Audio Damage has introduced Descent, a granular delay and reverb effect for Linux, Mac and Windows.
Descent is designed to transform your audio into evolving, otherworldly textures. Descent captures incoming audio and breaks it into tiny grains—anywhere from a handful to dozens at once—then scatters them across time and pitch to create everything from subtle thickening and rhythmic delays to vast, frozen soundscapes and shimmering pitch-shifted clouds.
Features:
Granular engine with adjustable grain count (1–50 simultaneous grains), duration, overlap, and envelope shape for precise texture control.
Pitch shifting from -24 to +24 semitones with pitch quantization—lock transpositions to specific intervals for harmonically-correct shimmer, fifths, octaves, or any chromatic combination.
Six-axis randomization: independently randomize pitch, pan, position, amplitude, duration, and grain count for everything from subtle movement to complete chaos.
Direction control plays grains forward, reverse, or randomly mixed—perfect for tape-style effects, reverse swells, and glitchy textures.
High-feedback mode with diffusion control transforms delays into lush, reverb-like washes that never get harsh or out of control.
Tempo-sync or free-running modes let you lock grain timing to your session or let textures evolve organically.
Real-time FFT visualization shows your granular cloud evolving, making sound design intuitive and immediate.
35 factory presets covering shimmers, delays, reverbs, pitch effects, and experimental sound design to get you started instantly.
Cross-platform preset manager with XML-based presets compatible across all plugin formats and operating systems.
Descent is available now, with an intro price of $29 USD (normally $39).
FlatSix Modular shared this video to introduce the Shroud of Turing, 16-Bit Shift Register Sequencer with Musical Quantization – a module in the Intellijel 1U format that combines the capabilities of the classic Turing Machine shift register with a capable and playable note quantizer.
The Shroud of Turing is part of the company’s Nocturne Alchemy Platform, a series of modules built on a shared Arduino-based hardware platform.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“It generates pseudo-random CV sequences that can lock into repeating patterns or evolve freely over time. What sets it apart is a built-in keyboard for defining custom scales, with six save slots for instant recall during performance as well as sequence sculpting tools like pattern rotation, bit editing, and loop reset so you can shape your phrases in real time. Whether you’re looking for a source of happy accidents, a tool for controlled generative composition, or a compact sequencer that speaks in scales, the Shroud of Turing bridges the gap between chaos and musicality.”
The latest episode of Auteur Cinema takes a look at David Lynch‘s Eraserhead – considered by some to be the ultimate cult movie.
How Eraserhead Changed Sound Forever features Lynch and others, discussing how he and sound designer Alan Splet created the unique audio landscape of the film.
With Eraserhead, Lynch made sound equal to cinematography. While the film never reached a large audience, it nevertheless has had a profound influence on cinema, game design, and music.
Video Summary:
“Despite opening to little interest, over the years Eraserhead has become an increasingly influential film, particularly in the field of sound. In this essay I explore how David Lynch, alongside legendary sound designer Alan Splet, created the industrial soundscape of Eraserhead and how it has and will continue to influence artists across all mediums.”
