Here are this weekend’s price drops from 4Pockets which end May 27th.
- FontStack – $14.99 to $8.99
- Copperhead – $14.99 to $8.99
- Neon Audio Editor – $14.99 to $8.99
- Evolver – $12.99 to $7.99
- Euclidean – $14.99 to $7.99
- Audio Shredder – $7.99 to $3.99
- Audio Toolbox – $4.99 to $1.99
FontStack
FontStack is a ‘fontastic’ new AUv3 plugin for iOS which can be loaded into your favourite DAW allowing you to utilise all those wonderful and nostalgic SF2 SoundFonts you’ve collected over the years.
The SoundFont standard was created back in the early 90s and made famous by the SoundBlaster series of sound cards. With the introduction of the Amiga, it spawned a host of musical creation tools called Trackers, which allowed the Amiga to load these SoundFonts and create sophisticated musical scores of 4 or 8 tracks. These days we don’t use this standard so much, but there is a wealth of free SF2 files available on the internet just waiting to be loaded into FontStack.
A SoundFont comprises a file with an .sf2 file extension. This file contains a set of samples, instruments, and presets. FontStack enables you to load one or more SoundFonts into its 4 layers, and use them in lots of creative ways.
You can stack layers to create a rich combination of multiple tones, or assign each layer its own key range on the keyboard to create virtual splits, or a mixture of the two. Each layer can also be assigned its own MIDI channel for true OMNI mode.
One great feature of FontStack is its ability to cache all your SoundFonts and the instruments they contain. This allows quick searching for specific instrument types without the need to physically search SoundFonts to find them.
Another great feature is the ability to optionally link to a remote folder containing a global set of SoundFonts, so that they can be shared between apps. Both internal and external SoundFonts and their instruments will be cached, and searching is just as easy as it is using internal SoundFonts.
Copperhead
Copperhead is a digital subtractive synthesizer plugin which draws its influence from the vintage synthesizers of the early 80’s.
Copperhead has polyphony, a built-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.
Neon Audio Editor
Neon is a lightweight but feature rich 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.
Evolver
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.
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 separate patterns per song patch.
Since each band can specify its own note sequence and output MIDI channel, you can create some quite sophisticated rhythms patterns, driving 4 separate 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.
Euclidean Sequencer now supports 4 different modes, traditional Euclidean, PolyRhythm, PolyMeter and PolyTempo. We have many great ways to automatically generate complex rhythms making it an invaluable tool for experimental music creation.
Audio Shredder
This audio shredder does just what is says, it shreds incoming audio (usually strings or lengthy sustained chords) into bite size pieces, adds an envelope and passes through a filter of choice. The result is a gated staccato effect which you can shape into patterns or runs of quarter notes. These kinds of patterns can be heard in Trance / Dubstep / Hip Hop or other modern electronic music genres. You can control both left and right stereo channels independently, with control over pulse width, attack and release.
There are 4 difference filter types (Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass and Notch) which can be enabled, with independent control over cutoff frequency and resonance. You can even randomise new settings each step for some incredibly complex and pleasing textures.
Each quarter note can be independently triggered or you can join them together to create longer runs.
This plugin allows complete parameter automation and auto sync to master tempo.
Audio Toolbox
Audio Toolbox is a suite of audio analysis tools for the iPhone and iPad. It comprises both audio waveform generators as well as a highly accurate Fast Fourier analysis engine, an audio oscilloscope and various frequency detection and tuning tools.
The Tone Generator allows you to create anything from a simple sine, triangle, square, or sawtooth waveform as well as white and pink noise. It also supports log and linear sweep tones with definable range and level and complex wave construction using sine waves. The later is great for teaching audio theory with its DTMF and complex tone generation tools you can build complex waveforms and then analyse their component parts using FFT and the oscilloscope. Build DTMF, triangle, square or saw waves using multiple sine waves etc.
The Audio Oscilloscope allows you to analyse directly from the tone generator or microphone. The scope features both free running and single shot modes with adjustable triggering options. The single shot mode automatically starts and stops capturing when short bursts of sound exceed a threshold. The oscilloscope also features a simple measuring tool to help measure duration and frequency of a waveform.
The FFT Analysis section provides both Linear, Logarithmic as well as 1:1, 1:3 and 1:6 Octave modes. There is also an SPL meter complete with LEQ options and A/C weighting, log and linear Spectrograph and Mixer EQ modes for setting up audio mixers.
All screens support 10x zoom, full screen and pause modes to aid analysis.
There are also specific modes to detect peak frequencies, musical notes with cents offset, perfect for instrument tuning. Definable calibration tuning allows you to tune +/- 40Hz.
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