WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

Cableguys’ ShaperBox 3 is its much-loved audio movement and mixing plugin – and the v.3.1 update just made it even better.

New for version 3.1 highlight is Oscilloscope Tool. Additionally, this includes a high-res waveform display that locks to beats and bars, audio or MIDI, and is designed to help producers to visualise the dynamics of their music and identify mix problems. You can also overlay the waveform of any other track using sidechain routing.

ShaperBox 3.1 video demo:

Comprising nine multiband effects – Volume, Time, Drive, Filter, Crush, Noise, Pan, Width and the new Liquid processor – ShaperBox 3 is controlled on a visual interface that enables you to draw waveshapes, and offers easier LFO editing than ever before.

New for version 3 is Audio Triggering – switch this on and the LFO will restart with every transient. There’s also a new external sidechain input in the VolumeShaper that comes with its own view.

The new effect, LiquidShaper, takes ShaperBox into flanging and phasing territory, while new editing features include a more powerful pointer tool that makes all key functions operable with a left click.

Preset browsing has been streamlined and speeded-up, too, while ShaperBox’s multiband compressor can now be inserted anywhere in the processing chain. The envelope followers, meanwhile, offer an improved adaptive release mode that’s said to produce an even sweeter analogue-style response, and various specific improvements have been made to a number of the individual effects.

The nine plugins contained in Shaperbox 3.1 would regularly retail for a combined total of $301/€301, but you can currently get them for just $89/€89.

ShaperBox 3 is available now for PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats. Find out more on the CableGuys website. And, this being Black Friday, you can get Cableguys ShaperBox 3.1 for just $89/€89

Expressive E announced today in an update to their project backers that the Osmose is now in full production, with initial units set to start shipping in late December of this year.

Pre-ordered Osmose synthesizers will be shipped in the order that they were reserved. Expressive E says that fulfillment of pre-orders will carry on through the end of Q1 2023. As the synths are ready to ship, they will be following up to buyers that pre-ordered to complete payment and schedule shipment.

Osmose is a new synthesizer that promises to offer a unique level of expressive control, giving you continuous independent control over the synthesis parameters of each individual note that you play.

The sound engine is The EaganMatrix, a modular digital synthesizer invented by Edmund Eagan, utilizing a DSP engine designed by Lippold Haken. It is extremely powerful and is the same engine used in the Haken Continuum Fingerboard synthesizer.

The Osmose was originally introduced three years ago, with shipping planned for Summer of 2020. Production was delayed by the pandemic, so Expressive E used the additional time to add some additional features and deepen the sound library.

The Expressive E Osmose is priced at $1,799.00 and the website says that it will be ‘available soon’.

reFX Vanguard version 2 updated with new presets, a new UI and more features, including all your favourite sounds from version 1.

Released in 2004, original reFX’s Vanguard used to be a pretty big deal in the soft synth world, but was discontinued in 2016, due to stiff competition. However, the plugin is fondly remembered and still has its fans, which explains why reFX has now – finally – released version 2.

Vanguard remains a three-oscillator synth, but it now boasts a cleaner vector-based UI, 10 new wavetables, two new filter types, a new delay type, new reverb and distortion effects, synced LFOs and more.

There are also 136 completely new factory presets, but happily, the synth is also compatible with projects that use Vanguard 1. Load up your old songs and the sounds you used before will immediately load up, as well.

Vanguard 2 also appears to be more usable than its predecessor, with an ‘advanced’ sound librarian featuring three columns and offering colour-coded tags, bookmarks, favourites and a dedicated location for user presets. Sounds can be previewed instantly, you can search as you type, and it’s possible to filter presets by categories and tags.

It runs on PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats.

The ‘Complete’ version of Vanguard 2 comes with all 16 Vanguard expansions that were previously sold by reFX, which is equivalent to a total of 2,440 presets and 63 one-shot drum samples, and is available for $79 on the reFX website.