Results for transients

iZotope has announced the release of the next generation of Alloy, a forward-thinking mixing suite that combines six essential tools in one self-contained and completely configurable plug-in.

A modern twist on classic mixing, Alloy 2 takes the traditional channel strip and brings it into the future with powerful sound-shaping tools, exceptional sound quality, and a streamlined workflow. Thoughtfully designed for mixing purposes across the music, audio, post and broadcast industries, Alloy 2 is perfect for engineers, musicians, and producers looking to sculpt their sound while addressing common mix issues.

“Whatever the track, Alloy 2 provides a wealth of tools that give you both corrective and expressive control over your audio while mixing. We went out of our way tocreate a tool that not only raises the bar sonically, but also enables engineers to achieve a desired sound simply and efficiently with a more seamless workflow,” says Brett Bunting, Alloy Product Manager. “Those who havenever used Alloy before will be amazed by the number of mixing solutions contained within a single plug-in, while users of Alloy 1 will be struck by how much we’ve managed to add and enhance while still improving usability.”

Alloy 2′s new Overview Panel: A simplified view where you can easily monitor and tweak relevant settings of the currently-enabled Alloy modules. Panel also updates instantly while previewing presets, highlighting the modules and settings used by each.

Alloy 2 features

• Get six powerful tools in one integrated plug-in: Equalizer, Dynamics, Exciter, De-Esser, Transient Shaper and Limiter.
• Achieve exceptional sound quality, balancing vintage emulation with digital precision.
• Hear results immediately with zero latency performance, whether tracking in real-time or in the midst of a mix session.
• Visualize mixing decisions with rich meter displays to guide the way.
• Start fast, then go deep with over 250 presets and a tweaker’s paradise of advanced controls.

What’s New for Alloy 2?

Fans of Alloy 1 will benefit from Alloy 2’s sonic enhancements, highlights of which include a redesigned Exciter module, a revamped multiband Transient Shaper, a host of new EQ filters, including Treble and Bass Baxandall filters, and more. Alloy 2 users will also click less to achieve more thanks to both a fully overhauled user interface, enlarged to make more controls accessible, and a new Overview panel that dynamically adjusts to show only the most relevant settings of the modules in play.

With low CPU usage and zero latency operation, Alloy 2 can be used again and again across a wide range of tracks and buses, making it a perfect mixing complement to iZotope’s flagship mastering suites, Ozone 5 and Ozone 5 Advanced. To this end, Alloy 2 also features an internal Meter Tap, which provides immediate visual feedback from Alloy 2’s tracks and buses in the Ozone5 Advanced Meter Bridge.

Alloy 2 is available to purchase for the introductory price of $149 USD until September 6th, 2012 (regular $199 USD /159 EUR). iZotope customers who purchased Alloy 1 on or after June 27, 2012 will receive a free upgrade to Alloy 2 upon release. A special upgrade price of $79 USD will be available for all Alloy 1 customers who purchased before June 27, 2012.

More information: iZotope / Alloy 2

Twisted Tools has released version 1.1 of its S-LAYER for Native Instruments Reaktor.

S-LAYER is a sound creation tool that allows you to create, edit and play new sound combinations by taking samples and layering them together using an eight part sampler and an intuitive cell layout.

By combining sounds from the included sample map or your existing sample library, S-LAYER facilitates the discovery of new oneshots, sound effects and loops from your pre- existing sample content.

Changes in S-LAYER v1.1

• Improved Sound Quality – Transients are sharper and the overall sound is crisper and closer to the original unprocessed sound.
• Delay Cell – Start time delay per layer.
• Phase Invert Mini-Cell – Phase invert per layer.
• Mono Mode Mini-Cell – Mono mode per layer.
• Pitchbend – MIDI in pitchbend messages now supported.
• Output Limiter/Clipper – Added simple one-button output limiter/clipper to prevent overs.
• New and improved mouse behavior for cell sliders – Clicking sliders displays value and double-clicking slider anywhere will lock slider into place.
• Safe Scene Switching Mode – Optional mode to improve Scene switching in DAWs using older CPUs, preventing clicks that might occur.
• Soloed Layer Highlighter – Highlights the soloed layer row.
• MIDI capable GUI display switching (optional) – User can now assign MIDI CC’s to GUI page switching for Main Pages, Sequencer/Wrapper Pages and Strt | Delay cells.

S-LAYER for Reaktor is available to purchase for $69 USD.

More information: Twisted Tools / S-LAYER

FXpansion has announced the release of DCAM Dynamics, a suite of four dynamics effect plugins for Windows and Mac.

Compress a specific range of the spectrum with FXpansion’s DCAM CrossComp.

DCAM Dynamics offers a variety of different flavours of high-quality circuit-modelled dynamics processing. The included plugins are perfect for everything from taming tricky transients to heavy, creative sculpting effects and everything in between. Classic console bus compression and channel limiting amp processors are provided alongside a transient shaper and frequency-selective compressor making DCAM Dynamics a great all-purpose dynamics toolbox.

With lovingly modelled bus compression and limiting amplifier circuits, DCAM Dynamics’ BusComp and ChanComp provide 2 staples of studio compression distilled into plugin form.

The EnvShaper plugin offers envelope-style transient control, allowing you to adjust the attack and sustain portions of complex audio material. Finally, DCAM CrossComp provides frequency-selective compression. Its high-quality crossover allows you to compress a specific range of the spectrum and mix it back in with the rest of the signal, offering flexible approaches to loudness and dynamic tone sculpting without having to use a complicated multiband processor.

All the DCAM Dynamics processors feature saturation circuits, built-in MIDI learn functionality and a variety of monitoring ‘listen’ modes. DCAM Dynamics operates at 2x oversampling, with a switchable Hi Def mode for 4x oversampling with extremely high quality results.

DCAM Dynamics features

• Circuit-modelled plugin compression suite.
• Classic console bus compression.
• Channel limiting amp compression.
• Envelope Shaper for transients in complex mixes.
• Frequency-dependent compression for creative tone sculpting.
• Saturation circuitry modelling.
• 2x oversampling with 4x Hi Def mode for extremely high quality.
• Built-in MIDI Learn for plugin controls.
• Secondary side-chain input and full MIDI control in compatible hosts.
• 32-bit and 64-bit support.
• VST, AU and RTAS plugin formats on Mac OSX 10.6.2 and Windows 7.

The DCAM Dynamics suite is available to purchase for $99 USD/79 EUR/£69 GBP inc. VAT where applicable.

FXpansion has also released DCAM FreeComp, a free circuit-modelled compression effect plug-in.

DCAM FreeComp is a realistic model of a classic console bus compressor design, designed to gel subgroups and entire mixes together while enhancing punch and definition.

It’s also excellent at taming peaks in individual tracks and instruments, creative sculpting and heavy, pumping compression effects.

The DCAM FreeComp is available as a freeware effect plug-in for Windows and Mac.

More information: FXpansion / DCAM Dynamics / DCAM FreeComp

SoniqWare has announced the picoSeries, a series of effect plugins designed with simplicity in mind.

SoniqWare releases picoSeries, a range of plugins designed for maximal simplicity of use while embedding the advanced SoniqWare sound processing algorithms: picoQuiet (noise reduction), picoEdge (attack transient processing), picoTail (release transient processing).

picoSeries features

• Single knob operation… plus a few a knobs we really could not manage to drop
• Currently three plugins:
  • picoQuiet noise reduction
  • picoEdge attack transient processing
  • picoTail rlease transient processing
  • … more plugins to come… stay tuned…
• Supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 & 192 kHz.
• Stereo operation.
• VST automation of all parameters.
• Silent controls.
• Use of SSE1-SSE5 instruction sets.

The picoSeries plug-ins are available to purchase for Windows and Mac (VST/AU), priced at 34 EUR / $44 USD each.

SoniqWare has also updated its MT-1 Multiband Transient Processor, SG-1 Spectral Noise Gate, and PE-1 Linear Phase Parametric Equalizer with various minor fixes and improvements and the release of AU and VST3 versions.

More information: SoniqWare / picoSeries

u-he has released version 1.1 of DIVA, the “Dinosaur Impersonating Virtual Analogue Synthesizer” for Windows and Mac.

Good news! Here’s the Diva update you have been waiting for. We locked ourselves away in our lab and squeezed as many CPU cycles out of Diva as humanly possible, all for the sake of one thing: Performance!

Diva 1.1 is now ready for download on her brand new product page. As always with u-he products, the update is free. Simply download the appropriate installer, follow the instructions and you’re good to go.

Note: We have also made subtle changes to the basic sound quality, improving the transient behaviour and adding some “sheen”. Although these changes will certainly be recognized as improvements, we recommend that you render your existing projects before upgrading.

Changes in Diva v1.1

• Performance:
  • Multi-threaded operation allows use of multi-core capabilities.
  • In many cases, Diva’s filters are now a lot faster.
• Sound:
  • White-noise DC-offset removed.
  • Panning inverted to make it correct.
  • Triggered notes sound more coherent.
  • Sonic improvements (more harmonics, less noise in VCF and synced oscillators).
  • New feature “Transient Mode” can reset DC-blockers and filter states on attack.
• Usability:
  • Completely new MIDI-learn mode.
  • Presets can be revealed in Finder (OSX) or opened in Explorer (Windows).
  • Drag & drop presets in Cocoa view (Mac).
  • Better file error messages for windows.
  • Log written if a file named Diva.log exists on the desktop.
• Bugfix:
  • Deadlocks that some experienced under Windows are gone.
  • No more unwanted legato mode after preset selection.
  • No more crashes after invalid file access.
  • All Notes Off releases current notes instead of killing them.
  • MIDI preset change no longer forgets modulator section.
  • Init preset is correct in the presence of MIDI Banks.
  • No more crashes after long silence.

Diva for Windows and Mac (VST/AU) is available to purchase for $179 USD (excl. VAT in EU).

More information: u-he / DIVA

u-he has announced a public beta version 1.1 of DIVA, the “Dinosaur Impersonating Virtual Analogue” synthesizer for Windows and Mac.

The oscillators, filters and envelopes closely model components found in some of the great monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers of yesteryear. Modules can be mixed and matched so you can build hybrids, but what sets DIVA apart is the sheer authenticity of the analogue sound. This comes at the cost of quite a high CPU-hit, but we think it was worth it: Diva is the first native software synth that applies methods from industrial circuit simulators (e.g. PSpice) in realtime. The behaviour of zero-delay-feedback filters when pushed to the limit clearly demonstrates the advantages of this groundbreaking approach.

Changes in DIVA v1.1 public beta

• Multicore Support – Finally play as many voices as you like on selected systems! Multicore system with on-cpu-memory-interface required (e.g. i5, i7, Nehalem).
• Up to 40% less CPU usage on expensive presets – Dramatically improved feedback prediction algorithim in the filters, highly resonant patches will now use up to 40% less cpu than older versions.
• Improved sound quality – You’ll notice that Diva now sounds like a freshly refurbished analogue synthesizer. Includes subtle changes to attack transients and VCO models.
• Revised User Guide – More info, more detail, more tutorials, more fun to read! (included in downloads).

Public beta download: Diva v1.1 public beta (Mac) / Diva v1.1 public beta (Win)

More information: u-he / DIVA