Max for Cats has recently introduced Color, a “sound texture device” for bringing the feel of analog media such as vinyl or tape to the user’s digital recordings. Color adds different types of vinyl noises, hiss, drive, wobble, and filter effects to music.
Conceived and developed by Berlin musician, vintage gear aficionado and programmer Christian Kleine, Color works with live input or prerecorded audio and “is easy on the CPU.” For full control over the sound, the coloring sections Vinyl, Wobble, Phase, Drive and EQ can be activated individually, while Dry/Wet blends the original signal with the colored one.
Vinyl enables the user to add different types of vinyl noise and hiss. Wobble simulates tape fluctuations and flutter effects of of old tape machines. Phase enables the user to alter the phase of the incoming audio while Drive distorts in a raw analog way. A 3-band EQ with parametric mid section helps to shape the signal while an additional gain staging is available at the output.
The coloring sections:
Vinyl: Different types of vinyl noise can be added and adjusted in volume and tonality (pitch). Add also hiss in this section (a classic tape noise). The Duck switch allows to make the adjusted noises only audible when music passes through the device.
Wobble: Simulate tape fluctuations and tape flutter effects. This reproduces the mechanical characteristics of old tape machines.
Phase: Align/misalign the phase of the signal.
Drive: Add raw distortion. Soft switches to a slightly more mellow distortion type. Limiter prevents the signal from overshooting, when activated.
EQ: A powerful 3-band EQ, fully parametric with adjustable Mid-Q.
Output: An additional Post-Gain allows for gain staging your signal before it leaves the output while Dry/Wet lets you adjust the overall effect signal.
Pack Details:
- Self-installing Live Pack with integrated lesson in Live’s Help section
- Max for Live audio effect
- 19 Presets included
- Live 10 or higher and Max for Live 8 required
- by Max for Cats
Pricing and Availability. Color is a Max for Live Pack which can be purchased directly on sonicbloom.net for EUR 20/USD 25. Additional information and pack specifications are on the sonicbloom website.
seems very expensive for what it is? vinyl by izotope is free and does the same thing?
i feel like you can not create the tape pitch wobble in real time. couldn’t a plugin or program do this after the fact and do the wobble so much better.
Similar to “Crap Cassette” the free Max for Live unit.