OXI Instruments has released a major update for its OXI One hardware sequencer, adding new chord functions and more.
New in OXI One v5.0:
Visit the Oxi Instruments site for details.
Dialr takes the headache out of MIDI mapping with “world’s first” AI-powered plugin controller.
At their best, MIDI controllers make using a DAW faster, more efficient and more intuitive, empowering us to ditch the mouse and keyboard and enjoy hands-on control over our plugins and devices via knobs, faders, pads and buttons.
That’s all well and good, but reaching that point often requires us to manually map each parameter we’d like to tweak to a corresponding knob on our controller, a time-consuming process that typically needs to be undertaken every time that we want to control a new plugin or device, nudging us out of that all-important creative flow.
While some DAWs offer auto-mapping functionality, this isn’t always consistently reliable, especially when using third-party plugins – and Native Instruments’ recently-expanded NKS protocol also offers a potential solution, but only if you’re working with NKS-compatible plugins and controllers.
Danish company Producely believes it has the answer: Dialr. A new controller that the brand is calling “the world’s first AI-powered controller for audio plugins”, Dialr uses an AI-based auto-mapping engine to take the headache out of parameter mapping – simply open up any VST3/AU plugin and Dialr will instantly map its most essential parameters to its 12 analogue knobs, Producely says.
Producely’s cloud-based platform uses AI to analyze plugin architectures and build custom mapping profiles for all of your instruments and effects; these are then downloaded to the device and stored locally. Equipped with 12 analogue potentiometers, two clickable step encoders and three buttons, Dialr’s controls are centred around a 7″ LCD touch-screen that displays plugin names, parameter values and more.
Dialr is designed to help users build muscle memory and work more efficiently – its knobs come in three different sizes to make them easier to identify at a glance, and the software auto-maps common parameters like Wet/Dry, Frequency or Input Gain to the same positions on the controller each time to help you work faster.
Dialr supports more than 100,000 VST3/AU plugins out of the box, but the manufacturer notes that some vendors such as Native Instruments, Spectrasonics and Waves use custom wrapper layers that “require special handling”. The company says they’re actively working to expand compatibility with these brands.
Parameter mapping kills creativity – we all hate it. That’s really where Dialr started,” says Producely CEO Morten Søderquist. “I wanted to sit down, open any plugin, and just start turning knobs. No setup, no learning curve. Auto-mapping should feel like you have an assistant who already knows every plugin in your collection. That’s what Dialr’s AI cloud gives you – great mappings, always ready.”
Dialr runs on macOS and Windows, but is currently only compatible with Ableton Live and Cubase. Producely says more DAWs are coming soon. It’s priced at €749 but there’s an introductory price of €649 available right now.
Find out more on Producely website.
Heritage Audio takes on the legendary Echoplex with its TAPEoPLEX plugin.
Heritage Audio is a Spanish manufacturer focused on creating modern recording equipment that captures the spirit and sound of vintage gear; the company has a solid reputation for delivering high-performance, retro-inspired hardware that’s often affordably priced.
The company also has a fast-growing collection of plugins in its product catalogue, a list that expanded this week with the release of TAPEoPLEX, an emulation of the classic Echoplex hardware tape delay favoured by Brian May, Jimmy Page and Joe Satriani, among many others.
Released in 1961, the Maestro Echoplex EP-1 was a hugely influential tape echo unit that spawned several popular follow-ups, including the sought-after EP-2 and solid-state EP-3.
Heritage Audio tells us that TAPEoPLEX has been meticulously modelled on an original Echoplex and can deliver everything from soft and clean delays to distorted, self-oscillating repeats imbued with the space, depth and warmth that’s so characteristic of the Echoplex.
TAPEoPLEX’s interface closely mirrors that of the original hardware, with controls for Echo Time, Echo Repeats and Echo Volume joined by adjustable input level and a two-band EQ.
Unlike the original, though, TAPEoPLEX is a stereo delay with independent delay times for left and right channels, both of which can be synced to your DAW’s tempo. An additional control also lets you change the amount of wear-and-tear on your simulated tape loops, adding a chosen level of colour and harmonic distortion to the wet signal.
Here’s what they have to say about it:
“It was about time someone got serious about recreating the legendary tape delay sound to today’s standards and the use of today’s technology to carefully model this plugin from an original unit (Serial # 34553) is the real secret behind the sound of the TAPEoPLEX, making it the best sounding tape delay plug-in available today. And taking advantage of the extra options that a plug-in allows, the TAPEoPLEX is now a full independent stereo unit where you can choose different echo times for the L and R channel or link them to have the same or different delay time constant on each side, following either the same tempo or the DAW’s tempo.
An additional control even allows to choose the amount of freshness of the tape, adding color and a slight harmonic distortion to your tracks when needed.”
Priced at €99.00/$99.00, TAPEoPLEX is available for free to owners of any of Heritage Audio’s i73 PRO audio interfaces. The plugin is compatible with macOS and Windows and available in VST3/AU/AAX formats.
Find out more on Heritage Audio website.
