Next Level Vocals – iZotope Nectar 3 with Melodyne 4 Essential
Next Level Vocals – iZotope Nectar 3 with Melodyne 4 Essential iZotope has released their newest version of the vocal processing plugin Nectar 3. This is the next addition to their growing ecosystem of ‘smart’ plugins with assistive technology. In this article, we’ll run through all of the effects modules in Nectar 3, and tell you what we think of them. Then, we’ll give a quick run through of Melodyne Essential 4 which comes bundled with each copy of Nectar 3. iZotope Nectar 3 We tested out Nectar 3 using Ableton Live 10 and compared its effects to a combination of Soundtoys and Ableton Live’s native effects. We found it incredibly easy to replicate the sound between the two. This speaks to the ease and power that Nectar 3 brings to the table. Continue below to learn more. What Is It? Nectar 3 is the newest version of the multi-effects plugin, …
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How To Get The Perfect Amount Of Bass When Mastering Audio
How To Get The Perfect Amount Of Bass When Mastering Audio We’re happy to announce a new partnership with MasteringtheMix, a website with amazing audio plugins. When Tom reached out to us we were excited to see what his plugins could offer. Levels, Animate, Reference, and Expose all have proved to be super helpful in the mixing and mastering process. We’re featuring an article written by Tom guiding you in how to achieve an awesome bass balance while mastering. He uses a few of his own plugins as tools and we would highly suggest trying them out. Read below! This is where so many potentially awesome tracks fail. Too much bass and your track will sound bloated and lack clarity. Not enough bass and your track will sound weak. I have a process that helps me set the perfect amount of bass for my clients every time. Since …
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Speektra – Retro Chipspeak Synthesizer
Speektra – Retro Chipspeak Synthesizer PureMagnetik recently released Speektra, “a speech simulation synthesizer based on the VOSIM method developed by Kaegi and Tempelaars in the 1970s. It uses bursts of pulses with formant characteristics to synthesize robotic vowel sounds.” VOSIM stands for Voice Simulation and is based on the idea that by employing repeating tone-burst signals of variable pulse duration and variable delay, a sound output of high linguistic and musical expressive power can be obtained according to the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, June, 1978. The user interface is very clean and quite easy to get started with right away. The controls are simply allowing for synthesis shaping through Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. We are also given a knob for each vocal wave. Puremagnetik implements VOSIM in a more elaborate way by allowing you to modulate the shapes of your sounds between vowels and waveshapes. You can also choose your voice register (Bass to …
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UJAM Virtual Drummer PHAT- FREE Until September 10th
UJAM Virtual Drummer PHAT – FREE Until September 10th AVID and UJAM have teamed up together to release UJAM Virtual Drummer PHAT on sale until September 10th! Usually, the plugin costs $79 but if you act now you will be able to get it for the lovely price of ZERO DOLLARS aka FREE. It’s available as a VST, an AU, or an AAX plugin. So what is the plugin? Well, it is a playable instrument filled with 720 drum patterns ranging across 30 various styles of music. The samples were all recorded from 5 drum kits each with 6 different ‘character’ styles. The acoustic kit sounds pretty darn good and can be modulated to mix in some electronic drums. PHAT has a beautiful interface, and it is unique that the designers chose not to include any images of a drum kit. The plugin looks more like a loop player than a virtual drum …
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DRUMS – Spitfire LABS is Back With a New Drum Library
DRUMS – Spitfire LABS is Back With a New Drum Library Spitfire Audio is back with their latest installment of their FREE to download professionally sampled audio library collection LABS (Let’s All Become Something). We covered their first two releases early last month for their Piano and Strings instruments. Both of those libraries proved to be quality options especially given the price tag of FREE. So, this time around we are provided their foray into drums – courtesy of drummer Oliver Waton and engineer Stanley Gabriel – and super happy for the option. If you are new to the Spitfire Audio LABS plugin then you may be relieved to find the user interface is minimalistic. There are only 3 controls – the 2 sliders and one large knob – Expression, Dynamics, and Reverb. Expression is described as an internal volume control in the tutorial below but they don’t expand upon the details …
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Captain Chords 2.0 – Composition Simplified
Captain Chords 2.0 – Composition Simplified Mixed In Key recently launched the most recent update to their Captain Chords plugin, Captain Chords 2.0. We’ve had our eyes on the whole Captain suite of plugins for a while now and with the update thought it’d be a perfect time to finally try it out and give it a proper review. Captain Chords 2.0 is just one of many in the Captain suite of plugins, so we’ll touch on the other plugins that come with the bundle later on in the review! Captain Chords 2.0 has a clean interface that can be navigated easily and quickly, the very first screen you’ll see when opening the plugin is where you decide which key you’ll be composing your chords in (you have an option to not see this screen at the bottom). There are a number of different scales to choose from ranging from …
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MS EQ COMP – FREE Midside Compressor
MS EQ COMP – FREE Midside Compressor Internet Co. recently released a FREE mid-side equalizer and compressor plugin called simply MS EQ COMP. The plugin is available both for Windows and Mac OS platforms. It is a straightforward plugin in design and function which we’re quite grateful for, it’s part of what makes this such a quality plugin. The effect features a 3-band equalizer specifically for adjusting the center or the sides. If you aren’t interested in getting that type of processing you can link the modules in order to work in stereo by pressing a clearly labeled and easy to see button at the bottom of the plugin’s GUI. A bonus feature is a preset manager where you can save and recall your favorite presets. Internet Co. features this description on their website – MS EQ COMP can encode standard STEREO (left/right) signal to MS (middle and side) and add EQ …
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Regrader – FREE Lo-Fi Delay from Igorski
Regrader – FREE Lo-Fi Delay from Igorski Igorski has released Regrader, a Lo-Fi Delay plugin, for free in VST format. We’ve covered Igorski’s tech before with an article on the VSTSID plugin he released a bit back and we’re excited to see what he has done this time! Regrader comes with a user interface reminiscent of an old Windows system that it has 5 sections – Echoes, Gravel, Horror, Warble, and Filter. The Echo section is the main control section for aspects of the delay like time, feedback, and mix. Gravel, Horror, and Warble all contribute to the effect’s more unique elements that will warrant crazy sounding results. Here’s what Igorski had to say about it, Regrader provides a delay effect in which the repeats degrade in various ways to provide a malevolent twist on the ears. Echoes disintegrate, are decimated, piercingly oscillate and are finally mangled into a sound reminiscent of a …
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