few effects as well (like expand mono to stereo and sidechain) and you can process the sound further by hooking up external effect units for each channel using the mini jack send out and aux in.

KORG.com: volca mix

Check out the KORG volca mix in action here:

Yay, not long until 808 The Movie premiers now! On December 9th you’ll be able to watch the documentary about the iconic drum machine Roland TR-808 exclusively on Apple Music.

The TR-808 was produced between 1980 and 1983 and there were only about 12,000 units made. While it only cost $1,195 upon its release (which was way lower than say, a Linn LM-1 which would set you back about $5,000) it’ll cost you a whole lot more than that to get a hold of a second-hand one today.

The documentary goes into depth on the distinct and characteristic drum sounds we’ve all come to know and what the 808 meant for different genres of music and what it meant for artists like Pharrell Williams, Goldie, Jimmy Jam, Damon Albarn, Phil Collins, Beastie Boys and many, many more.

(Oh if you’re not the nostalgic type and don’t want to spend a fortune on an original TR-808, Roland released a new incarnation of it which will set you back way less, the Aira TR-8)

Watch the 808 The Movie trailer here:

ModeAudio just released Fragment Drum FX, a sample pack containing 330 unique drum hits ranging from deep machine kick drums and snappy snares to field recordings and acoustic sources. There’s also 12 drum kit sampler presets for different DAWs for a quicker start along with five channel strip presets.

Buy & download: ModeAudio Fragment (€17)

Preview the sample pack:

Native Instruments‘ latest addition to the Maschine family is dubbed Maschine Jam.

The main things that differs the Jam from their previous Maschine hardware controllers (Mikro/Standard/Studio) is the multicolored 8×8 click-pad matrix and the eight dual-touch strips designed to help you control scenes, groups and patterns, play around, step sequence and mix/match clips live. It’s primarily built to be used with Native Instruments’ own Maschine software but it comes bundled with Ableton Live templates as well.

According to NI themselves the Jam is aimed at people that want to get going quickly: sequencing, improvising and jamming to build up a track, prepare an arrangement or create a live performance.

Besides the controller and Maschine software you get 29GB of sounds, Native Instruments’ Perform FX (designed for the Jam but will work with other Maschine controllers) as well as Komplete 11 Select which in itself contains 11 instruments and effects (including their classic Massive synth).

The “Lock” feature seems pretty cool – basically you lock the current setup and sounds in a sandbox allowing you to tweak and test everything however you want, whenever you want to go back to the original sounds you just unlock it. Also, personally I’ve grown to like hardware controllers with touch strips instead of classic knobs – especially when controlling effects like you probably will with the Jam (just let it go to instantly remove an effect can be really handy).

Read more @ native-instruments.com (€399 / USD$423)

Watch the Maschine Jam in action here:

Rob Papen has released the successor of the classic synth Predator used by legends like Armin van Buuren, Noisia and Teddy Riley, so say hi to Predator 2.

Besides the more complex features we’ve already gotten used to in the previous version it now includes an ‘Easy Page’ which hides a lot of the controls and only presents the most important parameters where you can change a sound quickly or want to try the preset variation function which randomizes the parameters intelligently.

Other features include waveform morphing, waveform drawing, waveset playmode, an XY pad for visual manipulation and modulation, a new EQ and voice level distortion, a new preset manager, improved unison mode, more envelopes and lfo’s (4), over 5,000 presets, an enhanced reverb algorithm (taken from RP-Verb) and much more.

Read more @ RobPapen.com ($149/€149)