Expert Sleepers has introduced Amelia, an envelope/function generator with an unusual ADBR (attack/decay/break/release) configuration.
CV control of all envelope times and of the break level is provided. The envelope can be set to auto-trigger, turning it into a complex voltage-controlled LFO.
The shape of the attack and decay/release sections can be independently and continuously adjusted from exponential, through linear, to logarithmic.
Amelia was developed with use with sequencers particularly in mind, where often you only have a trigger output, not a gate of adjustable length. It allows you to create complex and flexible envelope shapes from that simple trigger signal that can be fully modulated under voltage control.
The module is constructed entirely from analogue parts and discrete logic. There is no microcontroller or digital-to-analogue conversion involved and therefore no quantization of voltage levels or of the response time.
Tokyo Tape Music Center (TTMC) shared this video demo of their Tokyo Delay MODEL TD-1 Card, a PT2399-based lo-fi delay for the Buchla Music Easel.
Delay times of about 70ms-1000ms are possible, but they note that “long delays are noisy”.
A demo with randomized delay time:
The TD-1 fits into the Music Easel’s expansion card slot.
Tokyo Tape Music Center has several additional expansion cards on their site, including the Dual Function Generator MODEL 281 Card, 10 Channel Comb Filter MODEL 295 Card and Voltage Controlled Filter MODEL 291 Card.
Spitfire Audio has introduced British Drama Toolkit: Brass and Reeds, a new sound library that focuses on scoring with the sounds of brass and reed instruments.
Recorded in Castlesound Studios in Edinburgh, Scotland, the sound library features a selection of solo brass and woodwind instruments — from contrabassoon, saxophone and flugelhorn, to recorders, and more; Combi patches (curated combinations of instruments, split into various layers across the keyboard); and Ensembles (full section ensembles) and solo instruments.
The intro video above features an extended hands-on demo from composer Homay Schmitz.
What they say about it:
“Instantly sparking inspiration on first play, it’s every composer’s dream — the ability to finish a whole cue within a single patch. Made in collaboration with award-winning composer Samuel Sim, intricately workshopped techniques from a range of solo brass and woodwind instruments (including saxophones, recorders and flugelhorn) are presented in various combinations, each offering a full spectrum of emotion and expression.
For anyone looking to embrace a new approach to scoring — and a fresh alternative to string instruments — this sophisticated toolkit offers instant creative freedom. Brass & Reeds intuitively matches the intensity at which your fingers hit the keyboard by selecting from three different velocity layers, layering textural beds with characterful, emotive lead lines — unlocking a world of sound in every patch.”
British Drama Toolkit: Brass and Reeds is available now with an intro price of $149 /€149 through April 6, 2023 (normally $199 / €199). Crossgrade options are also available.
