4Pockets have reduced the price of Surface Builder and AudioScope for a limited time, each is now only $7.99, (usually $12.99). The offers end August 26th.
Surface Builder
Surface Builder is a tool for creating control surfaces that send MIDI data to one or more audio components in order to simplify remote control tasks. You start by creating a surface of a given size, adding buttons, knobs, faders, etc. to the surface and configuring them to generate the required MIDI output. Surface Builder allows you to send note on/off, controller change and program change values as well as being able to emulate modulation wheel and pitch bend data. Buttons can also be configured to send bulk MIDI data using a single key press. You can build surfaces that span multiple scenes and link between them for large complex interfaces.
Incoming MIDI data can also be used to control or trigger elements of the interface, giving a bi-directional stream of MIDI data. Surface Builder can be added as a pure MIDI plugin which allows processing of MIDI only, or as an instrument plugin, allowing you to process audio passing through it. You can even load it as an intrument and configure a surface to start and stop audio clips either manually or remotely.
Surface Builder was designed to be used as an AUv3 plugin within your favourite DAW, but it can also be used in standalone to send MIDI directly to MIDI hardware using direct access to their MIDI ports.
Many different object types are supported including buttons, switches, lights, rotary knobs, faders, sliders, XY-Pad, keyboards, as well as text, image and box objects. Each object has many different styles and colours, so no two surfaces look the same.
Drag and drop an audio file onto a button and that button becomes a clip player. Attach rotary knobs to control the clips volume and pan. Throw on top of that a LP/HP filter knob and you are cooking on gas. Drop PNG transparent image icons on buttons to customise the look and feel.
A button can record and playback bulk MIDI commands, on both button press and release. So pressing a button could send the notes of a chord when pressed, and appropriate note offs on release.
A surface can consist of up to 6 scenes for really complex designs. Buttons and switches can be used to switch scenes and also to show and hide other objects to make better use of screen space. Once your surface is complete switch to presentation mode to hide all the toolbars. Each surface can be saved with compressed audio and images all in a single surface file.
AudioScope
AudioScope is an invaluable audio plugin for mixing and mastering with a toolbox of additional mixing aids. It was originally created as a method for comparing your mix to a reference track and seeing exactly what frequencies to tweak in order to obtain a desired match. This alone is incredibly useful for creating the feel of a particular genre of music, by tweaking your mix to match.
AudioScope is so much more than this! It includes a great visual mixer which enables you control your entire mix from a single window inside your DAW. You see a top-down visualisation of your entire mix and stereo balance. You can save up to 3 compare mixes and quickly switch between them. You can also save up to 12 snapshots of stereo positions and levels, then morph between them. All of this functionality is available via MIDI, so with one simple CC command, you can switch out one mix for another or engage a snapshot. You are able to group your drums and other elements so that the mix doesn’t become overwhelming, allowing you to focus on a subset of key elements if you wish. AudioScope also includes a suite of tools to adjust EQ, compression, and overall balance of your mix.
The way AudioScope works is unique, with a quick and easy workflow: Insert an instance of AudioScope on each of your track’s Insert Effect slot and name the track. Now simply open one of the instances and you have the ability to control all tracks from a single window.
AudioScope is equiped with its own shelf and peak filters, EQ and lookahead compressor (with Sidechain).
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