Here are this weekend’s deals from 4Pockets and a statement from Paul.
Paul’s statement:
“Times are hard for a lot of us old-time (real programmers) right now. Sales are down which is why I’m constantly reducing prices. So now is the time to show us old codgers some love if the funds permit guys, we all appreciate your support.”
- RingsFX – $14.99 to $6.99
- Time Machine – $12.99 to $5.99
- Progressions – $14.99 to $6.99
- FontStack – $14.99 to $7.99
- SideBand Remix – $9.99 to $5.99
RingsFX
RingsFX is an AUv3 plugin based on the famous Mutable Instruments Rings, one of the most dedicated and fully-featured Physical Modelling Eurorack modules ever created. At its core is a resonator that needs to be ‘excited’ or ‘strummed’ by MIDI input, noise, or external audio excitation.
RingsFX emulates vibrations of structures simulated by 3 different synthesis techniques that can be plucked or process external signals: Modal Synthesis, Sympathetic Strings, and Inharmonic Strings. Traditionally, Rings was only monophonic but used a unique approach to polyphony that allowed the previous note to ‘ring’ out and decay while a new note was played. Rings FX provides these same modes (Mono, Duo, and Quad), but expands it with a true Polyphonic mode. RingsFX also expands the capabilities of the original engine by adding support for velocity sensitivity and MIDI MPE mode.
The new polyphonic mode allows RingsFX to play up to 12 notes of true polyphony, depending on the settings. Doing so requires RingsFX to use multiple Rings resonators, but the more polyphony you use, the more processing power it requires.
RingsFX has 7 modes in total, by combining the 3 basic modes with additional properties such as western chords and specially tuned reverbs. The original hardware also featured a secret ‘Easter Egg’ mode, which in RingsFX is simply calling ‘Synthesizer’ mode, rumoured to be based on one of the early Korg synthesis methods. This mode supported several mutable effects which now work on in all resonator modes.
RingsFX also has a Mod-Matrix which allows you to combine the built-in LFOs and FEGs to great effect by manipulating parameters and mutable effects in real-time. Star of the show is a unique pulse sequencer which can be used to generate dramatic rhythms and modulation of controls.
Finally, RingsFX can be loaded as an AUv3 effect plugin. Set the Exciter Source to ‘INPUT’, and you can pass any audio through RingsFX and use this audio as an external exciter. For example, it can be used to great affect on a drum beat to create some crazy rhythms. Use the Output Mix to combine the original audio with the synthesised resonator output to create some stunning effects.
Time Machine
This is an AUv3 compatible plugin which can be used with your favourite DAW such as Cubasis, Auria, Meteor or GarageBand. It does not function as a standalone program.
Time Machine is a plugin that allows you to go back to the days of vinyl and tube amplification.
If you still long for those nostalgic days of warped records, worn needles, static laden, crackle ridden vinyl then this plugin is what you’ve been waiting for. It simulates the sound of early gramophones, radiograms, record players, through to late 80’s turntables. You can either select an ‘Age’ or tweak individual settings to add warp, dust, scratches and good old fashion hiss to your recordings.
The tube emulation mimics the old valve driven amplification which can be overdriven to add a nice warm
tonal quality to your sound. It even allows you to add additional harmonics using the saturation knob to mimic the effect of tube amplification. It’s a subtle but effective way of adding character and punch to thin sounds without changing pushing them in to the realms of distortion.
When you turn on the Vinyl emulation you can choose to emulate the needle hitting the record, while the power button smoothly fades the effect in and out.
We’ve all heard those great intros that sound like a blast from the past before diving into an aural onslaught. Well this might just be the tool to help lull your audience into that false sense of security!
This is one of those playful fun effects designed to add a bit of spice into your songs and inspire ideas.
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.
FontStack
FontStack is a ‘fontastic’ 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.
SideBand Remix
SideBand Remix is an AUv3 plugin for final mixing and mastering. It separates the phantom center from sideband (L/R) content which is what give a stereo track its width, and lets you remix it.
This is ideal for adjusting the level of centrally panned vocals without affecting everything else. SideBand Remix is great for post-production engineers who want to reposition, isolate, and even eliminate elements of their mix.
Audio can be additionally split into 3 channels, LOW, MID and HIGH frequency bands which are all processed separately and eventually re-combined after processing. This allows you to control the bass and treble portions of your mix separately from the mids where the vocals naturally sit. Being able to push content from the center of the mix opens up room for a vocal to sit comfortably. The punch knob can be used to boost low and high band content or presence, while the shelf filter are there to make sure they never get out of control. As if that wasn’t enough you can enable the harmonic exciter to inject top end sparkle into the mix or enhance low end frequencies.
JThis is a versatile little tool that can be used on drums as well as vocals. Remove reverb from those snares and give your drum beat that punch it deserves.
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