Groove Analogizer is an “audio controlled drum synthesizer”, it means that like a vintage electronic drum tone generator (e.g. Simmons) the percussion sound is triggered by an audio input, not by a MIDI message. This also means that you must not load, in the host, Groove Analogizer as a VST instrument, it loads as a VST effect, usually in an insert slot.

But it’s really a synth: the sound of three oscillators is triggered and shaped by the audio input in many ways.Groove Analogizer is an “audio controlled drum synthesizer” or a drum tone generator triggered by an audio input rather than a MIDI message.

Groove Analogizer must load as a VST effect, even though it’s actually a closer to a synth. Sounds of three oscillators are triggered and shaped by your audio in. Here’s how triggering works:

Any sort of percussive (meaning anything with a fast attack and moderate to fast decay / release) sound can be triggered in mono or stereo as a .wav file or VST instrument. Three generators each allow you to select left, right or left+right inputs before a band pass filter defines which frequency range will work as the trigger.

This allows you to create different patterns from a single audio source by separating the hi, mid and low tones. You can also use a Pre-Listening feature to monitor your trigger. The Sensitivity control more precisely selects the loudest triggers so that you can take or leave ghost notes as triggers.

If you want to move beyond the 128 presets, you’re afforded ample control:

Sound Controls For each generator:
- Release time: amplitude and pitch envelope time
- Bending: positive or negative pitch envelope amount
- Offset : pitch base
- Timbre: from pure tone to noise, with FM option. New: overtone mode
Output Controls For each generator:
- Effect: send to internal stereo delay
- Pan: stereo image
- Volume: output level
Master Controls:
- FM: global amount
- Smooth: slope time for all envelopes
- Delay effect controls
- Dry: output of the trigger (source audio)
- Master : output level of all three generators

Get it here >>

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Blue Cat Audio has announced that they’ll be making their large plugin library available, finally, for Mac OS X.

We are happy to announce that we will be releasing Mac versions of our plugins before the end of the year. The public beta program for our free VSTs started today, while the Audio Units versions are still in work. These releases will also include updates for the PC versions.

We plan to release our freeware plugins first, and our commercial plugins will then follow, most of them being expected before Christmas.

The first release — available now — will be a collection of the Blue Bat Audio Freeware plugs, meaning the first OS X plugin bundle will also be freeware, i.e. it’ll be downloadable at no charge.

Of course, this freeware taste is only a precursor to the “professional” plugins that Blue Cat has announced will be coming in the first quarter of 2009. “Professional” in this context means, of course, that they will be charging for them.

The Freeware Bundle will include a veritable litter of decent plugins:

Blue Cat’s Chorus
Blue Cat’s Digital Peak Meter
Blue Cat’s Flanger
Blue Cat’s FreqAnalyst
Blue Cat’s Gain Suite
Blue Cat’s Phaser
Blue Cat’s Stereo Chorus
Blue Cat’s Stereo Flanger
Blue Cat’s Triple EQ

Not too bad I would say - go get it here >>

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basic64 is inspired by the 8 bit sounds of the classic Commodore 64.
It’s not a straight emulation, but is based around the SID chip with some extras for that 8-bit retro game sound, lofi gritty noises or just plain oddness

features
- 16, 8 or 6 bit sound quality
- 3 oscs, each with their own ADSR envelope
- oscillators can be sync’d and ring modulated by each other
- pitch envelope modulation
- pitch wobble option, for subtle instability
- 2 tempo-sync LFO’s to modulate pitch, cut-off and pulse width
- LFO’s have attack/release curves
- tempo-sync arpegiator
- flexible routing to state variable filter (LP, HP & BP)
- envelopes can be reset or continuous at retrigger
- monophonic or polyphonic option
- midi learn / midi CC support
- 128 presets by sinkmusic & WhiskeyPriest

Download it from here >>

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ExperimentalScene has re-released its entire audio product range as Freeware, including the modular virtual studio DarkWave Studio and its VST product range: DGenR8, AntiAlias, and SpatialVerb. All product limitations have been removed so now the electronic music community is able to enjoy this software free of charge.