PC and Music News

FabFilter has released a new Synth Classics sound set by Daniel Maurer for FabFilter Twin 2, its powerful and innovative software synthesizer.

The Synth Classics sound set includes over 150 presets, featuring leads, pads, plucked sounds and a vintage polysynth selection, programmed by Daniel Maurer. All sounds were thoughtfully created to not simply bring back good memories, but to inspire new music with several fun twists the originals could never have done. Useful parameters are assigned to the Mod Wheel, Sustain Pedal and, of course, the fun X-Y pads in Twin 2 allowing for quick, painless personalization to your music.

Daniel Maurer is a long-time synthesizer lover and programmer who started tweaking synthesizers in 1978. Many classic synths followed these humble beginnings and at one point he was touring with six different keyboards across North America to produce all the sounds needed. Daniel's sounds can be heard in many of today's popular software synthesizers as well. The Synth Classics sound set was inspired by the way FabFilter Twin 2 faithfully reproduces and vastly improves both the sound and flexibility of those analog monsters Daniel used to work with.

The Synth Classics sound set for FabFilter Twin 2 is now available in FabFilter's online shop for €19, $28 or £17. It can be used on both Windows and Mac OS X in any of the available plug-in formats.

Developed for and tested by professional audio engineers, Stereoizer by NuGen Audio adds natural sounding width and depth to any audio recording, mono or stereo, leaving the inherent character of the original source intact. Quite simply Stereoizer will make your audio more coherent, highly polished and spatially balanced without adding artificial reverberation, chorusing or delay.

Stereoizer allows for the full range of stereo image enhancement, from gentle width adjustments to huge dynamic ambiences that transform the soundstage. With visual audio analysis feedback and an intuitive control layout, Stereoizer delivers a satisfying user experience and the right result with the minimum of effort.

New in Stereoizer 3:

• New IID algorithm
• New ITD algorithm
• Frequency limited processing
• New dynamics options
• Intuitive stereo spectral analysis
• Stereo position meter
• Balance controls
• Solo controls
• Comprehensive presets

Stereoizer v3.0 is available now for Windows (VST) and Mac OS X (VST/AU) for $99.

Waves Audio unveils the Chris Lord-Alge Artist Signature Collection, developed in collaboration with GRAMMY®-winning mixing engineer Chris Lord-Alge (CLA).

For over 20 years, Lord-Alge has been the mixer of choice for rock-and-roll royalty, with credits including Green Day, U2, Nickelback, Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi, Pink, Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews Band, The All-American Rejects, and countless others. Created from CLA's custom processing chains, the Waves' Chris Lord-Alge Artist Signature Collection gives users an all-access pass to Lord-Alge's hard-hitting, radio-ready sound. Included are six application-specific plug-ins with dedicated tools for bass (CLA Bass), drums (CLA Drums), effects (CLA Effects), vocals (CLA Vocals) guitars (CLA Guitars), and acoustic instruments (CLA Unplugged).

CLA Bass
Designed to help users lay down a solid foundation for any song, CLA Bass offers six essential effects: bass, treble, compression, sub, distortion and chorus/flange. Notes Lord-Alge, "From sub-shaking smooth sounds to Mr. Buzzsaw, CLA Bass is just what the doctor ordered. Whether you want it to rip, roar, growl, bark or cut, CLA Bass delivers."

CLA Drums
When creating the CLA Drums plug-in, Lord-Alge had one thing in mind: that anyone who uses it could get a great drum sound for any song or mix and just have fun. There are six different modes: Kick, Snare, Toms, Overheads, Room and, CLA's personal favorite, Cowbell. There are three color-coded presets for bass EQ, treble EQ, compression, and reverb, plus a noise gate to get rid of leakage. Faders let users control the amount of each effect, and a phase switch is included so anyone can find the best setting for the kit, which Lord-Alge points out is "especially important for drums."

Toontrack unveils a new virtual instrument called Beatstation.

Not much information available yet but as you will see on the official website, Beatstation plays percussion pads, lead instruments and melodic basses. It uses a flexible and skinnable open playing surface and it handles custom samples, MIDI grooves and .rex files.

Stillwell Audio has announced the release of Bombardier, a buss compressor plug-in. Here's what they say about it :

"Bombardier is our most ambitious project to date – a premium quality buss compressor, tailored for smooth and musical processing of complex audio such as drum groups, vocal stems and your full stereo mix, lending a controllable sense of weight, fluidity and cohesion.

Bombardier gives a nod to the non-linear and frequency-variant subtleties of a wide range of Grade-A hardware buss compressors, and should you wish these can be pushed almost into the realms of a character compressor.

Due to its RMS compression engine (and unlike The Rocket, which uses peak compression), Bombardier is ideally suited to final mixdown and mastering usage, as well as for those who like to set up buss dynamics first and then mix 'into' the buss compressor.

SoundToys has just released Decapitator and PanMan.

Decapitator ($349 TDM/$179 Native) is an analog saturation modeling plug-in. It models the saturation or distortion created when driving professional analog studio equipment. SoundToys analyzed vintage and modern classics from Neve, API, Ampex, EMI and Thermionic Culture, and more to create accurate models of high-end studio gear. Decapitator creates that highly sought after analog sound from subtle harmonic changes to extreme driven distortion.

PanMan ($349 TDM/$179 Native) is an advanced auto-panner plug-in with groove control. It takes the process of moving audio back and forth in the stereo field and gives it that special touch that is uniquely SoundToys. It features a complete range of panning modes to recreate classic analog ...