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Archive for September, 2010

Flux TRAX

[ 0 ] 2010/09/30

IRCAM Tools is a new range of plug-ins covering positional room acoustics simulation (Spat), more straight-up reverberation (Verb) and real-time audio manipulation (TRAX). Here we’re focusing on TRAX, which is shorthand for transformation and cross-synthesis and comprises three plug-ins: Transformer, Cross Synthesis and Source Filter. Each uses IRCAM’s Super VP phase vocoder technology. Pitch perfect [...]

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Voxengo HarmoniEQ 2.0

[ 0 ] 2010/09/28

The announcement of a new EQ plug-in causes about as much office excitement as someone commenting that the bin-liner needs changing. Admittedly on a slow day people do fight over who’s going to do it, but usually no one goes out of their way to investigate such things. Most DAW jockeys will have compared the [...]

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iceGear Xenon

[ 0 ] 2010/09/28

Xenon is a software studio with just enough features for you to be able to create complex electronic arrangements on your iDevice. There are three different synthesizers, a drum machine, a five-track song sequencer, mixer and a single effect: a delay processor. iceGear’s Argon synthesiser has received a lot of praise for its sound quality, and [...]

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Audio Damage Axon

[ 0 ] 2010/09/27

Audio Damage’s extensive range of effects are among the most distinctive and affordable around. Up until now they’ve released just one instrument, the fairly conventional (but great) Tattoo drum machine. Instrument number two, Axon, is now with us, and it’s one of their most original plug-ins yet. Axon is a synthesiser and sequencer designed for [...]

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Boss BR-800 Digital Multitracker

[ 0 ] 2010/09/23

The BR-800 is the first new entry in the BR series of personal multitrack studios for over four years, but brings things right up to date by incorporating a USB audio interface and software control surface functions, as well as a sleek touch-sensitive control surface. That aside it’s business as usual – it’s a portable, [...]

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East West/Quantum Leap Hollywood Strings

[ 0 ] 2010/09/22

Recorded at EastWest’s studios on Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Strings is its latest instrument. It runs standalone or as a plug-in, with 312GB of sample content preinstalled on a hard drive. Hollywood Strings ships on a bare internal hard drive, conveniently bypassing many hours of DVD copying. However, EastWest is quite keen to point out that [...]

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Artificial Audio Quartz

[ 0 ] 2010/09/22

We got our first taste of Artificial Audio’s output with the highly impressive spectral multieffects unit Obelisk. Now, a year on, their far-flung ideas have crystallised once more: this time into Quartz, a multieffects unit with an intuitive modulation system. The effects modules (linked in series from left to right) are pan, gain, two multimode [...]

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Alesis Q49

[ 0 ] 2010/09/21

Alesis’ Q49 is a bus-powered slim-line beast with four octaves of full-size keys, pitch and mod wheels, one assignable slider and three rubber buttons completing its modest hardware control set. Appearances can be deceptive however, as the legending along the top of all but two of the keys displays the relevant MIDI function which can [...]

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