Behringer today introduced ‘Brains Reloaded’ – a free firmware update for its Brains Eurorack module that adds 5 new modes.
The Behringer Brains is a clone of the Mutable Instruments Plaits macro oscillator. Plaits uses open source software and hardware licensing, which means that anyone can make a clone, if they follow the requirements of the license.
Mutable Instruments released a Plaits firmware update in December that adds a DX7-compatible 6-Operator FM synth and 7 more synthesis models. The Brains update is different than Mutable’s Plaits update, adding these 5 new modes:
Engine One – BX7 is an FM synthesizer that includes 32 classic FM Synth patches. These are compatible with native DX7 patches and can be uploaded via the Behringer SynthTribe application.
Engine Two – BASSLINE offers a virtual take on the TD-3, which itself is a knockoff of the iconic Roland TB-303. Controls give you access to distortion, resonance, modulation, and decay.
Engine Three – Wave Generator provides a wide range of waveforms, with controls over waveform types, bit crusher, and sample rate.
Engine Four – VOX is a synthesized vocal morphing sound engine, with control over formant shift, resonance, and vowel blends.
Engine Five – Audio Scope allows you to route any external audio signal into BRAINS V/OCT input, letting you use BRAINS OLED Display as a basic oscilloscope.
Not content with just automatically tuning your vocals, Antares now wants to compress them for you. Auto-Tune Vocal Compressor is billed as “the world’s first dual-stage vocal compressor plugin with machine learning,” and promises to analyse your track and suggest “optimum” settings that you can use as a starting point.
The plugin actually stacks two compressors, each of which can access four popular compression styles (FET, Opto A, Opto B and Modern). Once it is done its best to automatically find the right settings you can go ahead and tweak them to taste.
Alternatively, you can browse the included artist presets, which cover a range of vocal styles and genres. The Warm feature can be used to apply tube saturation and harmonics to vocals across one or both compressors.
“We’re very excited to release Auto-Tune Vocal Compressor, delivering another essential tool for today’s most successful professionals and tomorrow’s most promising creators,” says Antares CEO Steve Berkley. “By combining the only dual-stage vocal compressor plugin in the world with the power of advanced machine learning, we’ve created a must-have tool for anyone working with vocals, whether you’re experienced or a beginner.”
Auto-Tune Vocal Compressor (PC/Mac, VST/AU/AAX) is available at no extra cost for subscribers to Auto-Tune Unlimited, which costs $25 a month or $175 a year. You can also buy a perpetual licence for $179 – this includes one free year of Auto-Tune Unlimited. A free 14-day trial to Auto-Tune Unlimited is available to everyone, regardless of previous trials or subscriptions. Find out more on the Antares website.
Elektron has released Digitakt firmware v1.50, a free update for the 8-voice digital drum computer and sampler that adds four different Machines, each with their own flavor:
Repitch for automatic classic beat-matching;
Werp for a little quirky old-school way of time warping;
Slice – to chop up your audio and placing the pieces back in any order you like; and
Oneshot, the default Machine for playing your sample forward, backward or looped.
In addition, the update adds a new way to record your samples. You can now set a fixed number of steps for your recording. And, Sample Rate Reduction that can be inserted before or after the filter.
What’s new in Digitakt 1.50:
Added sample playback enhancements by implementing sample playback machines that add features such as warping and sample slicing.
Added Sample Rate Reduction functionality that can be routed either post- or pre-filter.
Decreased the encoder sensitivity when changing MIDI parameters.
Improved the filter type switching to reduce the amount of unwanted audio artifacts that could occur.
Added the functionality to record loops based on the current BPM when sampling or re-sampling.
Previewing a sample or a recording while on a MIDI track is now possible by letting it be previewed on the neighbouring audio track.
Find out more Digitakt 1.50 on the Elektron website and share your thoughts on the update in the comments!
Update: Here’s a deep dive into the updated OS via Dave Mech:
