[BLOK] is a new modular synthesizer for Windows, originally designed as a platform for teaching audio synthesis to students.

Features:

• Classic synthesizer modules such as Oscillators, Filters, Envelopes and Effects
• Easy to use interface. Blok was originally created as an educational program to teach audiodesign principles. This means that each module is simple to understand.
• Connect everything. There are no limits on connecting blocks together.. if a block generates a signal, connect it up!
• Versatile DSP engine. Additive, Subtractive and FM synthesis are all possible. Let Blok be your synthesis swiss army-knife.
• Full undo/redo. Dont like what you have done? Go back to a time when you did!
• Low in cpu. Blok was made to run well even on low-end computers. On today’s machines, it tears up the track! This will let you make more complicated setups and get more bang for your synthesis buck.

[BLOK] is currently a free download, but the developer notes “only the buzz version is officially supported at this point! the standalone and VST versions are under heavy construction, use at your own risk.”

Developer Dan Nigrin has announced that his software Klee Sequencer is now available. The app, available for Mac and Windows, is a software version of the Klee step sequencer.

Features:

• MIDI output to any hardware or software synths
• Internal or MIDI clock control
• 10 preset slots for instant recall of parameters
• Presets can be saved to and loaded from disk
• Built-in clock divide capability
• Synchronous load – loading of pattern happens on clock pulses, and not in between
• Load on Play feature to allow for loading of pattern each time clock started
• MIDI-controllable baseline note
• Custom definable note range allows for alternative scales

Klee Sequencer retails for $40. 15% of the net proceeds go to support electro-music.com. A demo version is available.

WOK has announced ClockWOrK, a MIDI step sequencer plug-in for Windows that promises to let you create hypnotic sequences like Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream.

Here’s an audio demo:

ClockWOrK Features:

• Clear and easy interface
• Number of steps selectable (up to 16)
• Note per step selectable from 3 octaves with display
• Additional row for velocity or MIDI CC
• Each step can be muted or skipped (!)
• Sequence transpose by MIDI input
• Selectable speed (clock divide)
• Manual step thru the sequence with button or MIDI key
• Reset to a specific step manually or on bar start
• Play only when MIDI key is pressed
• Random play
• Supports automation by your host (like “Learn” in Reaper or Energy or Novation Automap)
• MIDI-ouput; any plugin or synthesizer can be used as sound source

ClockWOrK will be available as a VST instrument plug-in for Windows PC. No release date has been announced.

via rekkerd

Free Music Software: Artifake Labs have released the RedTron_400, a software version of the Mellotron M400.

Features:

• Realistic user interface.
• Six sound types:
  • 3 Violins
  • 8-Voice Choir
  • Flute
  • Brass
  • String Section
  • Cello
• “Loop” and “Non-Loop” modes : as the original “Mellotron”, each sound is eight seconds long but you can switch to “Loop Mode” and allows the samples to loop continuously.
• Layer possibilities & independent parameters for layer A & B :
  • Volume, Tune, Reverb, Delay, Pan, Octave, Note, Cutoff, Resonance, Attack & Release parameters.
  • Delay effect (Amount, Time, Feedback & Pan parameters).
  • Reverb effect (Mix, Width, Size & Damp parameters).
• Global Volume control
• Global Tone control
• Global Pitch control
• Can be used as Soundfont Player to mix any .sf2 file with “Tron sounds” or to extend the sound palette.

If you’ve used RedTron 400, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Budde notes:

The Noise Reduction plugin is based on a spectral gate to filter out unwanted noise in the frequency domain. The gate is based on the lightweight dynamic series and features a soft knee and customizable attack and release times.

Originally this plugin was planned for the KVR’09 developer contest, but in the end I missed the deadline by one day and thus I had to use another plugin for my entry.

Features:

• Highly customisable spectral noise gate
• Continous and consistent characteristic
• Fully adjustable soft knee in dB (as margin below the threshold)
• Several exotic window functions available
• Low CPU usage
• Different FFT sizes
• Manual included
• Open source (as part of the Delphi ASIO & VST Project)

Download it from Budde’s site.

Modartt has released Pianoteq Pro – the advanced version of Pianoteq. Its major feature over Pianoteq is per note adjustment for physical parameters.

Features:

• Note per note adjustment for 22 physical parameters: detune, unison width, direct sound duration, hammer hardness piano, hammer hardness mezzo, hammer hardness forte, spectrum profile, hammer noise, strike point, pickup symmetry, pickup distance, impedance, cutoff, Q factor, string length, note resonance, quadratic effect, damper position, damper duration, damper noise, key release noise, volume. Restricted to detune and volume in the Standard version.
• Internal sample rate available up to 192 kHz. Restricted to 48 kHz in the Standard version.

Pianoteq Pro is available now for windows, Mac OS X and Linux for 399€.

Description:

For the first time in the history of pianos, complete control of physical parameters of the piano is made available to the user. In the real world, reshaping a soundboard would require several weeks of work in the factory. With Pianoteq Pro, you have a new soundboard only one mouse click away!

Pianoteq Pro offers note per note adjustment for no less than 22 physical parameters, such as tuning, unison width, hammer hardness, strike point, string length, spectrum profile, soundboard impedance, damper position… In fact there are thousands since each overtone of each note can be controlled separately with the spectrum profile parameter!

In 1977, Gabriel Weinreich concluded his grounding article “Coupled piano strings” with “In any case, one could expect to build a better piano if the aftersound could be more deliberately controlled through an appropriate understanding of the soundboard”. Thirty-two years later, Weinreich’s dream is becoming reality with Pianoteq Pro.

The following actions are supported:

• Full editing of all Little Phatty preset parameters via MIDI CC messages
• Automation of all LP parameters in real time through the VST host application
• Save/Load presets to and from the Little Phatty
• Presets can be saved in VST Editor format

Supported VST Hosts:

PC – Windows – VST 2.4

• Steinberg Cubase SX 1-3, Nuendo 1-2
• Mackie Tracktion 3
• Imageline FL Studio (Fruity Loops) *see issues below
• Energy XT
• Cockos Reaper 3.11
• Presonus Studio-One
• Plogue Bidule
• Tobybears’ MiniHost
• Hermann Sieb’s VST Host

Mac – VST 2.4 (OSX)

• Steinberg Cubase SX, Nuendo
• Plogue Bidule
• Mackie Tracktion
• Cockos Reaper 3.11
• Presonus Studio-One

VST Little Phatty Editor for PC and Mac is available now for $69 USD.

Free Windows Music Software: Artifake_Labs has introduced a free software synthesizer, RedTron_MKV, that emulates the Mellotron MKV (essentially a double M400), one of the rarest Mellotrons ever made.

Features :

• Realistic user interface.
• Six sound types : 3 Violins, 8-Voice Choir, Flute, Brass, String Section, Cello.
• “Loop” and “Non-Loop” modes : as the original “Mellotron”, each sound is eight seconds long but you can switch to “Loop Mode” and allows the samples to loop continuously.
• Layer possibilities & independent parameters for layer A & B:
  • Volume, Tone, Reverb, Delay, Pan, Octave, Note & Attack parameters.
  • Delay effect (Amount, Time, Feedback & Pan parameters).
  • Reverb effect (Mix, Width, Size & Damp parameters).
• Pitch control
• Can be used as Soundfont Player to mix any .sf2 file with “Tron sounds” or to extend the sound palette.

Download from the Artifake_Labs site.

This video looks at using Sounder to create generative music in Ableton Live.

Sounder is a $20 visual application for Windows designed for making ambient music environments. More info is available here.

via jackrealdrummer

TASCAM has announced the US-2000, a new one rackspace 16-input audio interface that’s expected to sell for under $500.

US-2000 features

• 16-in / 4-out USB 2.0 audio interface.
• 96kHz / 24-bit audio resolution.
• (8) XLR microphone inputs with phantom power.
• (6) 1/4? balanced line inputs.
• (4) 1/4? balanced line outputs.
• (2) 1/4? instrument inputs (chan. 7 & 8 on front panel “combi “jacks).
• Stereo S/PDIF digital in and out.
• 100-LED meter bridge (5 segments for each input and output).
• Zero-latency direct monitoring with mono/stereo switch for each pair of inputs.
• 1/4? balanced stereo monitor output with its own volume control.
• 1/4? stereo high-powered headphone output.
• Mac and Windows compatible.
• Steinberg Cubase LE4 48-track recording software included.
• High-tech, attractive aluminum case design.

If you’ve used the TASCAM US-2000 USB audio interface, leave a comment with your thoughts on it!Description:

Eight studio-grade microphone preamps welcome condenser microphones, and two of the mic inputs are on the front panel for easy access. An additional six balanced 1/4? line inputs are provided, as well as four balanced line outs and stereo digital I/O. The front panel features a 100-LED meter bridge for setting input and output levels.

The US-2000 connects to a computer through high-speed USB 2.0, and is priced about the same as less-capable 8-channel FireWire interfaces. Included with the TASCAM US-2000 is Cubase LE4, a 48-track workstation for Mac or Windows computers. It includes flexible hardware controls for zero-latency monitoring during recording.

The US-2000 will be available from TASCAM retailers in October at a projected street price under $500 USD.

Mixware Rapid Evolution is a free advanced harmonic music library tool for DJs, designed to be used while you mix.

Description:

Rapid Evolution helps profile your songs by saving important properties, such as the BPM, key, time signature, styles, comments, etc. You can then instantly see which songs are within BPM range, in key harmonically and in similar styles. More importantly, it lets you save comments and information about each individual mix you come up with.

Use it to enhance your knowledge of your music and remember the important details of what you do.

The software includes automatic BPM and key detection, as well as tools to determine this information yourself–a BPM tapper and a MIDI keyboard. It is designed for the power user, and offers extensive searching, filtering and browsing capabilities. You can create custom hierarchical styles to help organize your tunes. It also lets you share all song and mix information with other DJs.

If you are a software based DJ, you can take advantage of features like dragging and dropping the songs to play them. Otherwise the program can act as a reference or guide as you mix. If you don’t have a computer near your turntables, it is still useful for planning mix sets and finding compatible songs ahead of time.

See the Mixware site for  details.

via KeyOfGrey

Last week, we brought you the news of Plogue’s new 8-bit style software synth, Chipsounds.

According to Plogue, Chipsounds emulates more than eight vintage 8bit-era sound chips (on top of their variants), down to their smallest idiosyncrasies.

Now you can decide for yourself:

chipsounds EP by chipsounds

These tracks were made by the chipsounds beta team and show the
variety of styles and sounds that can be achieved with the software.

The only guideline given was that the music’s chip content had to be made using chipsounds.

Check out the demos and let me know what you think!

DiscoDSP

discoDSP Vertigo is a 256 oscillators additive synth with resynthesis and sound morphing.

Vertigo imports WAV audio and PNG images. It has a very accurate recreation of complex musical phrases, drumloops, speech and simple tones.

Full version includes 128 presets and is available for AudioUnits and VST hosts to Macs with Intel processors.

Vertigo can be purchased for 75 EUR / 99 USD at our online shop.

Details and demos are available at the discoDSP site.

Klon takes your voice and adds up to 16 different copies of your voice, in realtime. This lays the ground for an impressive amount of applications like:

• Choir generator
• Harmonizer
• Voice doubler
• Change voice’s gender
• Pitch corrector
• Extreme voice manipulation

KLON is available for purchase for the introductory offer of 99 EUR until October 31st, 2009 (regular price 169 EUR). It is free with every purchase of Take Five FX (incl. Bark, Matrix, Reflect, TDesign and VTape) before October 31st, 2009.

You can preview a demo of VirSyn Klon below:

The 16 pitch shifters inside KLON are divided into 4 groups making it easy to build up large choral parts from a simple, single vocal line. The four separate, switchable groups have their own dedicated set of controls. These controls include an x-y pad for fast, easy control of pitch and panorama. Each group can be altered in real time while music is playing or can be by-passed, edited and switched back on when required. The pitch for each group can be shifted by up to +/- two octaves with adjustable formant control retaining voice quality even at extreme settings. All of those controls are available for host automation for unsurpassed dynamic voice manipulations.

KLON includes a flexible and adaptive pitch correction to any given scale or external MIDI notes and chords. Think of playing a chord to immediately harmonizing your vocal input.

The realtime manipulation possibilities together with the low latency operation makes KLON the ideal live plugin for vocals.

Kenaxis has released version 3.1 of Kenaxis, for Mac and Windows -  the namesake product in its line of real-time audio performance software. The update adds OSC (Open Sound Control) compatibility and an FFT Phase Vocoder.

KenaxisOSC enables Kenaxis to communicate with a variety of hardware and software interfaces including consumer devices as familiar as the iPod touch, the iPhone and Wii remotes. Combining OSC with the powerful audio-design tools of Kenaxis opens a whole new range of possibilities for musicians and artists working in live audio performance.

In addition, while Kenaxis 3.1 is loaded with its trademark Granular Synthesis tools, the new FFT Phase Vocoder offers an alternative technique for sonic time stretching and freezing. The Phase Vocoder will appeal to musicians who desire more organic, analog-sounding textures in their performances and compositions, says Kenaxis Creative.

Key Features:

• Intuitive Performance Interface: 6 loop players, mixer and master mixer. Clear, compact display of all parameters allows the musician to monitor and manipulate every aspect of the performance.
• Powerful Tools: pitch modulation, delay, granular synthesis, convolution, analog synthesis, 12 band parametric EQs, automated envelopes and filters, random file players and VST support – allows for sonic possibilities not possible with hardware components, at a fraction of the cost.
• Adjustable Crossfades and Insert Silence features: allows for maximum real-time loop manipulation – eliminate clicks, create drones or sparse textures.
• Multiple Audio Sources: Drag and drop sound files, synthesize sounds or capture live sound on the fly.
• OSC and MIDI compatible: Faster and with higher resolution than MIDI, OSC (Open Sound Control) allows the musician to ‘play’ Kenaxis with the iPod, iPod Touch, Wii controller, Lemur and other OSC devices and software.
• FFT Phase Vocoder: An organic and “more analog-sounding” time-stretching alternative. Pinpoint sounds in the spectrum analysis tool to stretch, freeze and manipulate.

Kenaxis is available for Windows and Mac OS X, and is priced at $135. Kenaxis Bundle costs $185 (includes Kenaxis, Kenaxis Surround and Kenaxis Visualizer). Site License pricing is available.

De La Mancha has introduced a new $15 software synth for Windows, Dirty Harry, described as “an unashamedly DIY lofi synth based on the samples of my two homemade, lofi noisemakers, the Atari Punk Console and the BugBrand WOM.”

Description:

dirty harry offers 20 unique waveforms in all their mono/monophonic glory. For extra grit the oscillators can be sync’d or ring modulated. Fidelity can be lowered further still with reduction in sample quality, distortion and a unique ‘bad contact’ emulation. 2 tempo sync LFOs allow modulation of filter, pitch and contact, with one LFO modulating the depth and frequency of the other. There are envelopes for volume, pitch and filter, with different contours and pitch options. Throw in an arpeggiator, pitch drift and portamento and you can see that whilst it may be lofi in sound, it doesn’t lack for sound design feaures.

Features:

• 20 unique waveforms sampled from my homemade lofi synths, the Atari Punk Console and the BugBrand WOM
• 3 oscillators, syncable to osc1 and ring modulatable with each other
• Each osc can be routed to the filter independently
• 2 tempo sync LFOs with many waveforms, can modulate filter cutoff, each osc pitch and the contact depth and wet level
• LFO 2 can modulate the depth and speed of LFO 1
• 2 envelopes for volume, filter or pitch, with various contours and options to modulate up/down
• Tempo sync arpeggiator
• Dodgy contact emulation
• Pitch instability
• Low quality, dirty, lo-fi options
• 89 presets covering Lead, Bass, Arp, Drone, Fx and Basic styles

This is a demo video for the Arppe2600va, a free Windows software synth designed to emulate the ARP 2600 vintage synthesizer.

Based on ARP’s legendary semi-modular analog monosynth! This amazing softsynth sounds very close to the original ARP 2600. Like the original, it’s a monosynth (no polyphony). But, also like the original, it has a multitude of Frequency Modulation options which enable it to create some truly awesome sound effects. PWM, Sample & Hold, virtual Spring Reverb, Ring Modulation, and a dedicated Noise Generator are all there! Also, there are some things even the original Arp 2600 didn’t have, like Oscillator Sync and Filter Color (to adjust between LowPass and HiPass filter types). Most important of all, beginning with version 2.0 the Arppe2600va is now completely patchable via a cleverly designed Mod Matrix! You can have up to 12 patch routings with a very user-friendly (and visible!) drop-down menu interface, instead of messy virtual patch cables cluttering up the screen. All controls are mapped to MIDI CC#’s, and you can override the default settings by using the MIDI Learn feature. Use as a simple stand-alone synth (.exe file included), or copy the DLL into your favorite DAW or sequencer’s plugin folder.

If you’ve used Arppe2600va, leave a comment with your thoughts!

via buenasideasde

Plogue has announced a new soft-synthesizer, Chipsounds, that turns your VST/AU/RTAS host into a classic video game console, vintage 8-bit home computer and even an 80’s arcade.

Plogue Chipsounds authentically emulates more than eight vintage 8-bit era sound chips (on top of their variants). But more interestingly, it also faithfully allows you to dynamically reproduce the accidentally discovered sounds effect tricks and abusive musical techniques that were made famous by innovative chiptune composers and classic video game sound designers, which for the good part of the last 2 decades, have pushed beyond the boundaries of the original chip designs.

No pricing or release date have been announced. Details and audio demos are available at the Plogue site.

Rock Hardbuns has released an updated version of Padpal 3, a free VST plug-in for Windows:

Improved version of my PAD synth, sporting brand new impulse/filter envelopes. Its not entirely obvious how it works but you can read all about it here.

My implementation (as opposed to Zynaddsubfx’s) uses buttons for the partials. The buttons cycle from Off, to 25% to 100% and then back to off.

If you’ve used Rock Hardbuns’ Padpal 3, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Noise Soft has released Break Filter, an industrial / breakcore filter effect plug-in for Windows.

They describe it as a custom stereo “all band” filter effect, with noise-based distortion that can take your sound from natural gain to frequency and phase shifted chaos.

Break Filter is available now as a Windows VST for $29.

Features:

• Gain — Lowest setting is pure bypass and highest setting is extreme distortion, almost to the point of white noise. *The filter also works great even when the distortion GAIN knob is set to “0? or bypass.
• Pitch — Adjusts the affected pitch of the filter from low bassy drones to high pitched ringing.
• Resonance — Adjusts the resonance of the filter, from minimal effect to drone sound and everything between.
• Freq — The frequency control for the filter has custom coded extreme frequency shifting, capable of lo-fi filtering in the low knob settings, all the way to harsh industrial/punk effects.
• Left and Right — These are separate controls for left and right phase shifting. These control panning for the different layers of our complex resonant filter layers.