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Toolroom Academy has launched Infinite, its first plugin, designed by Mark Knight and James F Reynolds. Infinite is a suite of eight pre-designed effects that offers two different workflows.

One-knob control for your build-ups and breakdowns

Aimed at both beginners and pros alike, Infinite combines eight effects that work best for track transitions, delivered in either a complex or a simple one-knob mode.

With the easy one-knob option, all you have to do is simply dial in one of over 40 presets and start tweaking, but if you want to get under the hood then you can easily switch over to complex mode.

This more advanced mode allows you to access the individual effects, including delay, reverb, filter and more.

Each effect has been specifically tuned to work best for transitions in your tracks, thus saving you time getting the desired result in your productions.

Infinite eight effects:

• Delay – Create your own repeating patterns that loop on and on. The digital delay offers INFINITE rhythmic possibilities, allowing you to set your own speed.
• Crunch – Add colour to your tracks using the different saturation circuits, which are expertly modelled to allow you to add flavour and character to your most interesting moments.
• LFO – Add movement and modulation to your track using the LFO.
• Reverb – The reverb unit is modelled on a ‘hall’ and will allow you to space out and diffuse your transitions. The reverb can be made as transparent or as colourful as you like.
• White Noise – Increase the tension using the white noise knob to hype up the crowd and deliver a satisfying pay off.
• Filter – Utilise a -24dB/Oct hi-pass and low-pass filter section to make space in anticipation of the drop.
• Formant – Add drama to your build-ups using the formant filter.
• Width – Create dimensional EFX using the width parameter.

Infinite is available for macOS 10.9 or later (64-bit) and Windows 7, 8, 10 (32 & 64-bit) in VST, AU and AAX formats for £39.99

Find out more info on the Toolroom Academy website.

Tracktion Software collaborates with Dawsome, once again, to release an exciting new sample-based softsynth called Novum.

This expressive instrument can take any sample you throw at it and open an entirely new sonic universe for you to play in.

Novum’s engine is based on a mix of granular, spectral and subtractive synthesis and allows you to create entirely new sounds from one sample.

Select from one of the many included waveforms, or drop in a sample of your own and dive into up to six layers with a whole host of features to shape the sound.

You can create new textures with cross-synthesis by combing the timbral information from one sample and applying it to another, or take things even further with the Homogenize function, to add textural smoothness, not usually associated with granular synths.

Additionally, you can use the filter to sculpt frequencies, or ramp up the Syntify option to add in more harmonic content, the possibilities with Novum are seemingly endless, not including all the modulation, enveloping and effects options, which we have not mentioned.

Novum is the third instrument from Tracktion’s collaboration with Peter V, aka Dawsome, following on from Abyss and Chop Suey. Like its stablemates, Novum is 64-bit, VST3 and AU compatible.

Novum features:

• Granular Synthesis with up to 6 layers.
• Disentangled editing of timbre and temporal evolution.
• Timbre flower allows spectral modification of timbres.
• Cross synthesis via drag and drop.
• Advanced subtractive with SYNTIFY, analog filter and comb filter.
• Powerful and intuitive modulation system.
• Full MPE support.
• Highly optimised for CPU efficiency.
• 300+ factory patches.

Novum is available now with an intro price of  $179.

Find out more on the Tracktion website

The video above captures a live techno set by Richie Hawtin, aka Plastikman, with a system based around Bitwig Studio.

In the second video below, Hawtin discusses his setup, including his custom API scripts for the Novation Launchpad Pro, AKAI Fire and a custom Yaeltex MIDI conroller to suit his workflow:

Richie Hawtin uses three different controllers for three different tasks:

• The Novation Launchpad Pro provides direct access to Bitwig’s per-note Operators, so he can manually program rhythms for sounds;
• The AKAI Fire acts as a classic drum machine sequencer; and
• His custom Yaeltex externalises his use of Bitwig’s Arpeggiator to write melodies.

Take a look at how Hawtin uses his custom Yaeltex controller:

Find out more on the Bitwig website for details on his setup.