4Pockets have reduced the price of various apps in their End Of Year Sale. The offers end December 31st.
- Shimmer Reverb – $7.99 to $2.99
- StringLab – $14.99 to $9.99
- Copperhead – $14.99 to $9.99
- AudioScope – $14.99 to $9.99
- Surface Builder -$12.99 to $7.99
- Neon Audio Editor – $14.99 to $9.99
- Euclidean – $12.99 to $7.99
- Progressions – $12.99 to $7.99
- DigiStix 2 – $12.99 to $8.99
- Evolver FX – $12.99 to $7.99
- MIDI Strummer – $9.99 to $5.99
- NuRack – $12.99 to $7.99
Shimmer Reverb
This is an AUv3 compatible effect which must be used as plugin with your favourite DAW such as Cubasis, Meteor, Auria or GarageBand. It supports a modern graphical interface and presets with stereo meters for monitoring signal levels.
This shimmer effect is a combination of effects that creates an etherial wall of sound. The effect combines a digital delay and pitch shifter to create multiple harmonies before entering a rich long reverb with controllable filtering. The resulting effect is a monsterously huge sound adding a spacious atmospheric quality to any lead instrument or vocal.
The effect also features many beat synced modulation options with various modes of operation such as your basic pans and vibrato effects but including sweeps and morphing harmonies.
Finally to give the effect some real ‘shimmer’ we’ve added a harmonic exciter and a sustain section which samples and holds on to the sound to pull out and emphesise the harmonics.
The effect presents all the most frequently used controls to the user in a single screen, but each effect has it’s own distinct set of controls and a total of 7 pre-configured touch pads allowing easy recording of controller data.
This plugin allows complete parameter automation and auto synced modulation to master tempo.
StringLab
StringLab is a physical string modeling synthesizer based on Karplus-Strong theory. It is capable of reproducing the sounds of many different types of instruments, but is especially useful in the reproduction of hammered or plucked strings and other types of percussive instruments.
It works by passing carefully crafted waveforms and short bursts of white noise through a series of tuned delay lines. The delay lines have an internal feedback loop with a series of filters to mimic the natural decay of harmonics found in a real instrument. StringLab allows you to discover the character of real-world accoustics, exploring the physics of how materials interact. Many new and original textures are born out of experimenting with the settings, so don’t be afraid to experiment and create your own unique and dynamic instruments.
Copperhead
Copperhead is an AUv3 digital subtractive synthesizer plugin which draws its influence from the vintage synthesizers of the early 80’s. Only now we have full polyphony, a build in arpeggiator, an a host of integrated effects. It features such as the ability to design custom waveforms, oscillator sync and various cross modulation modes. Cross modulation is a type of FM synthesis which can be used to morph simplistic waveforms into something far more aggressive and interesting.
At the heart of Copperhead are its two oscillators, which support all your traditional waveforms (SINE,SQR,SAW,TRI), as well as SuperSaw, Trapezium, and a user definable type. The app features pulse wave modulation for multiple sources, and the ability to sync oscillators.
The Voltage Controller Filter supports the usual LP, HP, BP and Notch filters, as well as a couple of unusual ones like Formant which allows you to sweep your cutoff to create interesting vowel sounds.
Copperhead also features twin LFO’s with random and one shot functionality. It also supports Cross, Ring and FM modulators, in addition to low and high shelf filters.
One of the great features is the integrated audio gate, which allows you to generate stuttering audio right out of the box. Combined with effects such as Chorus, Overdrive, Delay, Reverb and Auto Pan / Tremelo, and the ability to specify effect order, you have a lot of control over your sound.
If that wasn’t enough, we also include a 32 step sequencer, with various mono and poly modes with direct control control of various synth elements.
We have a built in Preset Manager which groups presets into banks and groups, which supports drag and drop for easy import/export of presets. You can also access your favourites from a special popup menu, or via the built in quick search facility.
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).
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.
Neon Audio Editor
Neon is a lightweight digital audio editor and recording plugin compatible with any AUv3 host. It supports most major iOS file formats, and allows simple drag and drop between plugins. The editor allows you to import audio from a file or the system clipboard, as well as the ability to record incoming audio.
As an editor it supports all the usual functionality you would expect as well as being able to edit samples on a per sample basis at extreme zoom levels.
Neon also contains a number of built in effects that can be applied to the whole file or a selection. Effects can be previewed and tweaked prior to applying an effect.
Neon can also be used as a clip launcher within an AUv3 Host, with the ability to remotely trigger one shot or looped samples. The Warp function can automatically adjust the tempo of a clip to the host tempo without affecting pitch.
Neon also features a slicer which allows you to cut up a sample into multiple slices that can be played back via an incoming MIDI controller.
Euclidean
Euclidean Sequencer is an alternative incarnation of the classic step sequencer that has become very popular in the modular realm. It is based on Euclidean rhythms developed by computer scientist Godfried Toussaint in 2004. Euclidean rhythms have their roots in Greek mathematician Euclid’s algorithm, which involves using the greatest common divisor of two numbers to place hits in a sequence as evenly as possible across a set timing divisions.
In practice this is actually simpler than you might think, and Euclidean Sequencer is a great way to auto generate complex musical sequences with no prior knowledge of how it actually works.
Euclidean Sequencer is an AUv3 plugin that can be loaded inside any popular host application that has flexible MIDI routing.
You can define up to 4 Euclidean rhythm parts, each part is referred to as a band. The bands are labelled A-D and colour coded RED, ORANGE, GREEN and CYAN. Together these 4 bands create a pattern, and you can create up to 16 seperate patterns per song patch.
Since each band can specify its own note sequence and output MIDI channel, you can create some quite sophisticated rythms patterns, driving 4 seperate instruments at once. Even better you can seamlessly switch patterns to create even longer evolving sequences. Patterns follow a specified key, scale, or defined chord.
You can even use MIDI input to automatically make note sequences conform to the currently playing chords.
Progressions
Progressions is an AUv3 MIDI plugin for your favourite DAW. It can be used to generate a unique set of chords that are unrelated to traditional scales, which become predictable and repetative over time. Instead, Progressions uses a unique way of mathermaically generating a series of related chords using only a root note and mode (major or minor). Chord sequences are limited by the selected complexity and freedom levels, which mimic the way traditional composers of old would wander away from tonality and back again.
The complexity level start off at Basic, which uses only the most common chords (I, IV, V and relative minor ii, iii, and vi triads). As you progress through the levels, you can add parallel majors and minors, sus and dom chords etc. At level 3 we start to introduce 6th and 7th chords, and then 9ths chords, all the way to 11ths, 13ths, Quartals and all their variations.
The freedom level allows us to specify how far to drift away from tonality (the root), even allowing you to create never ending randomized soundscapes.
Progressions allows you to quickly randomize a toolbox of chords, that can be played in a variety of modes (block chords, arpeggiated, or strummed). These can be synced to a host application, triggered remotely or pieced together into a song.
Song mode allow you to change play modes on the fly as well as being able to control many features of the app in real time.
Progressions supports open and closed chords with selectable voicings. It has an intelligent algorithm that attempts to align top notes of chords, add additional bass, and open chord padding to give equal weight to chords with only 3 notes. You can even play with rootless voicings.
The Humanize section allows you to control chord and note timings, as well as set velocity variations to ensure things don’t get too robitic.
Progressions also features an integrated arpeggiator and strummming pattern editor. You can load up to 6 arp and 6 strum patterns at the same time and seemlessly switch between them manually, remotely, or using song mode.
If you run multiple instances, Progressions allows you to sync your chord pads, song chain, arpeggiator / strum patterns between instances.
Progressions can be loaded as a MIDI plugin or as an Instrument for those programs that don’t support MIDI plugins (such as GB). Additionally when loaded as an instrument, you can use either internal sounds (soundfonts) or send MIDI directly to other MIDI instruments.
DigiStix 2
This new version of DigiStix brings some distinct advantages over its predecessor, most notably the ability to host up to 64 samples per drumkit with 5 layers per pad. The interface has been drastically redesigned for iPad to make better use of full screen mode, allowing a popular MPC style 4×4 pad layout with 4 banks of samples. Digistix 2 also allows greater control over the multi-sample layers, with the ability to individually control the volume levels and pitch of layers as well as global pitch and tune settings all from the new sample window.
Previously, each pad had effect sends for the internal reverb and delay effects, but this can now be routed to external busses 9 and 10 for processing using external effects.
The controller editing is now build into the main display and can be edited in place without the need to scroll the interface. It also now supports extra effect controllers. A new context aware control window allows you to quickly change pad settings without the need for popup windows.
DigiStix 2 now supports GM and original DS drum kit layouts, and includes a sophisticated multi-layer Auto Sampler, capable of recording new GM compatible drumkits automatically from your hardware. It is 100% backward compatible with the original app, and can be used as a drop-in replacement.
Drag and drop support now allows you to directly drop samples on specific layers, as well as preview and edit them directly. You can create new kits by simply combining banks from existing kits into one mega kit, or use our non destructive referencing to include sounds from other kits.
The randomize feature has been enhanced so you can randomize individual instruments or within specific banks. The new continuous MIDI learn mode makes custom mapping a breeze.
Patterns can also be exported as MIDI stems for use in other packages including a direct import to Helium clips. You can also export patterns as audio in the latest version.
The auto sample feature allows automated recording of GM compatible kits directly from hardware drum machines. The slice editor can also be used for MPC style slicing of audio clips.
Evolver FX
Evolver is a performance tool for creating multi-layered evolving sequences of sound. At its most basic think of evolver as a 4 lane sequencer which creates automatic accompaniment from notes and chords as you play on your MIDI keyboard, but it can also be used to create elastic evolving soundscapes where audio samples seamlessly merge into one another to create highly complex and original sounds.
At the heart of evolver is a sophisticated wave synthesizer and sequencing engine which can create dramatic hard hitting transitions of sounds or merge sounds to create seamless transitions that evolve in time to the beat. It has 4 sequencer lanes which can run independently and mixed together using the real-time controls or over MIDI. When you play a chord on your MIDI keyboard for instance, each of the 4 sequencer lanes will take those MIDI notes and translate them into a musical sequence of sounds which are combined together and synced to create a form of automatic accompaniment.
Evolver can load its own multi-layer patches or import them directly from Chameleon. These patches can be layered using the 4 sequencer lanes or split over a virtual keyboard. You can assign key zones, transpose them, assigned MIDI channels and velocity levels, set latch options etc. You can also load in your own one shot samples and lay them end on end to create evolving atmospheres or backing soundscapes. These samples can be looped or be free running with definable start/end and loop points using our non destructive editor.
We also included a third sound source which lets you build sounds on the fly by overlaying harmonics to create anything from traditional sine, square, triangle, saw waves to complex detuned oscilators. These can be used in conjunction with multi-samples or one-shot-samples within the same sequencer lane. You can even randomize a complete sequence of harmonic sounds which when pieced together create some very unique and dynamic voices.
Each sequencer lane can be up to 64 steps in length, each step has independent timing, pitch, volume, gate, probability, sample source etc. so the scope of what is achievable is vast. Each sequencer lane has its own ADSR, VCF and LFO which operates on all sounds within its lane, as well as being able to change the underlying settings for each sound source.
Evolver also includes an ARP function which can be run in one of the default modes or you can define your own fingering patterns to be used to enhance your playing style.
Create your own sequences, lay down your MIDI notes in your DAW and have Evolver automatically play along to your chord sequences, automatically locking to the host tempo. Sequencer events can be fixed or transposed allowing you to create percussive and drum backing using a single lane.
MIDI Strummer
MIDI Strummer is an AUv3 plugin designed to simulate guitar strumming and picking techniques. It can used to generate MIDI note data which can be sent to either an external synth of choice or the internal soundfont engine.
The inbuilt soundfont player allows you to import all your favourite .SF2 and .DLS soundfonts and use them as a sound source. MIDI strummer has a set of 16 definable chord pads that can hold a series of chords, which in turn can be triggered remotely via MIDI messages or by tapping the pads.
Use the pattern editor to create a series of picking or strumming patterns that can be tranposed to the selected chord pad.
Song mode allows you to chain these chord patterns together to form songs combining both picking and strumming patterns within the same song. Enable 6/12 string on a particular part to emphesize a pert by adding depth.
Strummer also features a number of audio effects that can be used to enhance the audio from the soundfont player. These include overdrive, distortion, tremolo, chorus, phaser, graphic EQ, digital delay and reverb.
NuRack
NuRack is an AUv3 based multi-channel audio and MIDI effects processor with a difference, it actually allows you to design your own custom effects using the 80+ building blocks provided. You have full control over routing which allows you to create complex audio paths in series or parallel. You can choose whether to use the stock interface or create your own custom interface using the built in Interface Builder which allows you to concentrate your audio components into a single customized effect.
NuRack can run in one of two modes. The first providing 3 customizable effects racks which can be switched (manually or via MIDI), providing seemless switching (i.e. delay trails linger whilst another set of effects are faded in). The second mode allows you to route audio through 3 independent audio racks.
A generaous number of over 80 audio and midi building blocks are provided covering 12 different categories of effects. Here are just some of those included in NuRack:
Modulation Effects: Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Vocal Doubler, TalkBox, UniVibe, Leslie & Vocoder.
Time Based Effects: Stereo Delay, Tape Delay, Reverb and Reverse Delay.
Spectral Effects: Parametric EQ, Graphic EQ, PitchShift, Auto-Pan, Bit-Crusher, Tube Overdrive, Distortion, Harmony, Harmonic Exciter and SlowMo.
Dynamic Effects: VelocityControl, Compressor, Multi-Band Compressor, Noise Gate, Gate, and Limiter.
Filter Effects: MultiFilter, LP/HP Filter, Frequency Splitter, MultiBand Splitter, Classic Filters, Formant Filter, Ring Modulation and Shelf Filter.
MIDI Effects: MIDI Harmony, MIDI Velocity, MIDI Randomizer, MIDI Monitor, MIDI Mixer, MIDI Pads, MIDI Control, Strummer, MIDI Recorder, MIDI Modulation, MIDI Remap, CC Monitor, CC Generator, PitchBend, MIDI Time Clock, and ChordToMidi.
Generator Modules: Noise, Audio Clip Launcher, SoundFont Player, Virtual Flute, Virtual Clarinet, Virtual Brass, FM Organ, FM Rhodes and Analog Sawtooth Synth.
Automation: TouchPad, AutoMate, Pattern Automation, and Visual LFO.
You also provide the ability to split and combine audio signal using splitters and mixer modules as well as a number of visual elements such as VU Meters, LED Meters, Scopes, Graphs etc.
Some effects such as phaser and flanger are usually controlled by an LFO, but this can be detached and automated remotely. There are a number of modules that allow auomation based on direct touch (X/Y Pads), Visual LFO, Pattern Automation, MIDI input (CC data), or peak/rms level detection. These automation modules can remotely control knobs and sliders throughout your rack.
Simply create a new rack and start adding modules to it. These modules are generally wired up automatically but these connections can be manually routed. Once you have your sound as you wish you can use it ‘as is’, or switch to Interface Builder mode where you can combine all your modules into a single interface. Elements can be dragged, dropped, resized and coloured as required. Add your own labels, image logos and custom backgrounds before saving your custom component.
Use the X/Y Pad to control your modulation effects by detaching their LFO’s. Use MIDI CC data to automate knobs. Use the velocity of an incoming signal to control the cutoff/resonance of a filter (wah) or volume level of a gain control (swell), as NuRack expands, so do the possibilities.
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