IK Multimedia is fully invested in pushing accessible guitar tone profiling forward with its previously announced AI Machine Modeling technology and now it has revealed how we can use it to demo, download and share dream pedal and amp rigs with its new TONEX.
‘A complete software ecosystem’ based on IK’s new AI Machine Modeling.
It is a standalone app, DAW plugin and AmpliTube 5 extension that will offer over 1000+ rigs at launch with more being added. Rigs will include rarities like the Dumble Overdrive Special and you can even model your own amps and pedals with AI Machine Modeling to share via IK’s Tone NET integration.
Players can demo tones instantly, and also search for specific gear in user tone models. In addition, IK Multimedia will release the optional Amplitube ToneX Capture hardware interface (€199); an all-in-one accessory to tone model any rig with or without mics, then integrate amps or pedals with your audio interface for reamping / modelling.
Introductory pricing will start at $149.99/€149.99 for ToneX and $99.99/€99.99 for ToneX SE on PC or Mac. AmpliTube 5 MAX users will receive a further $50/€50 discount coupon they can use to purchase ToneX MAX.
The ToneX app for iPhone and iPad (no Android option for now) is available both as a stand-alone app or as an AU plug-in for all the major mobile DAWs and includes the same Player section as ToneX Mac/PC software to play, practice and record.
Helpfully, the ToneX App and the Mac/PC software Tone Model library work in sync, so any player’s collection of Tone Models can be played on any compatible device.
Are you sick of vinyl and tape emulations? Here’s a modern twist on the lo-fi processor.
Codec is a free Lo-Fi audio degradation plugin by Lese that gives you the sound of a dodgy internet connection.
While many audio degradation plugins are designed to add vinyl, tape or cassette-style vibes, Lese Codec freebie takes a more contemporary approach: it is based on the sound of internet compression algorithms.
Codec is basically a container that holds an ‘audio compressor’, though not the sort that’s usually associated with music production. You can use it to compress and decompress your sounds in real time.
The plugin’s ‘Loss’ system enables you to simulate the sound of a poor internet connection, which can result in lost data packets. You can decide whether you want packets to be lost completely – in which case the internal algorithm will attempt to reconstruct your sound in real time – or held and repeated, giving you a glitch effect.
In addition, there’s a Crunch section, in which large amounts of gain can be applied to a specified frequency section, then removed once compression and decompression have been completed. The result is that the sound is kept at the same volume but has even more artifacts.
Lastly, you can tweak the way Codec responds to incoming sounds. There are voice, music and low-latency modes, each of which will give you a slightly different result.
Make Noise has released a free album, Strega Musica, that features a wide range of well-known electronic musicians showcasing their work with the Strega synthesizer.
The album was curated by synthesist Alessandro Cortini, and the Strega itself is a collaboration between Cortini and Make Noise founder Tony Rolando.
“I’m here to present you a compilation of pieces composed on the Strega by some of our favourite musicians and friends,” notes Cortini. “It’s really great to see how each of them was able to make the instrument their own, and speak their own language through the grammar that is Strega.”
Tony Rolando is represented on the album directly as a musician, and indirectly as co-creator of the Strega.
“As an instrument designer, I was surprised by the sounds these artists achieved,” he shared. “As a musician, the Strega sparked in me an energy I’ve not felt in a decade.”
The album features compositions by the following musicians:
