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Song Athletics releases its first plugin OSS, a sampler ‘designed to help you find the joy in your one shot collection’.

Simplicity is key in OSS, the debut plugin from ex-Spitfire Audio head Will Evans’ recently launched Song Athletics brand

Song Athletics, a new brand from former Spitfire Audio CEO Will Evans, has released its first plugin. One Shot Sampler, or OSS, is a plugin aimed at helping you access and trigger your one-shot samples with ease.

Load your one-shots into OSS and you’re able to scroll through them “like presets on a synth” as you audition various sounds from your collection. You’re able to shape the sample using an ADSR envelope and adjust the start time and gain via OSS’s simple interface. The UI can be customized with your own backgrounds, too, which is a nice touch.

“We believe that there’s so much to be had from a single one shot sample,” says Song Athletics. “Typically we think of drum kit one shots, and they’re great of course, but one shots taken from more melodic instruments or tonal environments are capable of so much more than they’re given credit for.”

“Take a slow, undulating sample of an old keyboard running through delays and reverbs, and with just one note, primitively but beautifully stretched across the keyboard, you’ve got a lush, evolving pad instrument whose limitations create something quite distinctive. Feed OSS your own one shots and we guarantee you’ll be inspired, fast.”

Since launching late last year, Song Athletics has released several sample packs, including Some Drums and Sloppy Drums, a Dilla-inspired collection of drum loops.

Engineered by John Howes, One Shot Sampler is available now in VST3/AU formats for macOS and Windows. The plugin is priced at £40.

Developer Matteo Caldari has released Sand 2.0, a grid-based software sequencer for iOS.

SAND is a powerful grid-based sequencer, designed to create music using plugins and external MIDI devices in an efficient and effortless way.

*Note: SAND does not generate sound on its own, but can be used to sequence other plugins available in the AppStore.

Features:

• AUTOMATION
  • Create dynamic changes in your tracks by automating parameters like volume, panning, effects, and MIDI.
• MASTER TRACK
  • Apply global effects and automation
  • Edits to master track clips can propagate to section clips, making it really quick to write a chord progressions and a bass lines at once
• TIME SIGNATURES
  • Set any time signature for the project.
  • Every section can have its own time signature.
• CLIP EDITOR
  • Scale highlight
  • Triplets
  • Note audition
  • Ghost clip
  • Chord editor
  • Split notes
  • Duplicate notes
  • Brush notes
  • Copy and paste velocities
  • Use last duration and velocity when adding notes
  • Light theme option in the piano roll
• TRACKS IMPROVEMENTS
  • Vu-meters
  • Long press on volume and pan to show controls in fullscreen
• MISC:
  • Automatically generate project name
  • Automatic section length
  • Free trial period

Sand 2.0 is available now. It’s a free update for existing users, new users get 14 days trial and a $9.99 in-app purchase to unlock the full version.

RYK has introduced the ALGO quad oscillator module for Eurorack modular synthesizers.

ALGO’s four oscillators can be configured in series or parallel combinations, to create Complex FM or additive sound textures. A unique Algorithm Display indicates the signal flow from one oscillator to another, which they say provides “easy to understand FM with pretty twinkly lights”.

Each oscillator has controls for Level and Frequency, allowing easy adjustment of FM timbres, no menu-diving needed. Modulation inputs for Frequency or Level for each oscillator – patch in a couple of Envelopes, and you have an instant FM synth voice.

Features:

• Four through zero oscillators
• Harmonic intervals, Fine tune, or Fixed frequency options for each oscillator
• Amplitude OR Frequency/V/OCT CV inputs for each oscilator
• 9 FM algorithm combinations
• Wave Shaping and three types of Wave folding
• Multi Stage vari speed high quality chorus effect
• Stereo output, with Pan control for each oscillator in the stereo field
• Das Blinkenlights

RYK ALGO is available now for £287.50.